DUNEDIN

Rip It Up, Issue 202, 1 June 1994, Page 5

DUNEDIN

Martin Phillipps publicly debuted his new material at a big seven band event at the Dunedin Railway Station on April 23. His band comprised Graeme Downes (keyboards), Mike Stoodley (bass) and Mark Orbell (drums). American thrash-poppers Superchunk have also just released the Chills classic ‘Night of Chill Blue’ as their latest single .. . the Clean absconded to a small hall on the Otago Peninsula along with Fish St equipment and personnel and came up with an album’s worth of material... Hamish Kilgour is back for a few more months, so some Great Unwashed recordings are also likely. Along with Piki Riwai and Glovepuppet the Clean played a sizzling gig at a full Sammy’s back on April 22 .. . Operation Music Storm, the South Island band battle, is on with $20,000 worth of prizes. Entries are now open and forms are available at Radio One, Rox FM, OUSA, Echo Records and the Rock Shop. For further info write to People’s Promotions PO Box 5709, Dunedin. The final will be in Christchurch on August 25 . . . the performing arts venue, Super 8, has reopened in the Zenith Cafe building in upper Moray Place and is available for gigs, exhibitions and other events. Contact the cafe for further info .. . Michael Morley (Dead C, Gate) has just completed an American tour with reformed early 70s drone-rock innovators Faust. Also on the bill was Thurston Moore. Morely may also be touring Europe later this year with another Sonic Youther Lee Renaldo . . . one of the city’s most promising young bands, Munky Kramp, have split after three years due to “musical differences” . . . the self-titled Mink album is now out on CD . . . Alastair Galbraith and Peter Jefferies recently completed a short European tour comprising club gigs and festivals with Sebadoh. Alastair has a new tape, 2nds and an EP Cluster out now while Peter's second solo album, tentatively called Electricity is due for release soonish via Chicago label Ajax ... Superchunk’s label Merge have just released a new 7” EP by the Bats called Live At WFMU which contains ‘Sighting the Sound’, ‘Block of Wood’, a Gram Parson’s cover ‘Streets of Baltimore’ and ‘North by North’. A new Bats album will be recorded in Christchurch in July. Robert Scott’s part time band Electric Blood are also to have their Electric Easter 84 tape released on CD by Indiana label Beehive Rebellion ... the Magickheads are planning to record an album in September ... A Handful of Dust (Bruce Russell, Alastair Galbraith, Peter Stapleton) have a selfreleased CD out now entitled The Philosophick Mercury containing two epics recorded live at the Empire ... a Save Carey’s Bay benefit gig takes place at the Port Chalmers Town Hall on June 18 featuring the Magickheads, Mink and Piki Riwai. . . Sandra Bell’s Chord EP on Belgian label Turbulance is out shortly ... as is the Dead C’s mellow offering The Operation of the Sun .... the third album by the Cake Kitchen, Far From the Sun, was released on CD by American label Homestead late last year and limited copies of the vinyl version are now at Records Records ... a lovely photograph of Shayne Carter plus fellow musicians and friends celebrating Straitjacket Fits NZ Music Awards success was on the Otago Daily Times

April 12 front page . . . Horodroby-X have recorded an album ... an anonymously drawn comic called Gibberish taking the piss out of Kurt Cobain and “selfpitying” rock stars in general has turned up in book and record shops . . . finally, being a top rate pop name isn’t all glamour, fame and unlimited groupies. To combat this several well-known local music personalities have formed the Hearts R Us Club in a vain attempt to improve their sex lives. Club activities so far include going to the Forbury Park night trots, playing bingo and ten-pin bowling. Desperate times call for desperate measures. GRANT MCDOUGALL