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A Low Hum

Golden Axe performing live

Golden Axe

Golden Axe are an Auckland duo — CJ Cudby and Daif King — whose keyboard synthesis, waveform manipulation, and saxophone created some of the most inventive electronic music in Aotearoa during the 2000s and early 2010s.

Leila Adu artist photo

Leila Adu

New Zealand composer, vocalist and pianist of Ghanaian descent. Studied at Victoria University Wellington and Princeton. Known for blending electropop, avant-classical, and singer-songwriter traditions. Now professor at NYU Steinhardt.

Camping at Campus A Low Hum

Live: Campus A Low Hum Day 3

Flashback to February 13th, 2011 – Day 3 of Campus A Low Hum at Flock House in Bulls. Featuring camping, b-ball and lots and lots of bands!

#nzmusic #alowhum #campusalowhum

The Pool at Campus A Low Hum

Live: Campus A Low Hum Day 2

Flashback to February 12th, 2011 – Day 2 of Campus A Low Hum at Flock House in Bulls. Featuring heaps of bands from around New Zealand, Australia and even a few from the States.

#nzmusic #aussiemusic #alowhum #campusalowhum

Kitsunegari at Campus A Low Hum

Live: Campus A Low Hum Day 1

Flashback to February 11th, 2011 – Day 1 of Campus A Low Hum at Flock House in Bulls. Featuring heaps of bands from around New Zealand, Australia and even a few from the States.

#nzmusic #aussiemusic #alowhum #campusalowhum

Live: Red Panda Presents Thought Creature

Flashback to September 19th, 2008 with a Red Panda (all-ages) show at the Otautahi Social Centre, headlined by Wellington’s Thought Creature and supported by then-young Christchurch groups Warble, Shocking and Stunning Statement and Ruffians.

I’ve added some context and reflective detail to the brief original review.

#nzmusic #redpanda #thoughtcreature #warble

Crackhouse 5

Wellington ‘self-aware white-boy scenester rap’ crew. Primarily with 3 vocalists, but with occasional appearances from fellow Wellington-based rapper Tommy Ill and others. Taking queues from early Beastie Boys the crew are very much party focused.

The group formed as a sideline to Holiday with Friends while the main trio were recording fellow Wellington rap act Tommy Ill’s debut album.

#nzmusic #crackhouse5 #holidaywithfriends #tommyill

Al’s Bar

Mid-sized venue on the South side of Central Christchurch operated by long-time fixture of the Christchurch music scene – Al Park. Al had been a notable figure in the pub rock and (eventually) punk music that sprung up around the Mollett Street performance space in the late 1970’s, but it took until 2004 before Al had a venue of his own.

So So Modern

Terrific Wellington-based synth and guitar troop – greatly exciting, fun and wacky group. Often costumed and running through sets at breakneck pace, the group had a give it a go and home-production bent, distributing their own self-produced recordings (with art-work from the very talented Neon Sleep), hand-crafted pins, stickers and posters.

The group evolved out of youthful stints in underground hardcore groups – and they took elements of that (breakneck pace, gang vocals, building a community) to the group, but expanded the sound to make it more palatable to a wider audience.

The Enright House

The Enright House was the not quite pop, not quite post rock, brain-child of German born Mark Roberts.

The live band consisted of Roberts along with Thomas Lambert on guitar (also of A Flight to Blackout), Simon Gemmill on Drums and Evan Schaare on synths.

Christchurch Media Club

The Christchurch Media Club was a large building on Armagh Street, next to the notoriously seedy Centennial Pool. Broken up in to several parts – It had a mid-sized hall with hard-wood floors, a large performing stage and bar (used mostly for Media Club patrons, housing pool tables, darts etc), the smaller ‘Winter Garden’ ballroom where most live performances occurred – which was carpeted and decked out in ornate ceiling alcoves, plus a hallway, toilets and a small kitchen.

The Penthouse

The Penthouse (sometimes just referred to as ‘Level 5’) was a venue name given to the 5th floor of Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti School in Central Christchurch, above the old Hallensteins building in Cashel Plaza.

Die! Die! Die!

Die! Die! Die!

Since forming their first band in High School back in Dunedin, the duo of Michael Prain and Andrew Wilson have been consistently at the forefront of New Zealand independent music. Die! Die! Die! formed in 2003 as an Auckland-based post-punk group with an explosive, propulsive sound and excellent songs.