Manawatū Evening Standard Negative Collection

This image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 27th January 1966 "E. Ropiha, of Woodville, takes this fence in fine style on Southern Cloud, during the F.E.J. jumping competitions."

Flowers members: Iva Davies (vocal, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, oboe), Keith Walsh (bass), John Lloyd (drums)Anthony Smith/Hall (keyboards). Name changed to Icehouse in 1981.

This image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 6th March 199.

"First Year Bash, featuring Emulsifier and Bassett Road, Massey University, March 1. Reviewed by John Saunders. Yo Dudes! Orientation kicked off in Massey's revamped social hall last week, as first-year students and assorted hangers-on fired themselves up for a great night out with mutoid-metal funksters Emulsifier.

The beer was frothing uncontrollably as local support Bassett road took the stage for their final gig, their traditional "rock band" sound of the past now roaring away into something much harder and nastier., Bassist John Copeland's vocals were sounding particularly impassioned; guitarist Des Kerr harder-edged and much more interesting. Despite their patchy career, the band ended on a high note.

Emulsifier then hit the stage, and three songs into the set, I'm plotting their early demise. This trio would like to sound like Red Hot Chilli Peppers, their funky Gary Clail beats overlaid with all the usual Jesus Jones/PWEI guitar, but what we got in reality was a bunch of pretentious prats who apparently had no idea their barking monotone raps were bypassing most people completely.

Admittedly, it wasn't much help having a chap on the mixing desk who believed the muffled sound outside the hall was what everyone inside was hoping to hear. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and changed location, listening to a few more songs. Still no luck. All I noticed was a drummer and bassist who had the funky groove thing well in hand, with the drummer taking lead vocals in many songs.

Perhaps the cover (We're Gonna Rock) Your Radio had some sense of urgency, the heavy metal posturing at least provided a laugh. A slight ripple of applause was heard. But by the time Hendrix's Manic Depression was dredged up, I was beginning to feel a little that way myself. An early retreat seemed the only solution."

The information for this image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 23rd September 1987 "The End are back in town after their South Island tour, having performed 18 shows in venues ranging from West Coast pubs to campuses and trendy night-spots.

Vocalist/guitarist Paul Campbell said he felt the band's original songs, off their just-recorded album "The Ultimate Game" went down well. Apart from Hokitika, Greymouth, Westport and Nelson, The End played five gigs in Christchurch and also found time for Wellington nightspots The Playroom and The Cricketers.

The band met up with artist Calum Hay in Christchurch, and he is spending some time with them working on design and videos for the album. Immediate plans are to play more Wellington venues while finishing off the mixing with Nigel Stone, with a 21-date North Island tour planned for the album's Christmas release.

Bassett Road Murders guitarist Des Kerr has been confirmed as guest musician for the tour, as has Leonard Carney, who formerly pounded the skins for Cement Garden."

The information for this image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 5th June 1991.

"We heard this weird song in a café in Taupo that had all these death metaphors in the lyrics," says Chainsaw Masochist bassist Darren McShane, talking about the maudlin streak in their new album Periphery. "The original was pretty straight, so we got rid of all the twee stuff, accentuated the bleakness, and The Last Waltz ended up with a whole new meaning.

While Engelbert Humperdinck would probably bust his cummerbund over the attitude of these Flying Nun guitar slappers, the approach illustrates the "hard-edged melody" approach which caresses their sound. "We have the traditional line-up of two guitars and bass play separately, trying not to play the root note of the chord, trying to achieve a layered effect," McShane says.

Similar to the Verlaines, perhaps? "Yeah, there are some similarities there, although Graeme Downes does even more bizarre chords." Chainsaw Masochists formed over three years ago, combining the talents of principle songwriter and vocalist Murray Couling, guitarist/vocalist Debbie Silvey, bassist McShane and his brother Ricky on drums. The early material was pure guitar grunge, hence the band's name. The fact that all members have a pretty similar outlook has kept them together through some pretty tough times, says McShane. "We had all been in bands at school, but nothing had really clicked. Then I met Murray, and we discovered we had exactly the same musical tastes.

