Music scene studied

Press, 15 November 1984, Page 11

Music scene studied

“Radio With Pictures” on Sunday night will look at the music scene in Christchurch and Dunedin.

The programme director, Brent Hansen, went to Christchurch for the last week-end of August and to Dunedin the week-end after.

“For that reason there is no performance or comment from the Bats, who seemed to be the most popular band in Christchurch at the time, because they weren’t playing that week-end. Similarly, in the Dunedin piece, there is nothing from the Chills,” he said.

The musicians and other music scene people who do perform or talk in the Christchurch segment of the documentary include: White Boys; Belle Motions; Maiden China; Bill Direen with the Blue Ladder Theatre; Louie and the Hotsticks; the Smart Russians; Dick Driver, John Bridges, of the Alternative Entertainment Bureau; Rex Simpson, who runs an under-age venue; Mark Cassin, who books the Star and Garter and the Gladstone; “Christchurch Star” writer Rob White; Tony Peake, who operates the new venue Zanzibar; and Roger Shepherd, of Flying Nun records. People featured in the Dunedin section are: Working with Walt; the Rip; Love in a Gas Oven; Wreck Small Speakers on Expensive Stereos; the Backdoor Blues Band; Stuffed Husbands; Crystal Zoom; Look Blue Go Purple; the Idles; Graham Cockroft, of the university station Radio One; music writer and second-hand record shop operator Roy Colbert; Steve Young, who books the Captain Cook; Jordan Luck of the Dance Exponents, who were in town playing at the time; Matthew Bannister of Sneaky Feelings; Graham Downes of the Verlaines; Shayne Carter of the Double Happys; and Malcolm Black of the Netherworld Dancing Toys. Hansen said it was difficult for Christchurch bands to be accepted elsewhere. Dunedin bands had an advantage because the Flying Nun sound was popular nationally.