It’s our end of year issue—which means one thing—wanks. Lots and lots of wanks. Plus, it’s boring if we just filled our last issue for the year with some more CD reviews—who wants to read that when we could opine, and have you all tell us how much we suck?!
So, without further ado, here is my summarising piece for how NZ music fared in 2010—‘Where We At?!’
Cities Category:
Winner: Auckland: A-
The chronic insularity of its scenes aside, Auckland has consistently been the source of some incredible albums this year—see Street Chant, Golden Axe, Surf City. It really is just a size thing, but they’ve also fostered great bands across all genres: Homebrew look set to take on the world, Golden Axe took on italo (and won), all the while labels like MUZAI and Mole kept the garden plentiful with ferocious releases from Fatangryman, Sharpie Crows and others. There are still albums from Nevernudes, Sidewalk Meese and to come too. Yikes. Beef and bitching may run rampant around many Auckland bands, but they also provide
the goods on a higher level, more consistently than anywhere else.
Runner-up: Wellington: B-
By comparison, Wellington’s 2010 output has been pretty bleak. Of course, it’d be criminal to ignore the success of acts such as Glass Vaults, Tommy Ill, Seth Frightening and So So Modern—these acts all managed to put out well-crafted pieces of work and, in the case of Seth Frightening/So So Modern, albums that really should go down as some of the best this city has produced in the last ten years. I wasn’t as full of praise for Crude Futures earlier in the year, but it’s ended up being a clear head and shoulders above so much of the work from anyone else in New Zealand.
Obviously, with a smaller population than our northern neighbours, it’s always going to be hard to keep up in
terms of creative output. It really doesn’t help that week after week, bands have to deal with punters who value the meat over the music—2010 has seen Mighty Mighty turn from hipster grind bar into full-blown meat market, reneging on their status as a premier music venue in Wellington. As a rule, people don’t seem to go to shows unless blindingly drunk, so it’s hard to get anyone there until after 11pm. It’s all pretty epressing—you’d think inundation with cheap shows (often free) would be an inviting prospect, but apparently not.
Despite there being very few exciting things to come out of Wellington this year, and despite the fact that gig-goers have upheld their status as apathetic drunks, there are three things that maintain Wellington as a paragon of excellent music.
The Golden Awesome. Ho-ly shit.
Sonorous Circle (see last week’s issue).
O-Week—This year was amazing, and if rumours are to be believed, next year will be even better.
Loser: Christchurch: D
Lost two of their most popular bands to Wellington and Auckland, got hit by an earthquake, Tally Ho magazine lasted about four issues, and they now have to contend with Jason Kerrison’s relief
efforts. The poor dudes just can’t cut a break. It’s now up to T54 and Secrets to lead the charge. Hopefully their new ‘Gold Soundz’ label kickstarts something good too.
‘Money, etc’ Category
Winner: Arch Hill: A
Arch Hill released records by Surf Cityand Street Chant to rapturous applause, the latter breaking the Top 30 in New Zealand without a shred of funding from the powers that be. (For a frame of reference, Autozamm have been granted over $100,000, and are yet to have anything chart. Ever.) Arch Hill are also
releasing one free album a month, and no small fare either—this month’s is the new release from the excellent Pine.
Runner Up: the Naked and Famous: B
The Naked and Famous, a bad band with a worse rep for their direct entry into ‘the industry’/serious funding thanks perhaps to a saucy relationship with CRS management, and general tendency to ‘go bananas’ at other musicians, managed to turn their obvious influences into the first New Zealand number one debut single in forever. Yip, it’s a shameless Skins-baiting pastiche of M83/Passion Pit, but really, better this
at number one than a copy-paste of US/Modular success three years too late (see: Sugarpills).
Loser: Pretty much every remotely heavy band in the country
It’s pretty much always going to be the way, but punk/hardcore/metal bands in NZ have it way harder than
anyone else—the nature of their music precludes them from almost completely from the same funding and furthering opportunities afforded to more radio-friendly types of music. That being said, Antagonist AD managed to squeeze some blood out of the stone. That also being said, they kinda suck balls.
Lessons from the year:
If ‘I’m not drunk enough’ is your excuse for not getting to a show on time, fuck you.
If you can’t get on TV, band beef is your best bet for maximum exposure.
2010’s release schedule for NZ albums is unfuckwithable. Even The Coolies got in on the action. Go forth and buy!
(Danger—bias ahead) VBC is the best, they’ve managed to find enough bands to put on a free show nearly every Wednesday of the year. Give them your love.