Something about middle-aged blokes indie and alt music thread

[Olaf 3317]

 

 

 

Edited June 29, 2021 by Olaf

[LemonHunter 583]

The 69 Eyes, or NZ band The Valves?

[kwhelan 241]

3 hours ago, Olaf said:

 

Rattus Norgvegicus (Stranglers IV), anyone?

 

Looks like I'm gonna be stuck here the whole summer
Well what a bummer
I can think of a lot worse places to be
 

The Tubes. Completion  backwards principal

Ian Hunter   Your never alone with a schizophrenic 

 

 

Edited July 22, 2017 by kwhelan

[Neal 544]

Here we go.... and your right on the Cure album name Faith.

Ive got one of those rare Cure Green plastic 12 inch 45s with " a forest" .Limited run and only in NZ.

 

 

[LemonHunter 583]

When I bought my house I found a collection of several hundred LPs and 45's in the attic of the Garage.  All bar 30 or 40 were well buggered or of no interest and went on Trademe to be sold by weight.

of those that survived I've only listened to a few, the vast majority I've never heard of, lots of obscure stuff from the 70's and 80's I think, I've only listened to the main stream stuff I've heard of, loads of Bruce Springsteen and some Elton john, Bob Dylan and the like

[kwhelan 241]

like a storm a new zealand band with basically no local profile

first album "the end of the beginning " was 2009 is really good and plenty of youtube hits including nice cover of gangstas paradise

Like a Storm is a hard rock band from Auckland, New Zealand, best known for combining heavy baritone guitar riffs and hard rock songs with didgeridoo. Formed by Chris, Kent, and Matt Brooks, Like a Storm have shared American & European stages with Alter Bridge, Korn, Shinedown, Black Veil Brides, Creed, Puddle of Mudd, Staind, Sick Puppies, and many others, as well as touring North America extensively as a headline act. Like a Storm are the highest charting New Zealand hard rock band in American radio history^{[citation needed]}. Both of Like a Storm's two studio albums, "The End of the Beginning" and "Awaken the Fire", debuted in the Billboard 200. The band has toured with Alter Bridge, Black Stone Cherry, Three Days Grace, Steel Panther, Shinedown and Hellyeah

 

[Neal 544]

46 minutes ago, Olaf said:

that's probably worth hundreds to the germans.  they love rare indie, and if it's rare indie from NZ, it's even more attractive and expensive!  

 

Neal, do you have the Pulsing EP by The Body Electric?

For those of you unaware of the outrageous synth noodling that lit up Wellington in 1982, The Body Electric were a couple of clever lads (who I think worked for Radio NZ), and some others, using the studios after hours.  'PULSING' was the result.  It sounds fab from a good turntable, beautifully mastered on twelve inch vinyl.  Here's a video.  They later added Wendy Calder (I remember she worked at Chelsea Records in Manners Mall) and others, and they put out an album 'Presentation and Reality.  

 

Was offered $320 pounds for the forest a while back. Still going for half price from what I can see.

Have body electric on 12 inch as well. NZs answer to Devo. There was also another local band "Marginal Error" some people may remember their track " this heaven"  was the background music to "Radio with Pictures "

 

[Neal 544]

Quit a lot of my indie listening has fallen away. Really need to invest in a record bath/ vacuum system and record the stuff digitally fir the back catalogue that can't be brought. However, Still listen to Killing Joke these days. One of the band members lived in NZ so have been hopping they'd get together and run a gig down under. I'm still waiting .......

 

[Young Thrash Driver 1020]

Keep this thread going guys, I really enjoyed Killing Joke- thanks!

A little older than Olaf's specified period but I do like a bit of Blue Oyster Cult. Some of the stuff they were doing was leading edge at the time.

[Neal 544]

One of the more obscure 80's indie bands Fad Gadget . The 12 inch version had plenty of stereo panning going on. Laughable music video and very 80's esk

 

 

 

[Neal 544]

Magazine eh ,  something I don't have. Herd the first one but never knew the band.

Remember these guys.? One of my favourite bands of the 80s

 

 

 

[kwhelan 241]

there was plenty of great aus bands in that era but most would be too well known to appear on this list

Midnight Oil, Icehouse/Flowers, ACDC, Cold Chisel,

Inxs, The Angels, Hoodoo Gurus, Noiseworks

but maybe these guys 

 

[Neal 544]

The ironic thing about the successful bands is how they started.

When you think of simple minds most people think of pop culture tracks like "The breakfast club" I like some of the early tracks where they were a bit raw and not "over produced"     like the church btw.

 

Edited July 26, 2017 by Neal

[kwhelan 241]

13 minutes ago, Neal said:

The ironic thing about the successful bands is how they started.

When you think of simple minds most people think of pop culture tracks like "The breakfast club" I like some of the early tracks where they were a bit raw and not "over produced"     like the church btw.

 

Have probably all the simple minds albums but thats getting a bit mainstream for this thread isn't it

I love talking heads early stuff but the band was too mainstream for this thread

these two individual efforts qualify thou

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVomL94fmfM

 

[Jacko 2156]

I rate gramsci's like stray voltage from the early 2000's, for some reason band seemed to fade away, was a really good album though (particularly turned up to 11)

 

[Neal 544]

4 hours ago, Olaf said:

No, Simple Minds are a great example of a band that was truly indie and original that became mainstream.  I have all of their early albums on vinyl, including Sons and Fascinations along with Sister Feelings Call.  Totally brilliant, along with their breakout New Gold Dream (Herbmiester Hancock appears with a keyboard solo), and then the Steve Lillywhite produced Sparkle in the Rain.  They went anthemic and huge after that with Once Upon a Time, I went to the gig in Wellington Town Hall ('86?) still have the photos somewhere.  Great to see Mel Collins pounding the skins.   

