In the post-punk/springbok tour era, it took a bright idea, $50, and a lot of goodwill to start Flying Nun Records, an independent record company based in Christchurch NZ.
Flying Nun Records eyeball logo Photo: supplied
The label is known for bringing the “Dunedin Sound” to Aotearoa and beyond with artists like The Chills, The Clean, Headless Chickens, The Bats, Chris Knox, David Kilgour, The Verlaines, and more.
The label is still going strong today, boasting a roster of talent including Fazerdaze, Reb Fountain, and The Phoenix Foundation to name a few.
To continue our Flying Nun 40th anniversary celebrations, we take a look at the iconic labels latest signings
Vera Ellen
Pōneke-born guitarist/ singer Vera Ellen is best known for her LA-based band Girl Friday, whose scrappy, energetic post-punk is a very communal affair. She’s putting out her debut album It’s Your Birthday in October, and based on the three singles released so far, has kept the energy and attitude of her band, but upped the sense of fun.
According to Ellen the album charts the highs and lows of her last few years, and the recently-released single ‘I Want 2 B Boy’ is firmly focused on the former, ending on Ellen’s emphatic repetition of “I feel so much joy”.
Sulfate
Starting off as the solo project of Peter Ruddell - the man behind the distorted organs of Wax Chattels - Sulfate have morphed into a three-piece band for second album Godzone. Adding Harriet Ellis (who is one half of Na Noise) on bass and David Harris on drums.
The album promises ‘a bleak picture of New Zealand’, and the first two singles deliver on that with waves of beautiful, bludgeoning noise. ‘Crossing’ evokes Flying Nun bands of the past - swelling with a kind of dark triumph.
Womb
In his Sampler review of Womb’s EP Holding A Flame, Tony Stamp observed it “feels like pop music in slow motion”. The trio of siblings Charlotte and Haz Forrester and Georgette Brown make woozy, syrupy sounds; songs which unfold at their own pace and prioritize Charlotte’s bold vocal melodies.
It’s an EP that reveals itself on repeat listens, helped by production from Bevan Smith (from Glass Vaults and his dub-techno alias Signer), and the trio’s attention to detail. Womb’s music is mournful but optimistic; as in the video for ‘Dust To Dust’, there are always rays of sun poking through the clouds.
Flying Nun 40th Anniversary Celebration
- Nine-to-Noon Music with Charlotte Ryan
- The Mixtape: Roger Shepherd
- Musical Chairs: Ben Howe
- The Sampler Alec Bathgate
