kiwi music
I’m watching National Anthem, TV2’s 24-hour marathon of live New Zealand music in aid of the Play It Strange Trust.
It is strangely compelling: so many old favourites of mine from back in my Otago University days interspersed with lots of newer and older stuff.
Nostalgia is ruling, of course. They’ve just had The Puddle on, a band that I never much rated until a gig that Becky and I went to in some cramped and dingy basement sometime in ’89 or ’90.
They were surprisingly good, but the thing that was the most memorable were the pair of toddlers grooving away on the approximately dining table sized ”dance floor”. They were the only ones dancing of course, it being totally not the done thing to dance to a certain subset of contemporary Dunedin bands. Everyone had to be very still in order to absorb the artists at work.
And now, if I’m not mistaken it’s The Magick Heads (it turns out I am mistaken – it’s a band called Minisnap – who seem to have much the same personnel anyway). The lineage of sound clear to hear – Flying Nun, with a healthy dose of Bats (no surprises there).
I’m really hanging out for old favourites like The 3Ds. All those wonderful gigs at The Empire down the far end of Princes Street right through the late 80s and early 90s; remembrance of which provide a full-on nostalgic blast.
But I guess I’m going to have to wait. Bella’s up from her afternoon nap, and the TV has now been requisitioned for a matinee viewing of Finding Nemo…
Martha
3 June 2004, 22:44 #
I thought the idea was great. Of course there were annoying presenters etc, but much less annoying than telethon, and no pashing celebs. They hardly made any money though, which is a shame. We tried to give some through the website, and it didn't seem to be secure so we chickened out. We'll just have to keep buying local music. Minisnap were the best, as were the Bats. No bias at all (yep, they're my rellies).
Alan
3 June 2004, 23:26 #
I can't say I felt compelled to donate (I think Hinewehi Mohi's Raukatauri is a far better cause). Like Michael says on NoRightTurn, "It is the recording industry who will benefit from any new talent that develops from this exercise... and they certainly don't need our charity". But it wasn't bad viewing... mostly. Oh, and related to The Bats eh? Closest I ever got to the scene was as a regular audience member - David Kilgour would nod a low-key greeting as I passed him on George Street... a distinction shared by about a thousand others...
Jessie
5 June 2004, 00:34 #
Hanging out for the 3Ds? There's a band in Wellington called Hot Swiss Mistress who have been getting favourable reviews including comparisons to the 3Ds. Me, I just think they're great. Should have recordings available online (and at gigs at least) later in the year.
Alan
7 June 2004, 15:50 #
Cool, thanks Jessie. I'll keep an eye out. And, reading your blog... I used to do shows on Radio One too. Although probably 10 years before you did, being somewhat aged as I am... ahhh, those were the days. (Although having said that, life is even better now.)
Jessie
22 October 2004, 10:56 #
Alan, are you still in Dunedin? Hot Swiss Mistress are playing at the Crown on Saturday 6 November, if gig-going is something you're into. I can't wait to visit Dunedin again!