Though lasting just 18 months, Toy Love were one of New Zealand’s most influential groups. Chris Knox, Alec Bathgate and Mike Dooley had come from The Enemy were joined by the Christchurch duo of Paul Kean and Kate Walker to form the most brilliantly dynamic new wave group.
Large old school hotel with upstairs lodging, a pokie room, kitchen and a large live music bar that’s went through quite a few changes between the early 1980’s and when it was closed, just prior to the Christchurch Earthquakes.
Young early Flying Nun 5-piece out of Christchurch. With 2 bass players the group had an ‘edgy post-punk sound’.
Production group that merged modern technology with visual elements and audience interactions. Key members Angus McNaughten would go on to form Unitone HiFi and Michael Hodgson is one half of Pitch Black.
Dave Mulcahy‘s first post-Jean Paul Sartre Experience band was the unfortunately short-lived Superette, who sprung up in Auckland in 1993. With Mulcahy taking guitar and vocal duties, he pulled together former Blue Marbles duo Ben Howe (Bass) and Greta Anderson (Drums/Backing Vox) to record the rough, thematically scary, but thoroughly charming Rosepig EP. From here the band became known as one of the better live pop-rock acts around New Zealand, and where one of the defining bands (along with the 3Ds) that turned me on to New Zealand bands.
Every Secret Thing (aka EST – also the name of a comic/fanzine that Scott published) was a home taping label established by Rob Scott and incorporated a lot of his home demos (usually as Electric Blood, but also in many other totally unknown bands) along with ultra-rare recordings from the likes of Wreck Small Speakers on Expensive Stereos, the Weeds and various compilations featuring many Dunedin and Christchurch bands.
An early to mid 1980’s alias for Onset/Offset records Campbell McLay. A strictly DIY affair, engineered like a million other Christchurch records at the time by Arnie van Bussell at Nightshift Studios.
Legendary and short-lived indie punk label that debuted right on the cusp of the New Zealand underground explosion (i.e. they predate and are noted as a precursor to Flying Nun). Ripper was basically where New Zealand punk first surfaced with the likes of the Suburban Reptiles, the fleetingly popular Swingers, Scavengers etc – basically the cream of the early New Zealand punk scene.
Alec Bathgate’s always kept a couple steps back in his fellow Enemy, Toy Love and Tall Dwarfs shadow, but released a lovely little Byrds-jangle-pop album (with heavy Beatles and Beach Boy flourishes) in 1996.
More technically competent than Knox, and somewhat reserved (in comparison at least), Bathgate is a reflective, precarious song-writer of great talent.
Short-lived David Mitchell 3 piece, and the last of his Auckland bands. This is when he truly found his voice, with support from Phil Moore, Andrew Moon and (Flying Nun alumni) Alf Danielson. Their complete recordings would later be compiled (along with The Exploding Budgies complete discography) as a compilation CD in 1991.
Whilst Chris Matthews was struggling within the pop-confines of the Prime Movers, Johnny Pierce (Bass), Grant Fell (Guitar) and Bevan Sweeney (Drums) were forming their own sound as Children’s Hour.
Excellent post-punk band taking in equal measures of Voidoids style angular guitar and Blood Brothers style furious hardcore screaming and breakbeat crunch. A talented 4-piece with an excellent grounding in music production, they were snapped up by Flying Nun after building a strong live reputation in auckland during 2002-3. ‘licking letters’ is the first single, coming from the break-through Octagon, Octagon, Octagon Ep, and is a jerky, stop-start ripper, few bands have shown such intensity committed to plastic.
Hugely popular and influential New Zealand industrial rock act who emerged out of Palmerston North in 1979. Known for their grinding sound (a mix of noisy, scattered and angular guitar and eclectic electronic sounds) and one particularly visual music video – the incredible and universally banned ‘Affco’.
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.
The Clean have left a giant stamp on New Zealand Independent Music. The group that came to define ‘The Dunedin Sound’ had a terrific topsy-turvy career that spanned 5 albums and a number of EPs, singles, compilations and live releases over a 31 year time-span.