Flying Nun Records
Encyclopedia
Flying Nun Records is an independent record label formed in Christchurch
, New Zealand
in 1981 by music-store proprietor Roger Shepherd.
-inspired labels forming in the early 1980s. The intention was to record the original local music of Christchurch
, but soon the label rose to national prominence by championing the emerging music of Dunedin
.
The Pin Group's "Ambivalence" 7" was the first release from Flying Nun, although it is widely assumed that "Tally Ho" by The Clean
was the first release, as it unexpectedly reached number nineteen in the New Zealand charts, bringing the label unexpected profile and income. This was followed by the seminal Dunedin Double EP
, a release which cemented the place of the southern city in the forefront of New Zealand independent music.
Many of the most prominent kiwi rock
and alternative bands have been signed to Flying Nun at some stage in their careers. In 2000 Australian youth radio network Triple J
produced a list of the thirty "Greatest New Zealand acts of all time", twenty of which were Flying Nun artists.
The label has been home to various styles of music including the much-debated Dunedin Sound
, "high-end pop with a twist", lo-fi experimentation, strongly Velvet Underground influenced pop
, minimalism
, industrial
, and rock-electronic crossover
.
In 1990 Festival Records
bought a fifty percent stake in Flying Nun, and then in 2000 merged with Mushroom Records
bringing Flying Nun into the Festival Mushroom Records family of companies.
In 1999 Matthew Bannister of The Sneaky Feelings
wrote Positively George Street: A Personal History of the Sneaky Feelings and the Dunedin Sound covering the New Zealand music industry of the 1980s, including Flying Nun.
Flying Nun was bought 100% as part of the purchase of FMR (Festival Mushroom Records) by Warner Music Group
in 2006.http://www.amplifier.co.nz/news/21053/warner_music_announces_mushroom_records_for_local_artists.html;jsessionid=18ED5A3F8BBB54AB78959F7FEF11CC02
Roger Shepherd bought back the label from Warner on 21 December 2009, for "more than what I sold it for". New Zealand musician, Neil Finn
, his wife, Sharon, and another business partner, together own a quarter share in the repatriated record label.
(Port Chalmers
, New Zealand), Arch Hill Recordings
, (Auckland), Powertool Records (Auckland), South Indies
, Paris or Matador Records
(United States
). A similarly eclectic new generation of bands is signed to Flying Nun, including:
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1981 by music-store proprietor Roger Shepherd.
History
The label was formed in the flurry of new punk rockPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
-inspired labels forming in the early 1980s. The intention was to record the original local music of Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, but soon the label rose to national prominence by championing the emerging music of Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
.
The Pin Group's "Ambivalence" 7" was the first release from Flying Nun, although it is widely assumed that "Tally Ho" by The Clean
The Clean
The Clean are an influential Indie rock band that formed in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1978. Led through a number of early rotating line-ups by brothers Hamish and David Kilgour, the band settled down to their well-known and current line-up with bassist Robert Scott...
was the first release, as it unexpectedly reached number nineteen in the New Zealand charts, bringing the label unexpected profile and income. This was followed by the seminal Dunedin Double EP
Dunedin Double EP
The Dunedin Double EP was a seminal record in New Zealand music. An unusual format, it contain two 45rpm 12" discs, and at nearly 50 minutes length, it is longer than many albums....
, a release which cemented the place of the southern city in the forefront of New Zealand independent music.
Many of the most prominent kiwi rock
Kiwi rock
Kiwi rock is a term used informally to describe New Zealand rock music and the culture surrounding rock music in New Zealand.-1950s:The first Rock'n'Roll record recorded outside the US was Johnny Cooper's recording of Rock Around The Clock for HMV in the mid 1950s...
and alternative bands have been signed to Flying Nun at some stage in their careers. In 2000 Australian youth radio network Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
produced a list of the thirty "Greatest New Zealand acts of all time", twenty of which were Flying Nun artists.
