The Bats (New Zealand band)
The Bats | |
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Kaye Woodward |
The Bats are an influential
History
1981–1986: origins and early years
In the early 1980s, Robert Scott and Kaye Woodward were sharing accommodation together in Christchurch. Scott was already playing bass in The Clean, and had also played with bassist Paul Kean in the short-lived band, Thanks To Llamas. After Scott taught Woodward some of his songs, the three began playing together at parties as The Percy Taiwan Band. After recruiting Malcolm Grant of The Bilders on drums, they renamed themselves The Bats.[2]
The Bats first performed in Dunedin on New Year's Eve, 1982. Over the next two years, they were involved in the live music scene in Christchurch and Dunedin, before releasing their first EP, By Night (1984), on the nascent alternative New Zealand record label, Flying Nun. The band spent the next two years touring New Zealand and Australia, and released another EP, And Here Is 'Music for the Fireside' (1985). The band's early releases were accompanied by some typically low budget but original music videos, notably 'By Night', 'I Go Wild' and 'Downfall'.[3][4]
The band then travelled to Europe and spent time touring Britain and Germany, including playing support for Alex Chilton. They recorded the Made Up in Blue EP at the 24 track Point Studio in London in December 1985. 'Made Up in Blue', the first single released in the U.K. by Flying Nun,[5] was awarded 'Single of the Week' by the influential British magazine, NME.[1] An acquaintance in Glasgow offered the use of his home 8 track studio, and half of the tracks for what would become their debut album, Daddy's Highway, were recorded there.[4]
1987–1994: peak Flying Nun years
The Bats returned to New Zealand to finish recording for Daddy's Highway, which was released in 1987. The album has been named as their most highly regarded and one of the best New Zealand albums of the 1980s.
The Bats' second album
The band found increasing success in the United States over this period. Between 1986 and 1993, The Bats toured the US four times, including 14 dates supporting Radiohead in 1993. Their fourth album,
The Bats' next album, Couchmaster (1995), would prove to be their last for ten years.
1995 – present: hiatus and return
From 1995, The Bats took a break, with band members concentrating on raising families and on other musical projects. Scott joined his former band
Robert Scott has stated that he thinks the regular breaks taken by the band have contributed to its longevity. In an interview, he said, "Each time we come back to it, it is fun. I don’t think working on other projects has harmed or hindered any other projects. It adds to it I think."[9]
In September 2005, The Bats released their first album in ten years,
The Bats' seventh full-length album,
In 2011, The Bats reunited with their old label Flying Nun and released their eighth album,
Popular culture
- "North By North", from Daddy's Highway, was used as the title theme for the Australian ABC TV series The Hollowmen. It was also featured in the New Zealand film Topless Women Talk About Their Lives.
- "Afternoon in Bed", from Couchmaster, was used in the 2010 film Last Night.
Discography
Albums
Year | Title | Record Label (NZ)[17] | Catalog Number | New Zealand Albums Chart peak[18]
|
---|---|---|---|---|
1987 | Daddy's Highway | Flying Nun Records | FN079 | - |
1990 | The Law of Things | FN121 | No. 38 | |
1991 | Fear of God | Flying Nun Records, Festival Records | FNCD 217, D 30567 | No. 43 |
1993 | Silverbeet | Flying Nun Records | FNCD260 | No. 26 |
1995 | Couchmaster | FNCD301 | - | |
2005 | At the National Grid | Pocket Music Ltd, Rhythm Method | - | |
2008 | The Guilty Office | Arch Hill Recordings | AHR036 | - |
2011 | Free All the Monsters | Flying Nun Records | FNCD513 | No. 34 |
2017 | The Deep Set | Flying Nun Records | FNLP568 | - |
2020 | Foothills | Flying Nun Records | FN593 | No. 13 [19] |
EPs
Year | Title | Record Label (NZ)[17] | Catalog Number | New Zealand Singles Chart peak[18]
|
---|---|---|---|---|
1984 | By Night | Flying Nun Records | FN024 | No. 34 |
1985 | And Here Is 'Music for the Fireside' | FN031 | No. 36 | |
1986 | Made Up in Blue | FN060 | No. 41 | |
1988 | 4 Songs
|
FN104 | - | |
1993 | Courage | FNCD261 | No. 36 | |
1994 | Spill the Beans
|
Flying Nun Records, Festival Records | FNCD291, D11771 | - |
1995 | Afternoon in Bed | FNCD341, D01197 | - | |
2009 | Don't You Rise | Slumberland Records | SLR 90 | - |
Singles
Year | Title | Record Label (NZ)[17] | Catalog Number | B side |
---|---|---|---|---|
1987 | Block Of Wood | Flying Nun Records | FN084 | B1 Calm Before The Storm (2:39) - B2 Candidate (3:26) |
1990 | Smoking Her Wings | FN124 | B1 Mastery (2:58) - B2 Passed By (3:06) | |
1991 | The Black And The Blue | FN168 | Watch The Walls (4:30) | |
1991 | Boogey Man | D11036 | B1 Jetsam (4:42) - B2 Mama Come Watch (3:36) | |
2009 | S/T split w/ Songs | The Spring Press | SP06 | A1 Castle Lights (3:08) - A2 Under the Branches (3:08) |
Compilations
- Compiletely Bats (Flying Nun Records, 1990)
- Thousands Of Tiny Luminous Spheres(Flying Nun Records, 2000)
Box set
- Volume 1 (Flying Nun Records, 2014)
References
- ^ a b c Hogg, Colin. "Flying Nun Records - The Bats". Flying Nun Records. Archived from the original on 23 November 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
- ^ Evans, Barry. "The Bats: 9 Tales - Official Site". The Bats. Archived from the original on 30 August 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
- ^ a b "The Bats: Courage Thing - Official Site". The Bats. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
- ^ a b Kean, Paul. "The Bats: Ancient History - Official Site". The Bats. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
- ^ a b c d Kean, Paul. "The Bats: Media Update February 2009" (PDF). Pocket Music. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
- ^ Muller, Fred. "New Zealand's Top 100 Albums of All Time". Rock List. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
- ^ a b "The Bats: Media Releases - Official Site". The Bats. Archived from the original on 30 August 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
- ^ "The Bats: Older News - Official Site". The Bats. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
- ^ Gnanalingam, Brannavan (9 January 2009). "Lumière - Robert Scott on The Bats". Lumière Industries. Archived from the original on 18 May 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
- AllMusic
- ^ "The Bats - The Guilty Office". Hidden Agenda Records. Archived from the original on 9 December 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
- ^ a b "The Bats: Recent Past - Official Site". The Bats. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
- ^ "Rocking for right reasons". The Press. 25 October 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
- ^ "Bob and The Bats on show". The Press. 11 October 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
- ^ "Free All The Monsters - The Bats Review". Pitchfork. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
- ^ "Taite Music Prize 2012". IMNZ. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
- ^ a b c "The Bats Discography - Official Site". The Bats. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
- ^ a b "The Bats at charts.nz". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
- ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 23 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
External links
- The Bats official site, maintained by the band
- MySpace
- Pocket Music YouTube channel
- The Bats - Bandcamp
- The Bats Profile - NZMusic.com
- The Bats Forum
- Video from the October 2010 concert with guest performance by mayor Bob Parker