Sunday, April 23, 2006

Christchurch: City That Shines

This week I spent some time in Christchurch so I've decided that this weeks Counting the Beat show will focus on the pearl of the Canterbury Plains. The show is an A to Zed of Christchurch music. This post is an online accompaniment featuring some of my favourite Christchurch bands, labels and record shops.

Loves Ugly Children: I loved this band. Noisy guitars, great pop melodies and a fantastic live show. There is an excellent band biography at thebigcity.co.nz. I have to admit to having had a bit of a crush on bass player Floss back in the day. That's a photo of the band to the left. The title of this post, City That Shines, is the title of a LUC song from their Cold Water Surf EP.


The Gordons: The greatest band in New Zealand history? Flying Nun have a bio and release information.

Galaxy Records: This is, in my humble opinion, one of the top record shops in the land. For indie/alternative it is No. 1. Want the latest Dead C album, or a 7" single by Napier guitar soundscape heroes Jakob? Then Galaxy is the shop for you. They don't have a website but you can find them at 227 High St, Christchurch. Ph. 379 8852. Email: galaxyrecords@actrix.gen.nz

Failsafe Records: This label is currently releasing a deluge of great Christchurch music from the eighties and nineties. Check out their download page. You can get songs by several bands featuring on this weeks show; Loves Ugly Children, Pop Mechanix, Pumpkinhead. Plus I recommend you have a listen to some great bands I didn't have time for; Children's Hour, YFC, and Substandard. Buy some of their releases.

The Undercurrents: A contemporary Christchurch band with a classic NZ indie sound. They have released three singles and an EP that are incredibly hard to find. Check out their MySpace site or download some tracks here.

You can also buy some great Christchurch compilations. Failsafe Records have a great collection called Accident Compilation, or check out Christchurch: The Music.

Counting the Beat - NZ music every Sunday 6 - 7pm

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