Split Enz was a New Zealander art-rock band from Auckland, formed in late 1972 and active through several iterations over a 12-year period. In 1973, the band released a pair of singles on Vertigo and EMI, followed by nine albums on Mushroom between 1975 and 1984. Their first album, Mental Notes, includes the popular early […]
The Human Instinct was a New Zealander band that released five 1967/68 singles as a freakbeat quartet on Mercury/Deram. As a post-psych jam trio, they cut the 1969–71 albums Burning Up Years, Stoned Guitar, and Pins In It. After their 1972 release Snatmin Cuthin?, Glenn Mikkelson (aka Zaine Griff) joined for The Hustler and their […]
Zaine Griff is a singer-songwriter, bassist, and visual artist from New Zealand. He cut two albums with The Human Instinct, then moved to England and released a single apiece with the bands Baby Face and Screemer. As a solo artist, he released the 1980–82 albums Ashes and Diamonds and Figures. Background Zaine Griff was born […]
Mi-Sex was a New Zealand new wave band that released four albums between 1979 and 1983 on CBS–Epic. Members: Don Martin (bass), Murray Burns (keyboards), Richard Hodgkinson (drums, 1977-1981), Steve Gilpin (vocals, 1977-1984), Kevin Stanton (guitar, 1977-1986), Paul Dunningham (drums, 1981-present), Colin Bailey (guitar, 1983-present) Background Mi-Sex formed in 1977 in New Zealand when vocalist […]
Shona Laing is a Kiwi singer/songwriter who rose to fame in her native New Zealand with a pair of teen-prodigy albums in 1973–74 on Vertigo and Philips. During the 1980s, she gained renown in the Northern Hemisphere with the hi-tech political numbers “(Glad I’m) Not a Kennedy” and “Soviet Snow,” both included on her 1987 […]
Dragon are a New Zealander rock band that released nine studio albums between 1974 and 1989 and scored Australian hits with “April Sun In Cuba,” “Rain,” and “Are You Old Enough?” They emerged on Auckland’s pub circuit and signed to Vertigo for the 1974–75 albums Universal Radio and Scented Gardens for the Blind, both comprised […]
Ticket was a New Zealander post-psych band that released the albums Awake and Let Sleeping Dogs Lie on small-press Down Under Records in 1972. Members: Eddie Hansen (guitar), Ricky Ball (drums, 1970-73), Paul Woolright (bass, 1970-73), Trevor Tombleson (vocals, 1970-72), Glen Absolum (drums, 1974), Billy Williams (bass, 1974) Background Ticket formed in Auckland in 1970 […]
Swingers were a Kiwi new wave band that released the 1981 album Practical Jokers. Their single “Counting the Beat” reached No. 1 in New Zealand and Australia. They appear in the 1982 Australian musical comedy Starstruck. Guitarist–singer Phil Judd was a founding member of Split Enz. Members: Phil Judd (vocals, guitar), Dwayne “Bones” Hillman (bass […]
The New Zealand Trading Company was a US-based multi-national soul-psych band that released a 1970 self-titled album on Memphis Records. Members: Thomas Kini (guitar), Jorge Casas (guitar), Maurice Moore (keyboards), Alberto Carrion (piano, vocals), Gonchi Sifre (drums), Kawana Waitere (vocals, piano), Eddie Nuku (bass), Lynn Alvarez (vocals), Neville Turner (drums) Background The New Zealand Trading […]
Dr. Tree was a New Zealander jazz-rock band that released a 1976 self-titled album on EMI. Drummer Frank Gibson and bassist Bob Jackson were already established sessionists. Both appeared on the 1974 album The Song of Crazy Horse by American singer/songwriter J. D. Blackfoot. Members: Frank Gibson (drums), Murray McNabb (keyboards), Martin Winch (guitar), Kim […]
Waves were a New Zealander folk-rock combo that released a 1975 self-titled album on Direction Records. Members: Michael Matthews, Kevin Wildman, Graeme Gash, David Marshall Background Waves formed in 1974 when singer-guitarists Graeme Gash, Kevin Wildman, and David Marshall teamed with bassist Michael Matthew. Gash and Wildman met as art-and-design students at Auckland Technical Institute […]
Tim Finn is an New Zealander singer and songwriter, best known as the frontman of Split Enz. He debuted as a solo artist with the 1983 album Escapade, which spawned the cross-Tasman No. 2 hit “Fraction Too Much Friction.” In 1985, he appeared as a bandleader and jingle-writer in the Australian romantic comedy The Coca-Cola […]
Lutha was a New Zealand rock band that released two albums in 1972/73 on His Master’s Voice. Members: Graham Wardrop (guitar, vocals, 1971-73), Garry McAlpine (percussion, vocals), Peter Edmonds (drums), Peter Fraser (bass, vocals), Kevin Foster (keyboards) Background Lutha was a New Zealand melodic rock band from Dunedin that released two albums on His Master’s […]
Hello Sailor was a New Zealander rock band that released the 1977–78 albums Hello Sailor and Pacifica Amour on Key Records and scored national hits with “Gutter Back” and “Blue Lady.” They regrouped for the 1986 Zulu Records release Shipshape and Bristol Fashion. Members: Graham Brazier (vocals, saxophone, harmonica, guitar), Harry Lyon (guitar, vocals), Dave […]