The label has been home to various styles of music including the much-debated Dunedin Sound
Dunedin Sound
The Dunedin sound was a style of indie pop music created in the southern New Zealand university city of Dunedin in the early 1980s.-Characteristics:...
, "high-end pop with a twist", lo-fi experimentation, strongly Velvet Underground influenced pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, minimalism
Minimalism
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts...
, industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
, and rock-electronic crossover
Crossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
.
In 1990 Festival Records
Festival Records (Australia)
Festival Records was an Australian music recording and publishing company which was founded in Sydney in 1952 and operated until 2005....
bought a fifty percent stake in Flying Nun, and then in 2000 merged with Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
bringing Flying Nun into the Festival Mushroom Records family of companies.
In 1999 Matthew Bannister of The Sneaky Feelings
Sneaky Feelings
Sneaky Feelings were a 1980s New Zealand pop/rock band, led by Matthew Bannister, who recorded on the Flying Nun label. Initially recording with the line-up of Bannister , David Pine , Kat Tyrie and Martin Durrant , Tyrie was replaced by John Kelcher early in the band's career...
wrote Positively George Street: A Personal History of the Sneaky Feelings and the Dunedin Sound covering the New Zealand music industry of the 1980s, including Flying Nun.
Flying Nun was bought 100% as part of the purchase of FMR (Festival Mushroom Records) by Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
in 2006.http://www.amplifier.co.nz/news/21053/warner_music_announces_mushroom_records_for_local_artists.html;jsessionid=18ED5A3F8BBB54AB78959F7FEF11CC02
Roger Shepherd bought back the label from Warner on 21 December 2009, for "more than what I sold it for". New Zealand musician, Neil Finn
Neil Finn
Neil Mullane Finn, OBE is a New Zealand Pop recording artist. Along with his brother Tim Finn, he was the co-frontman for Split Enz and is now frontman for Crowded House...
, his wife, Sharon, and another business partner, together own a quarter share in the repatriated record label.
Roster, early 1980s to mid-1990s
- Chris KnoxChris KnoxChris Knox is a New Zealand rock and roll musician, cartoonist, and DVD reviewer who emerged during the punk rock era with his bands The Enemy and Toy Love. After Toy Love disbanded in the early 1980s, he formed the group Tall Dwarfs with guitarist Alec Bathgate, much loved for their honest,...
, the Tall DwarfsTall DwarfsTall Dwarfs are a New Zealand rock band formed in 1981 by Chris Knox and Alec Bathgate who, through their do-it-yourself ethic, helped pioneer the lo-fi style of rock music. The duo formed out of the ashes of Toy Love.... - David KilgourDavid Kilgour (musician)David Kilgour is a musician from Dunedin, a city in the South Island of New Zealand. He first started playing guitar as a teenager in the late 1970s...
, The CleanThe CleanThe Clean are an influential Indie rock band that formed in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1978. Led through a number of early rotating line-ups by brothers Hamish and David Kilgour, the band settled down to their well-known and current line-up with bassist Robert Scott... - Martin Philipps and The ChillsThe ChillsThe Chills are a guitar and keyboard-based rock band from Dunedin, New Zealand. In the 1980s and 1990s, they were one of the proponents of the Dunedin Sound.- History :...
- Straitjacket FitsStraitjacket FitsStraitjacket Fits formed in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1986 and were a prominent band in the Flying Nun label's second wave of the Dunedin Sound.-Biography:...
- Jean-Paul Sartre ExperienceJean-Paul Sartre ExperienceThe Jean-Paul Sartre Experience, later renamed JPS Experience after a lawsuit by the estate of Jean-Paul Sartre, were an indie rock band on New Zealand's Flying Nun Records.-History:...
- Headless ChickensHeadless ChickensThe Headless Chickens were a New Zealand band. Going against the grain of the Dunedin sound that dominated the Flying Nun Records roster at the time, the Headless Chickens made extensive use of electronic instruments in their music.-History:The Headless Chickens recorded three albums, Stunt Clown...
