p artists
The Pterodactyls
Clangy Auckland post-punk / indie-pop from the mid 1980's. Released a brash, tuneful and fun LP-sized EP on Meltdown Records in 1987 before going their separate ways.
Tag
Tag: The Chills
c artists
The Cartilage Family
The Cartilage Family were a short-lived Dunedin group featuring Peter Gutteridge (and a bunch of his best early songs), Shayne Carter, Lesley Paris and Francisca Griffin. No official recordings exist and they only performed live twice; but the Cartilage Family were an important stepping stone for New Zealand Music.
t artists
Trash
Noisy Dunedin rock group formed by Ex-Alpaca Brothers Bruce Blucher and Paul Cahill. Robbie Yeats was their primary drummer, but their recordings feature contributions from a number of well-known underground performers. Released 3 albums and a couple 7" singles.
s artists
Snapper
The key group of New Zealand underground legend Peter Gutteridge (despite being a founding member of BOTH the Clean and the Chills). Snapper made driving, droning guitars-infused with synths post-punk throughout the 1980s and 1990s before Gutteridge disappeared from the public eye.
Live Music Reviews and Photos
Live: Peter Gutteridge
FLASHBACK TO 29 March 2012 with Peter Gutteridge and Brother Love at Darkroom. One of the Christchurch musician's later live performances, captured in a review originally published in the Christchurch Press on 5 April 2012.
b artists
Bored Games
Before Dimmer, before Straitjacket Fits, before even the Doublehappys, Shayne Carter was in a Flying Nun Records-type punk band called Bored Games, who opened for the likes of the Clean and Toy Love before the lads had even left high school.
d artists
Drill
Auckland trio Drill were formed in 1989, featured on the 1st 'Freak the Sheep' (bFM Kiwi radio station) compilation, put out the single 'Happy Home' and a self-titled album -all on Flying Nun Records in the mid 1990's. The songs were collected from sessions going right back to 1990.
c artists
The Clean
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.
m artists
Mainly Spaniards
Jangly indie-rock 4 piece from early 1980's Christchurch. During their life they put out a well-received 7" single on Flying Nun before going their separate ways. Failsafe Records released a retrospective compilation of their recordings in 2021.
t artists
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.
c artists
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.
Interviews
Mike Hex [January 2004]
An interview I conducted with Michael Brassell, aka Mike Hex - at the time the creative force behind Hiss Explosion and a musical co-ordinator for Arc Life Cafe / records down in Dunedin. Sadly Mike passed away just a few months later.
p artists
The Palace Of Wisdom
Underground rock'n'roll lifers from Christchurch fronted by enigmatic and sometimes confrontational front-man (and downhill Mountain Bike enthusiast) Andrew 'Ox' O'Connell. A long cast of supporting characters and a handful of rough-and-ready recordings - all self-released.
b artists
Big Sideways
Biography No kidding big: this New Zealand band boasts a dozen members, including four horn people, four guitarists and two drummers. Seven of ’em…
w artists
Wreck Small Speakers On Expensive Stereos
Wreck Small Speakers On Expensive Stereos were a Dunedin-based duo consisting of Michael Morley and Richard Ram. The groups recordings are based around strong rhythm tracks - usually plucked bass guitar and drum machine, with shout-sung vocals, fractured guitar riffs and organ squeels, with samples and other sound manipulations added into the mix. Though experimental, Wreck Small Speakers retained a high level of musicality and accessibility. #nzmusic #wrecksmallspeakersonexpensivestereos