Ragnarok was a New Zealander symphonic/space-rock band that released a self-titled album on small-press Revolution in 1975, followed by the album Nooks on Polydor in 1976. The band’s first album features vocalist Lea Maalfrid, who would later achieve international renown as a songwriter. Members: Andre Jayet (drums, synthesizer, vocals), Ross Muir (bass, synthesizer, vocals), Mark […]
Cleves was a New Zealander psych-rock band that released a self-titled album on Festival-subsidiary Infinity in 1971. Members: Gaye Brown (bass, organ, vocals), Ron Brown (lead guitar, vocals), Rob Aicken (rhythm guitar, bass), Graham Brown (drums, 1968-1971), Vince Melouney (guitar, 1971), Ace Follington (drums, 1971) Background: The Clevedonaires Cleves revolved around the musical Brown siblings: […]
Living Force was a New Zealander Latin-rock band that released a self-titled album on Atlantic in 1977. Members: Harvey Mann (guitar), Eddie Hansen (guitar), Murray Partridge (guitar), Ivan Thompson (keyboards), John Pepper (keyboards), Gary Clarke (bass), Matt Matepi (bass), Glen Absolum (drums), Mike Fisher (drums), Mona Hollguin (vocals) Background The roots of Living Force date […]
Salty Dogg were a New Zealander art-pop band that released the album Love to Play and Sing on EMI in the Australasian market in 1977. Members: Mike Harvey (keyboards), Vic Williams (drums), Martin Winch (guitar), K.Chris Gunn (bass), Graham Chapman (vocals) Salty Dogg was assembled in 1975 by veteran writer/producer/keyboardist Mike Harvey and drummer Vic […]
Airlord were a New Zealander art-rock band from Wellington that released the album Clockwork Revenge on Infinity in 1977. Members: Steve MacKenzie (guitar, vocals), Ray Simenauer (guitar, vocals), Brad Murray (bass, vocals), Alan Blackburn (keyboards), Rick Mercer (drums) Prior to forming Airlord, the only member with a recorded history was guitarist/singer Steve MacKenzie, who cut […]
Pacific Eardrum was a multi-national jazz-funk/soul band behind the 1977/78 Charisma albums Pacific Eardrum and Beyond Panic, followed by a 1980 self-titled third on CBS. They featured three New Zealanders, two Americans, and one Englishman. Members: Bill Kristian (bass), Dave MacRae (keyboards), Isaac Guillory (guitar), Jeff Seopardie (drums), Jim Cuomo (sax), Joy Yates (vocals) Background […]
Blerta — short for Bruno Lawrence’s Electric Revelation and Travelling Apparition — were a New Zealander musical troupe that was active under assorted iterations between 1971 and 1976. The band released three singles in 1972 on His Master’s Voice, followed by the 1974 album This Is the Life. Members: Beaver (vocals), Corben Simpson (guitar, vocals), […]
Mike Harvey is a Kiwi keyboardist and composer who fronted the New Zealand band Salty Dogg during the late 1970s. As a solo artist, he released the album Great Expectations on EMI in 1979. Discography: Great Expectations (1979)
Mike Nock (born Sept. 7, 1940) is a New Zealander jazz pianist with an international career in music dating back to the early 1960s. At the turn of the 1970s, he recorded three album with stateside jazz-rock pioneers the Fourth Way. In 1971, he debuted as a bandleader with the MPS release Between or Beyond. […]
Mother Goose was a New Zealander art-rock band that released two albums on Mushroom Records between 1977 and 1979, followed by a third album on Parole in 1982. Members: Craig Johnston (vocals), Marcel Rodeka (drums), Pete Dickson (lead guitar, 1975-79, 1983-85), Justin McCarthy (lead guitar,1979-83), Kevin Collings (rhythm guitar), Steve Young (keyboards, 1975-82), Neil Shilkin […]
Schtüng was a New Zealander symphonic-rock band that released a self-titled album in 1977 on Polydor. Members: David Bowater (saxophone, flute), Geoff Bowdler (percussion), Andrew Hagen (keyboards, vocals, guitar), Paul Jeffery (keyboards, vocals), Rob Sinclair (bass, vocals), Morton Wilson (guitar, vocals) Discography: Schtüng (1977)
Space Farm were a New Zealander psych-rock quartet that released the album Going Home to Eternity on Zodiac in 1972. Members: Glen Absolum (drums), Harvey Mann (guitar), Billy Williams (bass), Bob Gillette (saxophone) Discography: Going Home to Eternity (1972)
Space Waltz was a New Zealander art-rock band that released a self-titled album on EMI in 1975. Members: Alastair Riddell (vocals, guitar, synthesizer), Eddie Rayner (piano, Hammond organ, Mellotron, synthesizer), Greg Clark (electric guitar), Peter Cuddihy (bass), Brent Eccles (drums) Background Riddell (b. 1952; Auckland) got his musical start as the guitarist and singer of […]
Think were a New Zealander art-rock band that released the album We’ll Give You a Buzz on Atlantic in 1976. Members: Alan Badger (bass), Phil Whitehead (guitar), Neville Jess (drums), Don Mills (keyboards), Ritchie Pickett (vocals), Kevin Stanton Discography: We’ll Give You a Buzz (1976)