In this business, you get to the point where you just don't want to be on stage together if you're not enjoying it. But everyone in this band likes everyone else's ideas, so there's plenty of mutual respect, which is great." McShane admits the band sometimes comes under fire as a reworking of the well-established Flying Nun formula, which he rejects. "People say to us this traditional formula has been done to death, but I feel you have to keep detached from the musical fashion, just switch into this creative mode and forget about it. Yet we do things you might not at first notice; the off-kilter guitars have not been very well explored, and Debbie's harmonies are certainly very different. So we're all still evolving, and we're certainly not going to get stuck in some easily classified rut."

While Periphery sees the band integrating acoustic instruments and integrating accordion and strings into their sound, the music on display at Super Liquor Man Friday night will be harder-edged. "The ballads on the album are more our studio sound while the full-on songs are very close to the live sound we're touring with." Chainsaw Masochist are playing five cities on this Periphery tour, with Palmerston North being the only city outside the main centres. "We've heard in Auckland there's a pretty healthy live scene happening in Palmerston North at the moment, and the (student) radio station is pretty helpful. That's definitely a reason for playing there."

This image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 16th July 1986.

"Acoustic duo Circa have been pulling some sizeable crowds to their Wednesday night performances at the Raw 'n' Juicy Café recently. But entertaining the eaters isn't all Frances Anderson and Sue Pugmire are interested in. Since they got together late last year and began jamming informally they've performed several times at peace gatherings and often get asked to play women's nights for various organizations. Although they wouldn't class themselves as strictly feminist, they are very aware of being women, they say.

The name Circa comes from Circe, the enchantress from Greek mythology. "It also implies something circular or going in cycles which I think's quite appropriate," says Sue. Both had extensive musical backgrounds before they met. Sue particularly ... "I was in my first band when I was 13 with my oldest brother. All my brothers were involved in music."

Her main interest was initially in folk music and folk rock crossover material. She was president of the Palmerston North Folk Club for five years and still maintains an involvement there. Frances says she seems to have always been involved in music, although never in any real band format. "It was mostly a case of spontaneous performances, doing some singing now and then."

Her background was more centred on rock and blues styles. Together they describe their sound as a mixture. It's a relaxed style and they play what they like -- be it jazz, folk, blues, whatever ... "We both love harmonies and we have a lot of mix-and-match vocals," says Sue. "We're very keen to write more originals," Frances says, "but if we like a cover we'll do that too."

At this stage the cafe is their only regular venue but neither woman feels restricted. A few weeks ago they recorded three songs on four-track for a peace record. Increasing their line-up is another consideration, often spurred-on by friends joining them for the odd performance. One way or another we could be hearing a lot more from Circa.

[Pictured] Circa Duo, Frances Anderson (left) and Sue Pugmire -- doing the Square thing or just singing in the rain."

This image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 20th July 1988.

"Died Pretty, Chris Knox, Nick Smith and band. Massey Social Hall, July 14. It was a cold night as a small but dedicated crowd trooped into the Massey Social Hall last Thursday to see Australian band Died Pretty's first performance in Palmerston North.

First up was Nick Smith, normally seen solo on the stages of New Zealand purveying his particular brand of socially and politically inspired songs to the public. What was different about this show was that Nick appeared with a backing band and the difference was immeasurable. Songs that had previously jarred their way into people's consciousness took on a whole new force. Next up was veteran of innumerable New Zealand music projects, Chris Knox, this was his first solo visit to Palmerston North and the crowd was obviously eagerly awaiting his performance.

They definitely weren't disappointed. With charm to burn and sharp wit he literally conducted the crowd on a tour of a series of mainly new but typically inspired Chris Know originals. By the time Died Pretty came on the crowd had thinned somewhat.

