As a New Zealander, this site is naturally biased towards New Zealand artists. I’ve collated them all into one page.
New Zealand pop music didn’t start in earnest until later than the rest of the world. Despite flickers of brilliance like The Fourmyula’s 1969 hit ‘Nature’, New Zealand didn’t produce many noteworthy albums until the second half of the 1970s.
Artists I plan to cover include Anika Moa and a bunch of Flying Nun acts like David Kilgour, The Clean, and The Bats.
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Graeme Humphreys started his musical career in the Whangārei band Sister Ray. Located in the subtropical north, Whangārei is the…
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The Beths met at jazz school in Auckland, New Zealand. Guitarist Jonathan Pearce stated that playing jazz provided a “very…
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Ed McWilliams and Geoff Maddock met in art class at high school in Auckland, New Zealand. They formed the trio…
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The Chills started on the legendary Flying Nun indie label during the 1980s. Martin Phillipps was the only constant member.…
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Breaking up Split Enz, Neil Finn retained drummer Paul Hester from the final Enz lineup and created a more streamlined…
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In January 1994, Straitjacket Fits played their last gig at the Big Day Out festival. Disillusioned by the music industry,…
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Every country has a songwriter who’s very successful in their home territory but hasn’t translated well elsewhere. Australia has Paul…
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I’ve already covered the Split Enz and Crowded House catalogues separately. This page covers Neil and Tim Finn’s solo albums…
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Growing up in Auckland’s North Shore, Don McGlashan and Harry Sinclair deferred their chosen careers when they returned from their…
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Kimbra Johnson was earmarked for stardom early. Online videos show her singing as a pre-teen, while she placed second in…
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Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor was born in Auckland, New Zealand, the daughter of a poet and a civil engineer. She…
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Don McGlashan kicked around the arty end of the New Zealand alternative scene during the 1980s. He played the drums…
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New Zealand indie band The Phoenix Foundation was formed by Wellington High School students in 1994. The group features two…
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Singer-songwriter Nadia Reid hails from Port Chalmers. It’s a port suburb of Dunedin, New Zealand, known for alternative life-stylers and…
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New Zealand’s Bic Runga has only released four albums of original material, starting with her 1997 debut Drive. But despite…
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Formed by a group of Auckland students in 1972, Split Enz is an iconic New Zealand band. They had a…
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Dunedin has a small population and is located in the deep south of New Zealand. But Dunedin’s Flying Nun record…
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Supergroove barely made an impact outside New Zealand, but they were inescapable there in the summer of 1994 and 1995.…
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Prominent popular music from New Zealand in the late 20th century was often Caucasian. Most internationally recognised musicians came from…
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New Zealand is presently enjoying a strong crop of female singer-songwriters. Along with Hollie Fullbrook of Tiny Ruins, we also…
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Marlon Williams grew up in Lyttleton, New Zealand. He toured Europe as a member of the choir of the Cathedral…
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A bunch of New Zealand acts where I don’t have the patience to review all their records. It’s a mixed…
Read about the discographies of musical acts from the 1960s to the present day. Browse this site's review archives or enjoy these random selections:
I add new blog posts to this website every week. Browse the archives or enjoy these random selections:
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