Continuing on with the theme of New Zealand music month today I will share some rock bands from my homeland. Rock was my second favorite genre of music growing up (after heavy metal!), so I have a good selection. Although rock bands from New Zealand borrow heavily from British pop/rock/indie they still have a unique sound (in my opinion!)

Elemenop

Lets start off with the brilliantly named Elemenop, releasing their acclaimed first album ‘Love and Disrespect’ in 2003. The album introduced New Zealand to a raw, simple, and catchy rock n roll sound - with a lot of singalong tunes. They were certainly a band that I spent many hours listening to during my youth. The album spawned singles and popular songs ‘Verona’, Fast Times in Tahoe’ and ‘Nirvana’. Nirvana is the first track on the album and gets things off to a rocky, and toe tapping start:

Elemenop have released 3 albums to date - in 2006 they released ‘Trouble in Paradise’, and in 2008 they released a self titled album. After going on a long hiatus, Elemenop reformed in 2017 to do some shows around New Zealand, and there is talk of a new album although nothing has been confirmed. A great song from the album Trouble in Paradise is ‘One Left Standing’:

The Feelers

The Feelers have been a staple on the New Zealand music scene for the last 20 years. They have a mix of pop/rock and acoustic ballads. They have released 5 studio albums to date, all doing well in the New Zealand charts. One of their more well known songs ‘Larger Than Life’ came from the 2003 album Playground Battle:

The Datsuns

If you like your rock a bit heavier, with a hint of heavy metal then The Datsuns are the band for you! The Datsuns have more a grunge/hard rock/garage rock sound. I have been to one of their live shows last years and they had some amazing energy, and a brilliant sound! The Datsuns have done well not only in New Zealand but also abroad, touring the UK and other parts of Europe extensively in the early 2000s.They have released 6 studio albums, and are still performing live shows. There most well know (and killer tune) song is probably MFf from Hell - I love the powerful guitar riffs!:

Villainy

One of the more successful New Zealand rock bands of the last few years has been Villainy. The have adopted a grunge and alternative sound - and have a sound that is quite unique. The singer has an amazing voice with a brilliant range. Villainy are fairly new, forming in 2010 and have released 2 albums to date - the latest album ‘Dead Sight’ was released in 2015. Heres the song Safe Passage from the album Dead sight:

I hope you enjoyed some of the fine rock music from New Zealand!