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The Terminals

Alpaca Brothers

The Alpaca Brothers were a short lived noisy post-punk band from Dunedin formed by Bruce Blucher and Nick Wilkinson in 1984, with a young Steve Cournane soon joining as drummer. The group disbanded after releasing a single EP for Flying Nun, but miraculously resurfaced recently (after a 36 year absence) with a new album.

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Trillionaires

Trillionaires were a Christchurch institution through the late 1990s and 2000s. A covers band formed as a super-group of local musicians with the twin vocals of Ross Humphries and Nicole Moffat.

The group were known for their eclectic covers, with each song reinterpreted in their own unique style, usually as a rollicking garage rock’n’roll number, driven by the killer guitar of Mick Elborado and the rhythm section of John Christoffels (bass) and Malcolm Grant (drums).

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The After Dinner Mints

Celia Mancini’s ‘lounge band in the ’80s.’ A Christchurch-based group that played a variety of upmarket events with Mancini fronting a killer backing band. Unknown for many years, a recording of Bobby Hebb’s ‘Sonny’ on the excellent ‘The Celia Mancini Tapes’ posthumous release in 2018.

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The Pin Group

The very first group to record on Flying Nun Records, fronted by legendary experimental guitarist Roy Montgomery. Dark and Gloomy, evocative recordings – suitably earning the nickname ‘Roy Division’.

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Gas

Gas were a 3 piece garage-rock 3 piece from Christchurch, featuring ex-members of The McGoohans, Drowning is Easy and Scorched Earth Policy. Formed in 1995 and ended in 2002.

The McGoohans

Christchurch-based punky proto-grunge outfit that formed after the dissolution of Ian Blenkinsop’s Drowning Is Easy, a 4-piece that featured Blenkinsop along with future Scorched Earth Policy band-mate Mick Elborado, Craig Davison and Andrew Valance. Noted rock music historian George Churton would replace Elborado on bass and eventually become the lead vocalist.

Drowning Is Easy

Short-lived Christchurch punky group from 1981/2, made up of a bunch of English Immigrants still not quite old enough to drink in pubs. The would form a vital cog in the story of Scorched Earth Policy and te Terminals.

The Shallows

The Shallows were a short-lived Christchurch trio fronted by Roy Montgomery in 1985. Backed by Mick Elborado (bass) and Mary Heney (guitar / vocals) the trio recorded and self-released a sole 7″ single over a couple weeks in May, 1985.

The single was the result of a $750 government arts grant – the group laid out their exact expenses on the inside sleeve of the single.

25 Cents

25 Cents were known as being an impressive, ass-kicking party band in Christchurch in the early 1980’s, flush with a range of 1960’s garage numbers, Velvet Underground and Pere Ubu covers.

Sisters Mary and Susan Heney would go on to influential groups like Victor Dimisich Band, Scorched Earth Policy and The Terminals.

Victor Dimisich Band

Victor Dimisich Band was formed in 1980 by the song-writing duo of Peter Stapleton and Stephen Cogle while both were members of Vacuum Blue Ladder.
Though only around for 18 months and with scant recorded output – they got the ball rolling for successive bands such as Scorched Earth Policy and the Terminals.

Scorched Earth Policy

Excellent early Flying Nun band from Christchurch featuring 3 future Terminals (Stapleton, Elborado and Crook).
Some terrific songs that build suspense and tension with galloping drums, rumbling bass and a cacophony of guitar, organ and violin.

A Handful Of Dust

One of Bruce Russell’s (Dead C) and Alastair Galbraith’s darkest outfits, often dealing with distinct imagery and motif’s in their music and especially pronounced in their liner notes (most of which are distributed through Russell’s Corpus Hermeticum label).

Formed by the duo in Dunedin in 1984, and primarily a free noise group. Though primarily a duo, Peter Stapleton had been a regular contributor from 1993 until his passing in March 2020.

Maryrose and Brian Crook (April 2004)

The Renderers played Christchurch on Friday April 23rd, 2004 at Creation along with the Terminals and an acoustic performance from Hamish Kilgour (The Clean / Magick Heads etc). I conducted this interview with Brian and Maryrose Crook in the lead-up to the show.

Creation

Excellent multi-use space established by the Therapeutic Arts Trust in 2000 – Ciaran Fox was originally involved before Adam Hayward joined the board in 2001 and took over directorship in 2002.

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.