The band seemed to be winding the crowd up quite well by the time they got to their third song, a cover of Neil Young's Loner, however, they never really managed to reach the peak I expected. There were some individual highlights like Lost, the title track of their new album, and the fast moving Crawls Away which also featured an impromptu appearance on harmonica by a member of the crowd.

However the cold night took its toll on crowd enthusiasm, not to mention playing havoc with the strings of Brett Myers guitars. At one stage he was snapping at least one string per song. It must have been hard for a band used to playing to crowds of a couple of thousand to get extremely enthused over the prospect of playing to a small crowd in a huge chilly hall and it showed in their overall performance.

Overall though, it was a good night's entertainment and it's perhaps merely a sign of the times that the crowd was not larger.

Pictured: Nick Smith -- new perspective with additional backing band. Photo by Mark Lapwood.

Pictured: Ronald S. Peno fronts Aussie band Died Pretty at Massey. Photo by Mark Lapwood."

The information for this image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 7th June 1982.

"Elvis Costello once said he wanted to keep his music as varied and different as possible. He once mused that was the only way to survive and enjoy it. Costello showed us all last night in the Manawatu Sports Stadium how he survived and enjoyed these past five years or so, with an hour and 20 minutes of intelligent and diversified music.

And he was so confident about it all. Costello, the angry young man of the music industry who has shunned media and the wishes of record companies. has a reputation as one of the most influential new wave artists in Britain. He is certainly one of the most innovative. He carefully avoided many of his "country and western" Almost Blue songs, sticking to songs from his new LP, Imperial Bedroom, and the favourites from My Aim is True, This Year's Model, Get Happy and Trust.

The taste of his new album said it was nothing like the shock of his last. Costello and his three Attractions flew from one song to the next, often blending the transition from one to the other leaving barely a breathing space."

[The full article can be read on the newspaper microfilm held at the City Library.]

This image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 15th November 1982.

"Last night I walked from the Joe Cocker concert in the Sports Stadium dazed and numb. I had just witnessed an unforgettable performance. After a fine 45 minute opening set from Hammond Gamble and Stuart Pierce, which was well received by the 3000-plus crowd, Cocker staggered out on to the stage amid roars of applause.

As always he appeared unmoved and uncertain -- confused and almost lost. There was nothing uncertain, however, about the voice or the flailing arms -- they were unmistakably Cocker. Head thrown back, the arms seemed to move almost involuntarily -- the fingers twitching spasmodically. From the opening track, Cocker had the crowd in his palm. The spirit was infectious, particularly in front of the stage where people waved their arms in the air and swayed to the music.

The opening bars of A whiter shade of pale immediately drew applause. The delivery was spine tingling. Despite the utter magnetism of Cocker, it was impossible not to be conscious of his five-piece band and two backing vocalists -- they were dynamic.

[The full article can be read on the newspaper microfilm held at the City Library.]

[Pictured] Joe Cocker ... 65 minutes of sheer magic."

This image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 5th August 1981.

"The Cure like to have a concert atmosphere controlled as soon as their audience walks in the door. "That's why" said guitarist, vocalist and keyboard player Robert Smith, "members of the band made a film to support their New Zealand tour. We wanted an atmosphere we could control and regulate from the very beginning. We wanted to set the mood and rather than leave it to some support band, we made a film.

The 30-minute film was projected on to two huge screens above the stage in the Manawatu Sports Stadium last night. The idea for the film originated during the making of the British band's second album "Seventeen Seconds". We had some ideas left over after the recording, and rather than just sort of throw them away, as usual we thought about a film. "Carnage Visors" turned out to be a chunk of black and white animation - a single, flowing piece with puppets jerking and writhing to the specially written sound-track."

[The full article can be read on the newspaper microfilm held at the City Library.]

The information for this image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 9th November 1988.

