flying nun
Captured Tracks, the hippest record label in the New York borough of Brooklyn has signed an agreement with New Zealand-based label Flying Nun with a view to releasing the latter’s most significant and unusual records. They have already issued Toy Love’s double album and debut EPs by The Bats and Snapper. Coming shortly are The Clean’s first album and the Bird Nest Roys’ recordings, too. Flying Nun was home to most of the underground scene in the Land of the Kiwis in the 80s. The movement went under the moniker of Dunedin sound because most of the bands, like The Clean, were from the city of the same name. The label, however, was set up by Roger Shepherd in Christchurch.
The bands that ended up in Flying Non were really great bands with real character. One or two of them are still playing. The Bats is an example of this. With limited technical ability and absolutely no prejudice whatsoever they mixed sparkling melodic pop and garage rock of the 60s with Velvet Undergound’s heartbeat and applied the philosophy of Do It Yourself that was created by the punk explosion. In the USA, bands like The Feelies were dong the same thing. Indeed, the latest musical trends, records and music press, were late in getting to Down Under. So, they turned their geographical isolation to their advantage and, along with inter-group incest, they turned their back on contemporary trends and fads and went about recording the most blisteringly beautiful pop with the help of Flying Nun. It was incredibly successful. The Chills’ post-punk dark ballad single Pink Frost was an example of this. It made number 1 in the charts.
Strange as it sounds, some of the most unusual sounding bands in the country were the biggest selling acts. According to Robert Scott, member of the bands The Bats and The Clean: “There was no danger of, “Let’s sound like Spandau Ballet because we’ll get an extra gig down the road.” Rather than being influenced by what was going on overseas, we were more inspired by each other.”
Warner bought Flying Nun in 2006 and after years on the brink of disappearance, Shepherd brought it back into to the fore, to the delight of obsessive fans like myself. So now we have the chance, thanks to the deal signed with Captured Tracks, to get our hands on luxury rereleases
and at a great price, too. The Nun is about to take to the air again.
The bands that ended up in Flying Non were really great bands with real character. One or two of them are still playing. The Bats is an example of this. With limited technical ability and absolutely no prejudice whatsoever they mixed sparkling melodic pop and garage rock of the 60s with Velvet Undergound’s heartbeat and applied the philosophy of Do It Yourself that was created by the punk explosion. In the USA, bands like The Feelies were dong the same thing. Indeed, the latest musical trends, records and music press, were late in getting to Down Under. So, they turned their geographical isolation to their advantage and, along with inter-group incest, they turned their back on contemporary trends and fads and went about recording the most blisteringly beautiful pop with the help of Flying Nun. It was incredibly successful. The Chills’ post-punk dark ballad single Pink Frost was an example of this. It made number 1 in the charts.
Strange as it sounds, some of the most unusual sounding bands in the country were the biggest selling acts. According to Robert Scott, member of the bands The Bats and The Clean: “There was no danger of, “Let’s sound like Spandau Ballet because we’ll get an extra gig down the road.” Rather than being influenced by what was going on overseas, we were more inspired by each other.”
Warner bought Flying Nun in 2006 and after years on the brink of disappearance, Shepherd brought it back into to the fore, to the delight of obsessive fans like myself. So now we have the chance, thanks to the deal signed with Captured Tracks, to get our hands on luxury rereleases
and at a great price, too. The Nun is about to take to the air again.