- Bailter SpaceBailter SpaceBailter Space is an atmospheric noise rock band that formed in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1987 as Nelsh Bailter Space; they had previously recorded as The Gordons. Its members are Alister Parker , John Halvorsen , Brent McLachlan...
- The VerlainesThe VerlainesThe Verlaines are a rock band from Dunedin, New Zealand. Formed in 1981 by Graeme Downes, Craig Easton, Anita Pillai, Phillip Higham and Greg Kerr, the band went through multiple line-ups before going on an extended hiatus after their 1997 album Over The Moon. In 2003 a career retrospective, You're...
- Able TasmansAble TasmansThe Able Tasmans were an indie band from Auckland, New Zealand.At various times, the band consisted of Leslie Jonkers, Peter Keen, Graeme Humphreys, Craig Mason, Jane Dodd , and Ronald Young. They formed in 1984, and named themselves after the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman. They released four albums...
- The Sneaky FeelingsSneaky FeelingsSneaky Feelings were a 1980s New Zealand pop/rock band, led by Matthew Bannister, who recorded on the Flying Nun label. Initially recording with the line-up of Bannister , David Pine , Kat Tyrie and Martin Durrant , Tyrie was replaced by John Kelcher early in the band's career...
- The Puddle
- The BatsThe BatsThe Bats are an influential New Zealand rock band formed in 1982 in Christchurch by Paul Kean , Malcolm Grant , Robert Scott and Kaye Woodward...
- The BildersThe BildersThe Bilders is the name for lineups of musicians led by a New Zealand singer-songwriter. The first Bilders sprang from the group Vacuum and is known under other names such as Kazaportico, Above Ground, Bilderbergers, Builders, Soluble Fish and Bilders Paris Sessions...
- The ExpendablesThe Expendables (New Zealand band)The Expendables were a 1980s band based in Christchurch, New Zealand. Based around singer-songwriter/guitarist Jay Clarkson, the band grew out of her former bands, They Were Expendable and The Playthings, and released a single and album in 1984 on the Flying Nun label.Clarkson was joined in The...
- The 3DsThe 3DsThe 3Ds were an alternative pop/rock band based from Dunedin, New Zealand, together from 1988 to 1997. The band was formed in May 1988 by* Dominic Stones — drums,* Denise Roughan — bass, keyboards, tambourine, vocals...
- The GordonsBailter SpaceBailter Space is an atmospheric noise rock band that formed in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1987 as Nelsh Bailter Space; they had previously recorded as The Gordons. Its members are Alister Parker , John Halvorsen , Brent McLachlan...
- The TerminalsThe TerminalsThe Terminals are an alternative rock band from New Zealand. They released material on the Xpressway and Flying Nun labels.No affiliation with the TERMINALS aka the TERMINALS , a Surf/Punk band from Hutchinson, KS, USA...
- The RenderersThe Renderers (band)The Renderers are a band from Christchurch, New Zealand formed in 1989 by Brian Crook and his wife Maryrose.-History:The Crooks recruited drummer Robbie Yeats and bassist Denise Roughan, and released their debut album, Trail of Tears, in 1991 on Flying Nun Records. They released six further albums...
- Bird Nest RoysBird Nest RoysThe Bird Nest Roys were a rock group born in the hills west of Auckland, New Zealand, who released one self-titled album on Flying Nun Records. Despite being from Auckland, they are frequently cited as one of the bands that played the Dunedin Sound, named after the city of Dunedin on the South...
- The Dead CThe Dead CThe Dead C are a New Zealand based noise rock trio made up of members Bruce Russell, Michael Morley and Robbie Yeats. Most often, Russell plays electric guitar, Morley sings and plays electric guitar or laptop, and Yeats plays drums....
- Crude
- Loves Ugly Children
- The AxemenThe AxemenThe Axemen is a New Zealand band formed around 1981 in protest against the South African Springbok rugby team tour of New Zealand, a tour which created great controversy, especially as was in contradiction to New Zealand's obligations under the Gleneagles Agreement. in response to the Springbok...
