In 1997 Aaron Tokona temporarily filled in on guitar for Adelaide, Australia band The Superjesus, after guitarist Chris Tennent left the band. When offered the position full-time, Tokona declined in order to concentrate on Weta. Impressed with his abilities as a guitarist, former Superjesus manager Dan Hennessy took a keen interest in the band and when he took over as A&R chief at Warner Bros. Records Australia, Weta were added to their roster and the band moved to Melbourne, Australia in 1999.
The band's first release came in 1998 with the Natural Compression EP, which had been recorded at Marmalade Studios in Wellington by Tim Farrant, with friend and Shihad drummer Tom Larkin producing.
September 2000 saw the New Zealand release of their debut album, Geographica.
The band broke up early in 2001, after Aaron Tokona "stopped believing that I was doing what I really wanted to do. I'm not talking about playing music because I think I'll always do music. I'm talking about playing music in the sense of being in a band or being in public."[1] The album, recorded at Melbourne's Sing Sing studios and produced by Steve James, was never released in Australia. The song "Calling On" received regular airplay on Australian radio station Triple J during 2001, however it failed to break into the station's Hottest 100 that year.
Weta reformed and played small venues in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch and some festivals during late 2008/early 2009[2], but broke up again shortly afterward.[citation needed]
Split Enz were a New Zealand band formed in 1972. Regarded as the first New Zealand band to gain significant recognition outside of Australasia, they were initially noted for their progressive/art rock sound, flamboyant visual style and theatrical performances. The band later moved toward a pop/new wave sound that yielded the breakthrough hit single "I Got You" (1980). Split Enz broke up in 1984. Since that time, the band has staged several brief reunions.
Fur Patrol is a rock band, originally from Wellington, New Zealand.
Shihad are a rock band formed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1988. The band consists of founders Tom Larkin, Phil Knight and Jon Toogood, who were joined by Karl Kippenberger in 1991. The band were known as Pacifier between 2002 and 2004.
The Superjesus are an Australian rock band formed in Adelaide in late 1994. Their debut album, Sumo, peaked at No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart, their second album, Jet Age reached No. 5 and their third album, Rock Music peaked at No. 14. Their top 40 singles include "Down Again" (1997), "Now and Then" (1998), "Gravity" (2000) and "Stick Together" (2003). At the ARIA Music Awards of 1997 they won Best New Talent for Eight Step Rail and Breakthrough Artist – Single for "Shut My Eyes". The group disbanded in mid-2004, and reunited in 2013. The band has undergone multiple line-up changes, with lead vocalist Sarah McLeod and bassist Stuart Rudd serving as mainstays. As of 2022, they are joined by lead guitarist Cam Blokland and drummer Murray Sheridan.
The Crocodiles was a New Zealand pop/new wave band formed in 1979 with lead singer Jenny Morris, who went on to commercial success as a solo artist in Australia; and later included drummer Barton Price, who subsequently joined Sardine v and then Models. The Crocodiles top 20 hit single in New Zealand was "Tears" in 1980 from debut album, Tears; a second album, Looking at Ourselves, appeared in November. The band relocated to Australia in February 1981 but disbanded in July without further releases.
Zed is a New Zealand pop rock group, which formed as Supra in 1996 in Christchurch by Ben Campbell on bass guitar, Nathan King on lead vocals and guitar, and Adrian Palmer on drums. In 2000 they added a second guitarist, Andrew Lynch. Their debut album, Silencer (2000), peaked at No. 1 on the New Zealand Albums Chart; while their second album, This Little Empire, reached No. 3. Their top 10 singles are "Glorafilia" (1999), "Renegade Fighter" (2000) and "Hard to Find Her" (2003). They toured New Zealand, Australia and United States before disbanding in 2004. They have reformed periodically including in 2017, 2019 and 2023.
Herbs are a New Zealand reggae group founded in 1979 and led by singer-guitarist Dilworth Karaka, the only constant member. Since its foundation Herbs has been multi-ethnic in membership and featured Samoans, Tongans, Cook Islanders, New Zealand europeans and Maori members. The 11th inductee into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame, were once described as "New Zealand's most soulful, heartfelt and consistent contemporary musical voice". It has been said their debut EP What's Be Happen? "set a standard for Pacific reggae which has arguably never been surpassed".
