Paua Fritters
Auckland-based pop-songwriting outfit based around the trio of Alice Mckenzie, Penny Laybourn and Hilda Mcclutchie.
Julian Dashper
Formerly Auckland-based abstract artist who produced a string of lathe cut releases in the late 1990’s – 2000’s on Circle Records and the Luxus imprint.
The Heptocrats
Auckland duo of Mike Knuckley and Brett Higson. Released a cassette and appeared on a live compilation on Paul Lurkers Industrial Tapes label. Had some songs recorded live by Chris Knox and Doug Hood at the Rumba Bar with ‘One More’ turning up on the famed ‘The Last Rhumba’ live compilation on Flying Nun.
The Palladium Niteclub
The Palladium was a sprawling upstairs nightclub in Chancery Lane in Central Christchurch, with a massive 800 person capacity and 24 hour liquor license.
Murdering Monsters
Dunedin-based outfit who released a split EP with Matt ‘Crude’ Middleton’s Aesthetics, along with a couple other Lo-Fi low-rent releases.
Throw
Christchurch-based shoegazey indie-rock group that started out as a studio project but became a fairly successful touring group with 2 albums and an EP on band member Rob Mayes Failsafe Recordings.
Jousting Vandals
One of Rob Scott’s many one-off bands – this time with R. Dejoux and Sarah Robin. They put out the Ground Level cassette on Scotts’ own Every Secret Thing label in 1985. Scott reissued the Ground Level cassette as a CDr in 2022.
Zanzibar
The Old Star Tavern (aka The Star Tavern, Lion Tavern) was a large old Pub on Lincoln Road, not far from Hagley Park that sprung to life with live entertainment during the mid 1980’s.
Circa 1983-4, local Punk and Dance impresario (and general taste-maker) Tony Peake was responsible for booking bands at the large, popular Gladstone venue, alongside Al Parke. Meanwhile up in Auckland Peter Urlich was establishing the original Zanzibar dance-club in Auckland – and was planning a similar spot in Christchurch with the help of local proprietor John McCarthy, who owned the Old Star Tavern.
Peake was brought in to establish a new nightclub within the pub, taking the same name as the Auckland venue and putting on regular nights, DJing a mix of Post-Punk, Dance, Dub, Hip-Hop – whatever he saw fit.
The Vacuum
A formative group for 2 significant groups in New Zealand music – The Terminals song-writing duo of Peter Stapleton and Stephen Cogle, and Bilders duo Bill Direen and Allan Meek. Though a fairly significant group at the time, their recordings were sparse.
Cecil House
Cecil House was an old retail and residential building on the corner of Manchester and Welles street that was eventually damaged, then demolished after the Canterbury Earthquakes of 2010 / 2011.
Though original built as a Hotel around 1905, by the 1980’s the building had become a mix of residential accommodation and retail shop-fronts. The building itself had fallen in to disrepair and became suitably cheap accommodation, with quite a few musicians occupying flats in the 2nd and 3rd floor during the 1980’s and 1990’s.
Crawlspace
Not-quite defunct label based out of an Auckland record store that put out several limited edition underground releases in the 90s and early 00s. One compilation of this material (Fit for Kings) was actually issued on well-known US indie Drunken Fish.
Since the closure of the Crawlspace record store, Crawlspace have been limited to short one-off 7″ releases and casually distribution through mail-order and the K-road market. Truly worth visiting, the market is the place to go to find one-off Snapper and Victor Dimisich Band 7″s, and a variety of abstract low run vinyl releases and even imports.
Castrol’s Garage
Short-lived pizza restaurant, bar and live music venue, on the corner site of the long running and beloved Gordon Smith and Son’s Fruiterers. The venue side of the bar was a little on the shallow side and with doors opening to an outside courtyard on the busy revitalized post-Earthquake Victoria street, it wasn’t long before the venue encountered noise complaints.
Skank Attack
Wellington 3-piece from the mid 1980’s. Skirted the line between underground and pop without ever fitting in to either camp, despite an album produced by Nick Roughan (The Skeptics) and Brent McLachlan (The Gordons).
Crime Front
A decrepit old wooden villa on Kilmore Street occupied primarily by Michael Boulden (who used the space as a recording studio / video editing office) and professional musician Simon Nunn, whilst other musicians (including The Pickups / Terror of the Deeps William Daymond) came and went over the years – taking advantage of the 6 rooms and ridiculously cheap $200 rent.