I remember a party where "70 Cities as love brings the fall" was played... a couple of be-suited conservatives were quite indignant, asking "what the bloody hell the band was doing to that cow".  You need to listen to the album. ?

Links later.

Got to see them in 2005 in London. Was on my bucket list and I throughly enjoyed it. Have the albums and most of the 12" long plays. "Up on the catwalk "is a regular play in the car

Great band from my pov . 

[Neal 544]

Remember this band anyone ? Quite dark lyrics in the album but always liked the bass lines. 

 

 

Edited July 28, 2017 by Neal

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2957]

Don't know too much about the old NZ indie stuff, due to my UK based heritage. Listened to and watched lots of alt / indie stuff during my youth from post-punk and new wave onwards. 

From The Jam through Joy Division into New Order and Happy Mondays via James, Inspiral Carpets, Stone Roses and The Wedding Present. Plus a thousand other bands through uni (changing every day or so who was "in" and who was "out").

Now I listen to all sorts of "old" stuff and hardly any recent music.

Can't miss Half Man Half Biscuit off the list, still crazy after all these years - literally!

[LemonHunter 583]

This cool story popped up in stuff today

 

The Cure visit to Wellington: "They felt the love - they could be themselves and not be mobbed.''
http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/95297507/Flashback-Fascination-St-The-Cure-jam-and-party-with-Wellingtons-post-punks?cid=app-iPhone

[LemonHunter 583]

Well, that all makes me feel young, I was born in 84, 

[Gabe79 410]

2 hours ago, EURO V12 said:

Well, that all makes me feel young, I was born in 84, 

I'm from the previous decade to you and these folks have me feeling young too.

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2957]

1 hour ago, Olaf said:

Just listen to the music.  you might hear some good stuff! 

Fixed that for you.. Mainstream / pop music these days is just noise to me, back in the day even the popular stuff had meaning, a point and was well crafted and played music. Stock, Aitken and Waterman ruined all that in the late 80s unfortunately when any talentless dick with the "right look" could become a "star".

I never got into the Cure, only came across them late on when they started going all happy and mainstream, their earlier stuff is worth a listen though.

The Damned though, now there was a band.. I was very fortunate to see the full original line-up reform for a gig and go through the back catalogue. Shame the crowd was mostly uni art students. i would almost argue that "New Rose" was the first punk tune - before The Pistols.

Talking of crowds, one of the best ever atmoshperes at a gig was The Pogues in Frindsbury Town hall, but it might have been because it was St Paddys Day, Shane McGowan was so drunk he could hardly sing, luckily the crowd knew every single word to every song!!

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2957]

Festivals used to be good for seeing lots of diverse bands, but usually you never got the same sort of experience as most of the crowd were not "big" fans of the bands but there to listen and chill. Biggest exception to that had to be Reading in '88 (or was it '89) when Half Man Half Biscuit reformed after about six years and were scheduled to play the Melody Maker Tent (a big marquee for those who don't know..) late afternoon / early evening. There were hundreds of people waiting to get in before the previous band had finshed, as soon as they were off, everyone poured in and it was rammed. As it was a good weather year for Reading it was absolutely steaming (literally) inside a tent with no air conditioning before the set even started!

The band were brilliant and ripped through a high energy set list almost without a pause, to a bouncing, heaving, total mosh-pit of a crowd. A totally surreal moment when a guy emerged through the crowd to offer up a 6ft tall pot-plant to Nigel during the middle of "I hate Nerys Hughes". Only downside was nealy losing my boy parts on the poles holding up the roof of the tent during a particulally strong and sustained surge in the crowd.

A level of energy, and noise, and euphoria harldy ever matched for the rest of my life.

[gjm 3258]

Not at all alt or whatever, but we're going to see French for Rabbits at the Nivara Lounge in Hamilton on August 25th.

Don't get to see too many live performances these days, but still love music. All sorts of music.

Used to see one or another local group probably at least once a week, and saw some big names in very small venues. Iron Maiden playing pre-tour as 'The Nodding Donkeys' at the Oval Rock House (audience of about 50, and then roadied for them at Donington), and Status Quo at a little club on Guernsey where they played to about 30 people, inviting audience members to join them on stage, and generally having a good time.

Saw lots of other big names while in the UK, was in Berlin for the Pink Floyd 'Wall' concert (incredible, phenomenal, amazing!), and Paris for Jean-Michel Jarre and his laser show.

Also saw many much smaller yet incredibly talented groups and artists, most of whom sadly never quite made it. When I see the utter crap spouted and touted as music over the last 10 years, I have to wonder how that can be changed. One girl was so amazing that she by turn reduced almost an entire audience to tears, and had them laughing and dancing. How she got so much emotion into her singing I have no idea - as a listener you truly lived the songs with her. I don't think she ever recorded anything.

Moving to NZ has been an experience. I get to start learning about groups all over again.

[Gabe79 410]

6 hours ago, Olaf said:

Just listen to the music.  you might recognise stuff you heard in your youth! 

I didn't start listening to music in English (That I could understand, at any rate...) until ~1990.