David Mulcahy
Moody but sadly inconsistent solo material from JPSE / Superette front-man released on bandmate’s nascent Arch Hill label in 1999.
Crystal Zoom
General craziness in musical form at the hand of Michael Weston and his troops Bruce Mahalski, Eric Neuman and Nathan McConnell.
The Dunedin music compilation But I Can Write Songs OK includes their brilliant stars-on-45 take on Flying Nun bands ‘Dunedin sound on 45’, and even featured guest appearances from some of the targets – David Kilgour and Martin Phillips.
Negative Eh
Wellington trio making lo-fi psychedelic and experimental noise. The group released a flurry of lathe cut releases in the late 90’s before resurfacing as the Electronic / Abstract / Experimental / Jazz outfit Nova Scotia.
The Incisions – Let Terror Rain
Wow, this is loud, caustic stuff.
The 2nd album from the ever-changing Christchurch 3-piece The Incisions blow the current crop of rock’n’roll revivalists out of the water. Its pure fire in a recording, scratchy, loud, abrasive and rude – more in the style of Japanese noise merchants Guitar Wolf or (particularly) Teengenrate than The Datsuns (who seem positively polished in comparison).
Bill Direen
One of the longest running mythic underground figures of New Zealand rock who has worked (and commanded) such significant figures in the New Zealand music scene as Chris Knox, Peter Stapleton, Maryrose Crook, Dave Mitchell, Malcolm Grant – the list goes on.
Naked Spots Dance
Early 80s Wellington post-punk outfit in the style of the Au Pairs, with long-standing members Kate Walker and Stephen Norris, plus a rotating cast of drummers and vocalists, including well-known Actor/Comedian Jennifer Ward-Leland and future Oscar winner Fran Walsh.
Pit Viper
Wellington-based experimental noise trio featuring Paul Douglas (aka Rosy Parlane), Robert Lundon (RSW London / Imperial Records) and Paul Yates (aka Paul Ling – ex Garbage and the Flowers – now in the Melbourne-based Minit).
Kim Blackburn
Kim Blackburn is a poet and singer-songwriter who put out the ‘Lizards In Love’ album on Flying Nun Records, using acoustic guitar and digital effects to give the album an unusual edge. Her voice has a deep, haunting quality – reminiscent of Nico.
She had previously been associated with underground labels such as Industrial Tapes, performing alongside Sandra Bell on the cassette only release ‘Two Metallic Hearts’.
Fetus Productions
Bizarre but often highly melodic experimental group, one of the first New Zealand outfits to incorporate multimedia elements into their shows and actually classified themselves as a production, creating art shows and (eventually) computer based presentation that encompassed both visual and audible elements.
Jody Lloyd
Prolific formerly Christchurch (now Melbourne) downbeat and hip-hop producer, now performing under the name Trillion.
Bengal Lights
Two-piece Rock’N’Roll duo from Auckland. They were tremendous on A Low Hum’s 2nd to last tour, with drummer Zoe Fleury belting it out (and singing too) from behind the kit while Maeve Munro played feedback-drenched guitar and sang from up front. Very cool.
Only release was a split single with The Lover Haters.
The Next Big Thing
Palmerston North outfit that released a tape of folk pop songs on Spotty Dog in 1995.
The Henchmen
West Auckland punks from the early 80s – Stooges obsessed 20-somethings who evolved out of the equally primitive Dum Dum Boys and made sloppy punk-metal, later reissued by revivalist imprint Raw Power.
Eventually moved to Sydney and (due to the name clash with a 1960s Australian group with the same name) became Reptiles at Dawn.
The Blunts
Auckland guitar and drums duo who have put out a couple releases adorned by excellent 60’s hard-rock styled artwork (coming from guitarist John Appleton’s pen) to match their bluesy minimalist rock.
Drummer Martinengo would go on to form similar garage rock groups Los Hories and Gaytime, whilst also running 1:12 Records.
Harbour Light Theatre
The Harbour Light Theatre was thought to have been designed by J.S. and M. J. Guthrie and purpose-built as a picture house and theatre for the Lyttelton Picture Company. It could seat 550 people in both stalls and circle. The front of the building was two storeys high, with a mezzanine floor, and two decorative brick towers topped with spherical domes on either side. The entry was framed by large Tuscan columns, with quoin stones on the corners of the building. The material of the building was mostly brick with a stucco finish on the facade painted white in the “California style”. The entrance featured an art nouveau style etching of a pattern above the verandah roof.