Straitjacket 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.
Two Lane Blacktop was a hard rock band from Wellington, New Zealand who formed in 2001 and disbanded in 2003. The band wrote all its songs about movies and was named after a 1971 film directed by Monte Hellman. The members of the band were Matt Harrop on vocals and guitar, Luke Hutching on bass, Phil Smiley on drums, and Pip Brown on lead guitar and background vocals.
Suzanne Marguerite Abeyratne, who performs as Zan or Xan, is an Australian-based singer born in London. Abeyratne was a co-lead vocalist of I'm Talking (1984–87), alongside Kate Ceberano. She provided lead vocals on their single, "Holy Word", which peaked at No. 9 in Australia, and No. 21 in New Zealand. Along with her identical twin sister Sherine, Abeyratne has provided backing vocals for Models, INXS, and U2, and has toured the world with other bands.
Mi-Sex is a New Zealand new wave band originally active from 1978 to 1986, and led for much of its existence by Steve Gilpin as vocalist, Kevin Stanton as guitarist and songwriter, Murray Burns as keyboardist and songwriter, and Don Martin as bassist. The group's manager for much of its career was Bob Yates. Mi-Sex achieved two top 10 hit singles in 1979-80: "Computer Games" in October 1979 and "People" in 1980. Their first two albums both reached the New Zealand top 10, Graffiti Crimes and Space Race. They were known for their cutting edge production and dynamic live shows. Gilpin died in January 1992, two months after a serious car accident from which he never recovered. Mi-Sex have periodically reformed, including in 2011 with Steve Balbi (ex-Noiseworks) on lead vocals. Stanton died on 17 May 2017, Martin on 10 August 2020.
Fly My Pretties is a collaboration of musicians originally from Wellington, New Zealand who are known for coming together to record live albums, in various locations in New Zealand. The different musical backgrounds of the members make for an eclectic mix of songs on their releases. Fly My Pretties was the brainchild of Barnaby Weir, front man of the Black Seeds and Mikee Tucker of Loop Recordings Aot(ear)oa. The objective: To meet, exchange ideas, and then perform and record the results in front of a live audience.
Martin Ronald Winch was a New Zealand guitarist, composer and musician.
Beastwars is a sludge metal band from New Zealand.
The Librettos was a New Zealand pop/R&B group, active from 1960 to 1966. They were one of New Zealand's most popular bands in 1964-65, and after relocating to Sydney they gained recognition in Australia for their polished live performances and their 1966 version of the Paul Revere & The Raiders song "Kicks". Several members of the group went on to other notable bands of the 1960s and 1970s - bassist Brian Peacock co-founded the highly regarded Anglo-Australian "progressive pop" band Procession, Rod Stone joined popular Australian '60s soul group The Groove, and drummer Craig Collinge later played with Manfred Mann Chapter Three and UK 1970s "proto-punk" band Third World War.
Marlon Williams is the solo debut self-titled studio album by New Zealand musician Marlon Williams. It was released in 2015 under Caroline Australia.
Cairo Knife Fight (CKF) is a rock band originating from New Zealand, founded in 2007 by musical artist Nick Gaffaney, featuring a drum and guitar duo incorporating real-time layered loops.
Stuart William Rudd is an Australian songwriter/bass guitar player of rock band, The Superjesus. The South Australia News reported that last March 3, 2017, Superjesus was inducted into the South Australia Hall of Fame at the Mortlock Library, State Library Building in Adelaide. Stuart Rudd and Sarah McLeod performed live. Australian guitarist John Brewster-Jones also played a solo rendition while the talented Baker Suite led by guitarist, soloist, and songwriter John Baker performed with the string quartet of Julian Ferraretto and The Yearlings.
Aaron Arana Tokona was a New Zealand guitarist and singer.
Modern Fables is the debut solo album by New Zealand singer-songwriter Julia Deans, former front-woman of the rock band Fur Patrol. Released by Tardus Records in 2010, the pop and folk album peaked at no. 12 in the New Zealand charts. Three singles were released from the album: "A New Dialogue," "The Wish You Wish You Had," and the title track "Modern Fables."
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