- Mainly Spaniards
- Scorched Earth Policy
- The Skeptics
- The Stones
Roster from the mid-1990s
Since the mid-1990s many of the original stable of artists have split up or moved to other labels including Xpressway RecordsXpressway
Xpressway was a record label founded by New Zealand musician Bruce Russell in Dunedin in 1988. Until it ceased in 1993, Xpressway released a variety of New Zealand musicians, primarily on cassette, but its catalogue included several 7" singles and one 12" EP....
(Port Chalmers
Port Chalmers
Port Chalmers is a suburb and the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand, with a population of 3,000. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast from Dunedin's city centre....
, New Zealand), Arch Hill Recordings
Arch Hill Recordings
Arch Hill Recordings, formerly Arch Hill Studios, is a New Zealand recording studio and record label in Auckland. It was founded in 1998.Artists include David Kilgour The Clean, The Bats, Don McGlashan, Bachelorette, The Boxcar Guitars, Luke Buda, Dappled Cities Fly, Fang, Ghostplane, Grand Prix,...
, (Auckland), Powertool Records (Auckland), South Indies
South Indies
South Indies was established in 1984 in Christchurch, New Zealand, as a launching pad for new musical and literary ideas. In the 1980s it released vinyl, cassettes and video-cassettes recorded or owned by other artists, before moving into the control of music group The Bilders material and the...
, Paris or Matador Records
Matador Records
Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of indie rock artists and bands.-History:Matador was started by Chris Lombardi in 1989 in his New York City apartment. The following year, Lombardi was joined by former Homestead Records manager Gerard Cosloy, and the two of them have...
(United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
). A similarly eclectic new generation of bands is signed to Flying Nun, including:
- Die! Die! Die!Die! Die! Die!Die! Die! Die! is a noise pop/punk three-piece from Dunedin, New Zealand, formed in late 2003 and signed to Flying Nun Records.Their self-titled album Die! Die! Die! was released in 2005 in New Zealand, with an international release soon after. It was recorded in Chicago's Electrical Audio by...
- Grayson Gilmour
- The Mint ChicksThe Mint ChicksThe Mint Chicks were an experimental noise rock/power pop group originally from Auckland, New Zealand, who relocated to Portland, Oregon, USA in 2007...
(formerly) - The Phoenix FoundationThe Phoenix FoundationThe Phoenix Foundation are an progressive indie rock band formed in Wellington, New Zealand.-Early years and China Cove:Founded by Conrad Wedde, Samuel Flynn Scott, and Luke Buda in 1997 while students at Wellington High School, they were joined by Tim Hansen , Richie Singleton and Will Ricketts ...
- The D4The D4The D4 was a rock band from Auckland, New Zealand. Their music was released by Hollywood Records in the U.S., Flying Nun Records in New Zealand and by Infectious Records in the UK....
(formerly) - HDUHigh Dependency Unit (band)High Dependency Unit is a psychedelic rock band originating from Dunedin, New Zealand. Forming in 1994, the band was described by BBC DJ & presenter John Peel as "one of the 10 best bands in the world you've never heard of." The band consists of Tristan Dingemans , Neil Phillips and Constantine...
- GaragelandGaragelandGarageland was an indie rock band on New Zealand's Flying Nun record label. Influenced by Pixies, Pavement, The Clean and The Velvet Underground, they were critically acclaimed in the UK and US for their well-crafted and catchy pop songs...
- GerlingGerlingGerling were an alternative guitar and electronic act from Australia. They formed in 1993, and are based in Sydney.-History:The band formed in 1993 with the line-up of Darren Cross , Presser and Brad Herdson...
- PanAm
- BetchadupaBetchadupaBetchadupa is a New Zealand pop/rock group.Formed in 1997, in Auckland, the band features Liam Finn, son of Neil Finn, of Crowded House and Split Enz and Matt Eccles, son of Brent Eccles ....
- Ghost ClubGhost ClubGhost Club are an alternative rock/pop, band formed in New Zealand, and now based in London, England.-History:Ghost Club formed in 1996. Mitchell and Roughan had previously played together in the New Zealand band The 3Ds. Ghost Club have released two albums on Flying Nun Records in New Zealand and...