"Super Liquorman fires up again on Friday night with two bands -- one from Auckland, the other from Wellington -- which together should provide some of the most interesting experimental sounds heard since The Builders last played here. Drone are an innovative contemporary music/performance group based in Auckland who are presently making an extensive tour of New Zealand.

The band features a variety of musical instruments; from the conventional guitar, bass and drums to the more classical violin, cello and piano. Their songs are a combination of classical, art and rock concepts -- sometimes sparse and open, sometimes full and energetic but always aurally and visually engaging.

The band has performed throughout New Zealand in a variety of venues encompassing outdoor festival, hotels, art galleries and cafes. [Pictured] Drone ... in search of the sound of one hand clapping."

The information for this image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 23rd March 1973.

"The Certain Sounds 73, which is to give a concert in the Freyberg School Hall tomorrow night, visited the Girls' High School yesterday… The group consists of Gus Rowe, Jo Smith, Rob Packer, Moyra Speir, Mike Hibbert, and Philip Manley, and campaigns for the Youth For Christ movement."

This image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 12th July 1989.

"The Warratahs, the Albert, July 4, reviewed by Chris Bird. King Wally's rampant Aussie league side wasn't the Only Game in Town last Tuesday night. While the Lewis boys were sending the President's men into a spin at the showgrounds, across town at The Albert the Warratah boys were setting the Woods on Fire themselves.

Outside it's cold. Inside singer/guitarist Barry Saunders and company are warming it up double quick for "Mum, Dad and the kids". The enthusiastic down-to-earth approach to their music by the Wellington five washes across the crowd -- the young ones hit the dance floor first and the foxtrotters follow suit soon after as the band breaks into their latest offering on the singles charts, St Peter's Rendezvous, you kinda know you're glad you're not outside at the league. The pace of the night doesn't slacken ... the mixture is right between ballads, good old foot stomping country and a smattering of honkey-tonk -- thanks to the extra exposure of Wayne Mason on keyboards and accordian [sic] and Nik Brown's fiddle.

This extra use of the mandolin, accordian and harmonica is a feature of the band's latest album, Too Hot to Sleep, which debuted in the top 10 in hometown Wellington and has already climbed to No. 28 nationally. The album is closer to the band's country roots with a more balladish content about it than the hugely successful first offering, The Only Game In Town. That's why the boys are in town -- it's the first stop on a nationwide tour to promote the new album.

The crowd mood bubbles along nicely right till the end and no one's worrying about stepping on anyone's feet on the dance floor, cause Mum, Dad and the kids are having a great time and everyone's smiling ... it's the infectious nature of the music -- something for all ages. A Chuck Berry number Brown-eyed Man really gets them going and so does Drivin' Wheel and Setting the Woods of Fire -- two rock 'n' roll gems from the Only Game In Town album.

Mixed with the ballads, Hands of My Heart, Burned All of My Love, Maureen and a real pearl from the new album Nothing Ever Happens, and we have a night to remember. The concert only confirms that the Warratahs are the only band in their league on the country rock scene, and they aren't about to be kicked into touch.

[Pictured] Keyboard man Wayne Mason on the accordion ... a key element on the Warratahs' latest album, Too Hot to Sleep."

The information for this image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 28th March 1990..

"Public perception of dancefloor music has now surpassed the sound your average guitar, bass and drums line-up can deliver, says Tribe of Two keyboardist, guitarist and vocalist Mike Miers. The advantage with using sequencers and high technology is that we can multi-track the sounds and create the music heard in the clubs within a live format -- it's become unrealistic to try and recreate that sound with a small group, so we programme up to 20 instruments with multi-track techniques to provide the instrumentation we require.

Tribe of Two are a new synth-pop duo playing on the Palmerston North scene -- they opened at Chantelle's last weekend and continue this Friday and Saturday nights. Starting time is 11.30 pm. Along side Miers, Brent Maharey plays synthesised drums and handles most of the vocals. The drum pads act as triggers to play whatever kind of sampled drum sounds are required.

