Hard News by Russell Brown

You can never have too much guitar, especially Bathgate's

Congratulations to AudioCulture. I remember some of those early discussions. Coincidentally, I have just received a request to re-work my AC piece on the Pretty Things for a book collection..

was the Marlon gig seated downstairs on Saturday? I went on Friday and it was standing only

was the Marlon gig seated downstairs on Saturday? I went on Friday and it was standing only

Oh, I didn’t realise that.

Yes, it was all seated – which might explain the relative quiet for Julia.

You can never have too much guitar, especially Bathgate’s

Truth.

So is that your recording from the desk, Doug? I'm never quite sure how, but your desk tapes over the years seem to have ended up in a lot of willing hands :-)

Coincidentally, I have just received a request to re-work my AC piece on the Pretty Things for a book collection..

Oh, that's great to hear!

Oh, I didn’t realise that.

Yes, it was all seated – which might explain the relative quiet for Julia

Yeah, there were a few talkers on Friday. Seating an audience does seem to have a quieting effect.

Audioculture's an excellent website, good call on the photos, images, etc, all sorts of incredible pics I thought I'd never see.

So is that your recording from the desk, Doug? I’m never quite sure how, but your desk tapes over the years seem to have ended up in a lot of willing hands :-)

Sounds like it Russ. Unfortunately all my desk tapes from the last tour were stolen, when the flat I was staying at in Ponsonby Rd , with the Droids, was invaded by a local gang , whom I won’t name, Just say they hated the local punks, going back to the Zwines days. John Baker wound up with the one from the Gluepot show somehow.

P.S.

Love Audioculture, great legacy for us old diehard NZ music types & Simon G

Sounds like it Russ. Unfortunately all my desk tapes from the last tour were stolen, when the flat I was staying at in Ponsonby Rd , with the Droids, was invaded by a local gang , whom I won’t name, Just say they hated the local punks, going back to the Zwines days. John Baker wound up with the one from the Gluepot show somehow.

Damn, that’s a shame. But the Androidss really did attract that kind of attention …

Yep but they sure were a lot of fun to be around.

Audioculture is a real treasure, and genuinely one of the best sites of the past decade. The Aussies certainly have nothing like it. I'm trying to rack my brain for somewhere else that does.

While the site is obviously about the stories and pics, I do think the NZ-on-Air and other publicly funded music videos are invaluable. Not too much quibbling with record labels, if they were so motivated.

The only thing I wish for on the site (other than MOAR of the excellent stuff in general), is more from younger contributors. I've been away from NZ for 20 years, more or less, and yet I recognise the vast majority of performer names on the site. Sure, I quaintly stock up on CDs when I'm home, listen to the student stations (why does George play so little local music?), and check out the recommendations here, but still. Yay for pretty much breaking Lorde here... but there's no article on her on Audioculture.

So, non-GenXers/boomers, please contribute! My own musical experience peak was around the turn of the millennium - all the great electronica, including pre-Skrillex dubstep. But now I like a fair amount of trap (sue me), bands like the Upbeats (ahem) are still getting around, so there must be more newer acts back home worthy of an article.

(I know Audioculture isn't a news site, but I thought Stellar* were pretty cool when I finally encountered them just a few years back, as one example.)

I'm sure it's easier to reminisce about things when perhaps memories aren't so raw, so I get why there's not many super-current acts. Conversely, while they probably aren't so much into moody shots under motorway bridges (on Ilford or Tri-X film where money was barely scraped together for development/prints even when someone had darkroom access at art school), acts today are all over different kinds of media. Surely I am not the only one who wants screenshots or even links to cringeworthy or cool MySpaces or Tumblrs or Bandcamps?

but there's no article on her on Audioculture.

Hi Tracy - watch this space :-) AudioCulture has a page on the North Shore scene that in part included Ella, but for a long while, it was almost too soon for a site dedicated to NZ's musical past to have much more simply because it's tough to tell a story that is still evolving. But clearly, it's a key story that needs to be told and soon will be in some detail, and in a way that NZers can identify with we hope. Our attachment to the Lorde story is utterly unique.

PS - thank you!

God Save the Queen(’s Birthday Honours List)
https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/104407240/antiestablishment-flying-nun-founder-just-wanted-to-get-music-on-the-record

From an Aranui childhood listening to Beatles records and a part-time teenage job in a Colombo St record store, Christchurch’s Roger Shepherd went on to pioneer New Zealand’s most famous independent record label.
Shepherd founded Flying Nun Records in 1981 to record the post-punk Christchurch bands he heard at local pubs, and is widely recognised for fostering, recording and promoting New Zealand, especially South Island, music.
He has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the music industry.

<an aside:> At the moment this story asserts that Flying Nun is now based in Australia – hopefully they will correct that soon.
<update> Sorted, and removed!

I forgot to mention Sir John Rowles and those Topp Dames amongst others honoured…
https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/104403861/queens-birthday-honours-topp-twins-flying-nunn-founder-and-dj-sirvere-honoured

see:
https://www.audioculture.co.nz/people/john-rowles
and
https://www.audioculture.co.nz/people/the-topp-twins
and
https://www.audioculture.co.nz/people/dj-sir-vere
and
https://www.audioculture.co.nz/scenes/roger-shepherd-interview-1997

PS – I’m very impressed at how fast these were updated!!
(but noticed a lack of Opera coverage in the Noisy Library)

PPS – I note a new spelling for Flying Nunn in that Stuff URL…
…must be echoing the Topps

Thank YOU, Simon. For the whole enterprise.

I totally get it re timing "retrospective" articles on active acts/scenes, but I'm really glad you're covering that one off imminently!

<an aside:> At the moment this story asserts that Flying Nun is now based in Australia – hopefully they will correct that soon.
<update> Sorted, and removed!

Nice work!

PS – I’m very impressed at how fast these were updated!!

Me too.

listen to the student stations (why does George play so little local music?)

never student radio and now part of Mediaworks.

Ha! Thanks for noticing the updates!

1. Wellington nightclubs in the 1980s

There was a glimpse of such nightlife in the early 1980s intro to Radio With Pictures (the one with the Nina Hagen theme). Nga Taonga Sound & Vision recently showed archives of the show as part of NZ Music Month, and Karyn Hay was back down in Welly last week to host a panel about her old stomping ground.

Karyn Hay's Nga Taonga Sound & Vision talk last week was superb, and a timely reminder of how much things have moved on. And a reminder of just how important that show was in pre-MTV days in terms of bringing the rest of the world into our lounges. She really was a pioneer, and is the first presenter - beyond the realm of comedy - I can recall who dared to speak in an authentic kiwi accent. Which pulled us in even closer imo. The RWP episode they played was from 1985, and it featured priceless footage of the 1984 Women's Performance Festival which looked like it was at Auckland's Performance Café. ps .. happy birthday AudioCulture, and cheers for the mention Russell. My piece is not the best writing on there by any stretch - it jumps all over the place and could have been better if I'd bothered to interview any of the key people involved (although Ray Johns has passed, and Tony Pene lives in the US these days) - but I was happy to learn that something worthwhile came of all those long nights emptying my wallet and um, putting my body on the line.