- The Subliminals
- PavementPavement (band)Pavement is an American alternative rock band that formed in Stockton, California in 1989. In their career, they achieved a significant cult following, and they were called the best band of the 1990s by prominent music critics Robert Christgau and Stephen Thomas Erlewine...
Compilations
In addition to supporting the albums of emerging artists, Flying Nun also released many compilations of a cross-section of their artists, in some cases now the only easy-to-find document of some artists.- TuataraTuatara (album)Tuatara – A Flying Nun Compilation is a compilation of previously released songs by artists on New Zealand based Flying Nun Records. It was released as a vinyl album by Flying Nun in 1985 and on CD with additional tracks...
(1985) - In Love With These TimesIn Love with These TimesIn Love With These Times is a compilation of previously released songs by artists on New Zealand based Flying Nun Records. It was released by Flying Nun in 1990 and re-released in a 2CD package with the 1991 compilation Pink Flying Saucers Over the Southern Alps...
(1990) - Getting Older 1981-1991Getting Older 1981-1991"Getting Older" is a compilation album released in 1991 by recording label Flying Nun Records.-Track listing:#Getting Older - The Clean#Randolph's Going Home - Shayne Carter & Peter Jefferies#Something New - The Stones...
(1991) - Pink Flying Saucers over the Southern Alps (1991)
- Shrewd: A Compilation Of NZ Women's Music (1993)
- Pop EyedPop EyedPop Eyed is a New Zealand compilation album released in 1996 by Flying Nun Records containing only artists signed to the label at the time.-Track listing:#"Dust" - 3Ds#"Touch Me" - Superette#"Splat" - Bailter Space#"George" - Headless Chickens...
(1996) - Topless Women Talk About Their LivesTopless Women Talk About Their Lives (soundtrack)Topless Women Talk About Their Lives is the soundtrack to the New Zealand film, Topless Women Talk About Their Lives. It was released alongside the film by Flying Nun Records.-Track listing:#Hey Seuss - 3DS#North by North - The Bats...
(film soundtrack) (1997) - ScarfiesScarfies (soundtrack)"Scarfies" is the soundtrack to the New Zealand film of the same name and has been released alongside the movie in 1999.-Track listing:#Save My Life - Bike#Outer Space - 3Ds#George - Headless Chickens#Doledrums - The Chills...
(film soundtrack) (1999) - Under the Influence - 21 Years of Flying Nun RecordsUnder the Influence - 21 Years of Flying Nun RecordsUnder the Influence — 21 Years of Flying Nun Records is a double album including tracks by various bands signed or related to the Flying Nun Records label....
(2002) - Speed of Sound (2003)
- Very Short Films (music video compilation DVD) (2003)
- Second Season (music video compilation DVD) (2004)
- Where In The World Is Wendy Broccoli? (2006)
- Flying Nun 25th Anniversary Box Set (2006)
- Tally Ho!: Flying Nun's Greatest Bits (2011)
Further reading
- Bannister, M. (1999). Positively George Street. Auckland: Reed Books. ISBN 0-7900-0704-5
External links
- Official Flying Nun site
- radionz.co.nz/flyingnun - A five-part Radio New Zealand documentary about the label and its musicians.
- tallyho.co.nz - website that has a large number of Flying Nun concert posters, magazine advert and misc.
- In love with those times — detailed feature-article from Stylus Magazine on Flying Nun artists
- "Dunedin and Christchurch Bands" — Part Two of a 3-part TV New Zealand series from 1984, featuring interviews and live footage of several Flying Nun Records bands.
- Heavenly Pop Hits - The Flying Nun Story full length 2002 documentary on NZ On ScreenNZ On ScreenNZ On Screen is an online showcase of archival New Zealand television and film. The website is fully funded by NZ On Air and provides free worldwide access to NZ-produced television, film and music videos. Content is streamed and the webpages provide authoritative background information.The site...