New Zealand Music
Scene and heard
around the world
I was first introduced to New Zealand music in 1997. Through the post arrived a CD from a friend in Auckland. It was the soundtrack to the film Topless Women Talk About Their Lives. An eclectic energetic mix of indie, electro, folk and more. I loved it.
The following year I was sent Che Fu’s debut album, 2b.S.pacific. I then discovered Supergroove and their awesome track Sitting Inside My Head. By then I was hooked on NZ music and began sourcing other material to open my ears to the New Zealand music scene.
It’s a little known New Zealand fact that the Rocky Horror Show was written by a New Zealander, Richard O’Brien. This does though illustrate that even with a burgeoning music scene establishing itself throughout the sixties there were no famous names to come out of the New Zealand music scene until much later.
As New Zealand facts go another fascinating one is that New Zealand has a proud history of Brass Bands. They hold provincial contests and celebrate cultural events. There’s even a New Zealand National Band that has earned international accolades for its brass playing!
Perhaps the most interesting New Zealand fact for music is it’s said to have more pipe bands than Scotland! Yes, pipes… bagpipes! There are Caledonian societies throughout the islands keeping this alive and public performances often take place at parades and military commemorations.
If there has to be one feature of New Zealand music that I found fantastic it is the number of venues that have live music. Keep it a secret but I’m a bit of a singer and on my second night after arriving in Auckland for the first time I was singing at an open mic session at the famous Temple bar and club.
New Zealand artists have these venues all over the country. I found it inspirational the ease with which musicians had access to audiences and other musicians to help get them gigs and hopefully get them noticed.
On one of our later visits to New Zealand I met a talented guitarist Dave and together we played Auckland and the North Shore to almost packed houses! Not a bad way to have fun, meet other musicians and get into the NZ music scene.
New Zealand music is without doubt a vibrant expression of the culture of New Zealand. The New Zealand music scene is influenced by many;
including the indigenous Maori,
visitors and immigrants from the surrounding Pacific region, America and Europe.
Most important is the establishing of a strong New Zealand culture that has given birth to an eclectic mix of true contemporary New Zealand artists. The Alternative and Indie music scene is alive and well.
The Maori music scenehas absorbed these changes too and from taking on the influences of Reggae and Rock a few decades ago they now embrace dub, drum and base, dance, hip hop, R&B and more. Moana & the Moahunters and the Upper Hutt Posse introduced many of these changes to a wider receptive audience in the 1990’s.
With the advent of music via the internet New Zealand's bands now have a larger audience to play to. For a long time New Zealand’s size meant that their largest audiences were found in Australia. Split Enz with the Finn brothers and Crowded House gaining wide attention and fame.
In the mid-1990s I remember OMC performing "How Bizarre." Back then I had no idea they were from New Zealand. It’s one of the biggest selling singles ever for a New Zealand artist. Now, in the twenty-first century, you have Nesian Mystik, Scribe and Savage among others pushing the edge of the rap, hip hop and R&B envelope in NZ music.
So my NZ music loving friends check out the Indie in Auckland, the Roots in Wellington and the Rap in Rotorua. The club scene is alive and well so listen out for Shapeshifter, Salmonella Dub (old favourites) and more. There are gigs every night of the week and Festivals abound in New Zealand. Check out the bFM radio station and local press for any number of gigs.
Now is definitely the time to catch the roller coaster that is New Zealand music.
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