Both musicians have a long history in Palmerston North bands, playing in SP2 and Snatch as they worked their way towards recreating the sounds of bands like New Order, the Cure and OMD. Not surprisingly, the Pet Shop Boys are seen as the role model for their own writing.

The duo have written six originals so far and plan on recording after building a reputation with live work. Miers says one myth he'd like to dispel is the idea that the music is pre-recorded on tape before the performance. About half the keyboards are presequenced so I can play guitar -- with Brent it's about the same ratio. Sometimes people get the idea that tapes are being used, but in actual fact, each instrument is producing its own sound live -- there is no audio taping involved.

[Pictured] Tribe of Two ... Mike Miers."

The information for this image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 23rd January 1982.

"Tony Littlejohn, once better known as a vocalist and instrumentalist with Bruno Lawrence and Blerta of "Come Dance all around the World" fame, is in Palmerston North this weekend with his own band, Ghetto.

The band plays a combination of reggae, country rock and jazz rock - all original music written by Tony over the last six years. They have spent the last year touring around New Zealand, and Tony has delighted with the audience response they have received.

"Our music is not all loud, some of it is really quite sophisticated - I think we've got quite an exciting and distinctive sound," Tony said. They group still plays "Dance around the World", but it's a jazzed up version now.

Next weekend the group will be playing for a second time at Sweetwaters, but this Sunday night, they are performing in the Palmerston North Concert Chambers. Although they have been playing together for only one year, they have been inspired enough by their reception around the country to plan an overseas tour later in the year.

They are also working on their own album "Jigsaw Pieces". The six-member band consists of Tony, his brother Terrence, who is particularly popular with the fans for his base (sic) playing. Boyd Dickson (drums), his brother James on sax, percussion and vocals, and two vocalist cousins, Mina Paikea and Louise Nathan. The band will do a circuit of all university campuses before heading overseas.

The information for this image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 20th February 1979.

"The long awaited appearance locally by Video is taking place this weekend at the Albert Motor Lodge. Phil Scott and the rest of the band have been rehearsing hard, especially for this gig. After the Albert, Video are to appear at Massey Orientation week, and at the Majestic Hotel next Tuesday before embarking on their North Island Tour."

This image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 18th August 1978.

"Thoroughbred, the former Dunedin professional rock band, which are back in the city this week for a two-week spell at the Lion Tavern. Palmerston North seems to be becoming the group's second home, judging by the number of gigs they have performed here in recent weeks. They have just completed a stint at the Albert.

Since appearing last in the city, keyboards player Steve Larkin has left to return to the South Island, where he has teamed with the band's former drummer, Ray Moore, and guitarist, Jim Taylor, to form a new group. Thoroughbred in the meantime, have decided to continue as a four-piece outfit comprising Andy Combe (guitar), Brian Secue (lead vocals), Mike Chimside (bass guitar), and Nihat Orerel (drums).

All four are experienced musicians, with Andy formerly with Flick of the Wrist, Frenzy, and Loving Memory, while Brian was with Battle of the Bands finalists the Third Chapter. Nihat, who has over ten years of professional experience in Turkey, Europe and the States behind him, was more recently with Clearlight. Thoroughbred embrace a variety of styles, but keep mainly in a rock direction, with numbers by bands such as Supertramp, Santana, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, and Boz Scaggs well to the fore.

The information for this image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 17th October 1979.

"Think are an original 70's New Zealand rock band playing their own brand of highly listenable dance music flavoured by the many talents and diverse roots of the individual members. Bassman/singer Allan Badger turned professional at the age of 16 and played with many New Zealand bands before forming the successful Tracks who toured extensively for over a year. He then helped form the early three-piece Think.

In 1975 Think was joined by guitarist Phil Whitehead whose professional career spans 10 years playing in both New Zealand and Australia. He had been associated with other name bands like Father Time and the long-established Human Instinct. Currently his playing is highlighted by his brilliant use of the recently developed Roland guitar synthesizer which must be heard to be believed.

