Rock/alternative/ indie Music of New Zealand

Kiwi rock is a word used informally to explain the New Zealand rock music and the culture surrounding rock music in New Zealand.

source of picture: www.allmusic.com

In the 60s a strong rock scene was built. The more renowned ensembles include The La De Das, Ray Columbus & the Invaders and The Fourmyula. The first rock n roll album by a New Zealander was by Johnny Devlin’s hit Lawdy Miss Clawdy that sold over 100,000 copies in 1959 to 60.

Some of the more powerful ensembles in the 70s include Th’Dudes (whose guitarist Dave Dobbyn made DD Smash in the 80s), Dragon Hello Sailor and Split Enz, fronted by Tim Finn and after his brother Neil Finn, who later establish the Crowded House.

Later half of the 70s, independent music in New Zealand began with the creation of a local punk rock scene. Bands of note include The Scavengers, Proud Scum, the Suburban Reptiles and Nocturnal Projections. The Enemy was one of the most notable New Zealand punk bands and it was created by Lo-fi pioneer Chris Knox. Later a reshuffle of personnel came and many of the band’s songs were recorded over 1979 to 80 as Toy Love. And the same artists created the basis for later groups such as Tall Dwarfs and the Bats.

The 1980s saw the appearance of the independent labels such as Propeller Records in Auckland and the Flying Nun record label in Christchurch which were highly powerful in the creation of the New Zealand rock music. The Clean coming from Dunedin was the first main band to appear from the Flying Nun roster. The South Island cities of Dunedin and Christchurch helped most of the first wave of the Flying Nun’s musicians that won the Dunedin sound. In the early 80s the label’s unique jangle-pop sound was initiated by bands such as The Verlaines, The Jean-Paul Sartre Experience, The Chills, The Dead C, The Bats and Sneaky Feelings.

Dunedin was created in 1986; the Dead C had an experimental, lo-fi guitar and soundscape-oriented take on rock music. The band became popular internationally through their releases on the Philadelphia record label known as Siltbreeze especially the 1992 double LP Harsh 70s Reality.

The rock band Shihad was established by vocalist/guitarist Jon Toogood and drummer Tom Larkin in the year 1988. The band’s musical pattern was initially indebted to San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal bands such as  Megadeth and Metallica, though the band set up wider fame over the following year playing a combination of new rock, post-grunge and pop rock. With the production of their seventh studio album known as Beautiful Machine, Shihad was classified as the first equal for most top 40 charting singles for a New Zealand musician in the New Zealand charts with 19.

Modern independent labels was built in the 90s, including IMD and Arclife in Dunedin, Failsafe Records and She’ll Be Right Records in Christchurch, Capital Recordings, Lil Chief Records, Powertool in Auckland, Arch Hill Recordings and Stink Magnetic and Loop in Wellington.

A modern alternative pop sound is characterized by the likes of the Brunettes, the Phoenix Foundation, Goldenhorse and Lawrence Arabic. A low drone has had a big influence which brings new musicians to the attention of the alternative music supporters in New Zealand by putting on the nationwide tours and a musical festival, Camp a low drone, selling fanzine style booklets with free CD and also producing musicians like the Enright House and Disasteradio on its label.

The independent music in New Zealand has primarily been sponsored by student radio stations such as bFM and RDU and fanzines such as Clinton and Opprobium.