Post by Lux on Aug 2, 2008 18:34:20 GMT 12
Capital music acts are making a name overseas
By TOM CARDY - The Dominion Post | Saturday, 02 August 2008
Wellington is now a music powerhouse, with its diverse bands and musicians not only topping the Kiwi charts, but increasingly scoring big overseas.
The Flight of the Conchords' debut album - which went as high as No3 in the American charts in its first week in May - has sold more than 170,000 copies in the United States. The sales figures are more than three times the sales for the top-selling album in New Zealand last year, Led Zeppelin's Mothership.
Flight of the Conchords continues to be a big seller in New Zealand, having gone platinum with sales of more than 15,000. It is No6 in the charts, and the No1-selling comedy album in the US.
Wellington singer-songwriter Pip Brown, under the name Ladyhawke, has had extensive media coverage in Britain this year - even though her debut album is not released till next month. The Observer newspaper last month named her one of the 50 coolest people of the year.
There are also high expectations for new albums by The Black Seeds and Fat Freddys Drop this year, as both continue to soar in Europe.
Before securing their Emmy-nominated television series, Flight of the Conchords' Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie signed with Seattle-based independent record label Sub Pop, best known for Nirvana.
Sub Pop spokesman Gabe Carter told The Dominion Post the show's popularity had been a big boost to sales.
"As an indie rock label, we don't sign things thinking that they're going to blow up. The label itself has a history of admiring New Zealand bands."
Brown, 28, grew up in Masterton and formed Wellington rock band Two Lane Blacktop. For the past four years she has been based in Australia and Britain.
Speaking from London, Brown said she had been taken aback by recent coverage in the British media.
"Things are just getting more and more hilarious. It has been a little bit hard for me to digest everything. It's kind of mounting up."
Brown recently performed at the Melt festival in Berlin which featured Bjork, Kate Nash and Franz Ferdinand.
The top-selling Fat Freddys Drop are likely to release their next album in November when they tour Europe, including, for the first time, French cities outside Paris.
Spokeswoman Sarah Hunter said the band, which tours Europe annually, had become big in France.
"It had got Beatle-esque in Paris. They have never experienced anything like it. People were falling over themselves."
Hunter said the band had postponed a short European tour this month to finish recording the new album in Wellington.
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Wooohooo
By TOM CARDY - The Dominion Post | Saturday, 02 August 2008
Wellington is now a music powerhouse, with its diverse bands and musicians not only topping the Kiwi charts, but increasingly scoring big overseas.
The Flight of the Conchords' debut album - which went as high as No3 in the American charts in its first week in May - has sold more than 170,000 copies in the United States. The sales figures are more than three times the sales for the top-selling album in New Zealand last year, Led Zeppelin's Mothership.
Flight of the Conchords continues to be a big seller in New Zealand, having gone platinum with sales of more than 15,000. It is No6 in the charts, and the No1-selling comedy album in the US.
Wellington singer-songwriter Pip Brown, under the name Ladyhawke, has had extensive media coverage in Britain this year - even though her debut album is not released till next month. The Observer newspaper last month named her one of the 50 coolest people of the year.
There are also high expectations for new albums by The Black Seeds and Fat Freddys Drop this year, as both continue to soar in Europe.
Before securing their Emmy-nominated television series, Flight of the Conchords' Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie signed with Seattle-based independent record label Sub Pop, best known for Nirvana.
Sub Pop spokesman Gabe Carter told The Dominion Post the show's popularity had been a big boost to sales.
"As an indie rock label, we don't sign things thinking that they're going to blow up. The label itself has a history of admiring New Zealand bands."
Brown, 28, grew up in Masterton and formed Wellington rock band Two Lane Blacktop. For the past four years she has been based in Australia and Britain.
Speaking from London, Brown said she had been taken aback by recent coverage in the British media.
"Things are just getting more and more hilarious. It has been a little bit hard for me to digest everything. It's kind of mounting up."
Brown recently performed at the Melt festival in Berlin which featured Bjork, Kate Nash and Franz Ferdinand.
The top-selling Fat Freddys Drop are likely to release their next album in November when they tour Europe, including, for the first time, French cities outside Paris.
Spokeswoman Sarah Hunter said the band, which tours Europe annually, had become big in France.
"It had got Beatle-esque in Paris. They have never experienced anything like it. People were falling over themselves."
Hunter said the band had postponed a short European tour this month to finish recording the new album in Wellington.
~~~~
Wooohooo
