Rock music in New Zealand
Rock music in New Zealand | |
---|---|
Other names | New Zealand rock music Kiwi rock music |
Stylistic origins | Rock music Rock and roll music |
Cultural origins | 1955 and the 1960s in New Zealand |
1950s
Rock music began in
1960s
New Zealand radio's conservative programming approach was increasingly challenged by young people in the 1960s. Radio Hauraki initially began life as a pirate radio station, broadcasting in international waters 50 miles (80 kilometres) offshore from Auckland in the Hauraki Gulf, a deliberate move that allowed them to circumnavigate restrictive broadcasting legislation and broadcast their own playlist. This in part spearheaded the way for the gradual deregulation of the radio industry. Towards the end of the 1960s radio stations like Radio Hauraki, and later Radio I, were playing exclusively rock and pop music to a teenage and young adult audience.[5]
The 1960s also witnessed a dramatic rise in locally written and recorded popular music. However, many pop bands and performers of the time also released their own versions or "covers" of hits by overseas artists. It was an era when vinyl reigned supreme and teenagers queued outside local music and record shops to buy the latest hit singles. The Fourmyula's "Nature", written by Wayne Mason in 1969, still retains considerable popularity and was voted the top New Zealand song of the last 75 years in 2001.[5]
In Christchurch,
1970s
In contrast to the 1960s, relatively few New Zealand groups released records. In 1976, six million records were sold, with only seven singles and four albums from local performers reaching the Top 50. The following year eight singles and three albums charted, but overall record sales dropped to five and a half million.[7]
Some of the more influential rock bands in the 1970s were Th' Dudes (whose guitarist Dave Dobbyn formed DD Smash in the 1980s), Dragon, Hello Sailor and Split Enz, fronted by Tim Finn, and later, his brother Neil Finn who went on to form Crowded House.
The first punk rock bands – including the Suburban Reptiles and the Scavengers – formed in Auckland in the late 1970s and were soon followed by groups in Christchurch, Wellington and Dunedin.[2] With guitarist Alec Bathgate, Knox formed the Tall Dwarfs and, with a rudimentary four-track TEAC tape deck, he began recording various post-punk bands that had cropped up in Dunedin, starting with the Clean.[8]
The Redwood 70 music festival, held six months after Woodstock in 1970, was cautiously sub-titled New Zealand's first national music convention. Held at Redwood Park in Swanson in Auckland's far west, the festival was organised by Auckland promoter Phil Warren. Redwood 70's headline act was a newly solo Robin Gibb, backed by a string quartet. The New Zealand groups who made up the bulk of the two-day festival's entertainment were less mainstream than Gibb and played rock music. Though over 9000 fans attended, the festival lost money, a pattern that has continued in New Zealand in regard to multi-day outdoor festivals in this country. There were smaller festivals in 1971 – the Englefield Rock Festival at Belfast near Christchurch, another at Waikanae over Easter weekend, and the University Arts Council's Jam Factory in July.[7]
The 1979 Nambassa Festival, held on a 400-acre farm on Landlyst Rd in Golden Valley, just north of Waihi, drew over 65,000 fans and was a key event for New Zealand's hippie generation. Nambassa was named after the Big Nambas tribal group from northwest Malekula, Vanuatu. Organiser Peter Terry was inspired by the groups's traditional lifestyle, self-sufficiency, and lack of exposure to western commercialism. The headline act was Little River Band. Media reaction to Nambassa was mostly positive. The Auckland Star ran extensive coverage and the Dominion devoted its front page to the event. Peter Terry used the Woodstock model to successfully spin off a feature film and a book from the event, for which a profit of $200,000 was eventually declared.[7]
1980s
The 1980s saw the emergence the independent labels like
Split Enz, Th’Dudes, Dragon, and Hello Sailor continued to gain chart success in New Zealand and other parts of the world. Ex-members of Split Enz then went on to form Crowded House, one of New Zealand's most successful bands. Phil Judd, another ex-Split Enz member, formed The Swingers who released "Counting the Beat" in 1981.[9]
By the late nineteen-eighties, the New Zealand punk generation was ageing, anti-socialist reaction had curbed the generosity of the dole, which in turn reduced the free time New Zealand musicians had directed towards writing and performing.[8]
1990s
Formed in 1988, hard rock band
2000s
In the 2000s, New Zealand indie bands continued to be successful, with bands like The Naked and Famous, Die! Die! Die! and The Mint Chicks releasing successful recordings. The members of The Mint Chicks went on to form Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Opossum. Indie band The Phoenix Foundation and artist Liam Finn, the son of Neil Finn, found success in New Zealand.[9] were also popular.
The rock band Elemeno P also had success between 2002 and 2008 with three well-received albums. Elemeno P has been referred to as New Zealand's biggest selling rock band.[12]
Singer-songwriter Gin Wigmore (folk/blues rock) won the US-based International Songwriting Competition in 2004, launching a successful national and international career. Each of her albums have reached number 1 in New Zealand, and her songs have regularly been synched for advertising.[13]
[14] City of Souls was formed in August 2015 by guitarists Trajan Schwencke (Cold by Winter, In Dread Response) and Steve Boag (In Dread Response, Blacklistt). Vocalist Richie Simpson (New Way Home) found their existing tracks immediately captivating and joined the band. City of Souls went on to win the Aoteroa Music awards for best rock album Synaesthesia in 2020.[15]
Formed in 2010, Alien Weaponry have rapidly risen to be New Zealand's most successful rock act following the release of their debut album Tū in 2018. This led to European and American tours with shows at some of the worlds biggest heavy metal festivals. They toured Europe with Anthrax (American band), Gojira (band) and Slayer and the USA with Gojira (band), Ministry (band) and Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society.
See also
References
- JSTOR 852916.
- ^ a b c Kerryn Pollock. 'City styles - City music', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 13-Jul-12
- ^ "Johnny Devlin". New Zealand Music Commission.
- ^ a b "Popular Music in New Zealand from 1900." Christchurch City Libraries. N.p., n.d. 8 Aug. 2016.
- ^ a b c Owen, Dylan. History of recording in New Zealand. Discover: Te Kohanga Taonga, updated June 29, 2002. URL: http://discover.natlib.govt.nz
- APN News & Media. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
- ^ a b c d 'Beginnings', URL: http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/rock-music-festivals/beginnings, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 29-Sep-2015
- ^ a b "Nothing's Going to Happen: The Story of New Zealand Rock." 'Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise' N.p., 1995. Web. 08 Aug. 2016.
- ^ a b c "A Crash Course in the History of NZ Music! | New Zealand Office | New Zealand Study Abroad | College Study Abroad Programs | Institute for Study Abroad, Butler University." New Zealand Office New Zealand Study Abroad College Study Abroad Programs Institute for Study Abroad Butler University. Institute for Study Abroad, Butler University, 8 Apr. 2015. Web. 8 Aug. 2016.
- ^ "Shihad". APRA AMCOS. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ "NZ Charts". charts.nz. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
- ^ "Elemeno P Set to Rock at City Concert". Venture Southland. 26 May 2006. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
- ^ "Gin Wigmore Talks Adele, Streaming and Smart Synchs." Billboard. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Aug. 2016.
- ^ City of Souls
- ^ "Band | City of Souls".