All this week, Think are appearing at the Awapuni Motor Hotel and according to the band's manager, Lindsay Flint, a number of complimentary admission tickets are available from the Central Service Station."

[The full article can be read on the newspaper microfilm held at the City Library.]

This image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 25th July 1990.

"Tank Farm were not seriously writing their own songs until they met Chris Knox one night at Massey University. "We'd basically started out as a covers band, doing all the usual neo-gothic stuff like The Cure, and we also used to do Knox's Pull Down the Shades, says vocalist Bruce Heyder. "Then we met him at Massey, and he told us we should get off our butts and write some original music.

Since then, that's what we've been doing." Tank Farm have been playing around Palmerston North for about a year at venues such as Super Liquor Man and Creative Sounds. The band has recently had their song Angst -- recorded at the Stomach -- on the Radio Massey top ten, and hope to follow that up with their new one, Rainy Day Funeral.

They've written 15 songs so far, and support keeps growing with each performance. Heyder describes the sound as "disturbing guitar pop." "Graeme (Galyer) is a bit of a feed-back, guitar-noise expert, so we've always had this thread running through our music. We don't do it on purpose, it just ends up sounding disturbing."

Lyrically Herder and co-vocalist Bob Naylor share the songwriting duties, working from the unique bass-lines of Lon Teal. Often a dark message lies hidden behind the melody. "When we wrote Angst, it was basically about the 'strike a pose' type of nightclub women.

The latest, Rainy Day Funeral, is about a drug addict." Although they started out as goths, Heyder says the band is not locked into the negative moods explored by the Sisters of Mercy or Bauhaus. "We're not the Cure clones, we listen to all sorts of music. My main inspiration is Kiwi music, whereas our drummer John Worsley is heavily into rap and metal."

A unique Tank Farm feature is the two vocalists out front. That came about when Heyder was asked to quest at a Five-bands-for-five-bucks gig one night. "They asked me to come along and sing for them, and half a bottle of gin later, I was there." Tank Farm's next gig is likely to be on-campus in the new term, possibly in conjunction with Room 101. Meanwhile, listen for Rainy Day Funeral on Radio Massey."

This image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 20th July 1988.

"Died Pretty, Chris Knox, Nick Smith and band. Massey Social Hall, July 14. It was a cold night as a small but dedicated crowd trooped into the Massey Social Hall last Thursday to see Australian band Died Pretty's first performance in Palmerston North.

First up was Nick Smith, normally seen solo on the stages of New Zealand purveying his particular brand of socially and politically inspired songs to the public. What was different about this show was that Nick appeared with a backing band and the difference was immeasurable. Songs that had previously jarred their way into people's consciousness took on a whole new force.

Next up was veteran of innumerable New Zealand music projects, Chris Knox, this was his first solo visit to Palmerston North and the crowd was obviously eagerly awaiting his performance. They definitely weren't disappointed. With charm to burn and sharp wit he literally conducted the crowd on a tour of a series of mainly new but typically inspired Chris Know originals.

By the time Died Pretty came on the crowd had thinned somewhat. The band seemed to be winding the crowd up quite well by the time they got to their third song, a cover of Neil Young's Loner, however, they never really managed to reach the peak I expected. There were some individual highlights like Lost, the title track of their new album, and the fast moving Crawls Away which also featured an impromptu appearance on harmonica by a member of the crowd.

However the cold night took its toll on crowd enthusiasm, not to mention playing havoc with the strings of Brett Myers guitars. At one stage he was snapping at least one string per song. It must have been hard for a band used to playing to crowds of a couple of thousand to get extremely enthused over the prospect of playing to a small crowd in a huge chilly hall and it showed in their overall performance.

Overall though, it was a good night's entertainment and it's perhaps merely a sign of the times that the crowd was not larger.

[Pictured: Nick Smith -- new perspective with additional backing band. Photo by Mark Lapwood]."