MAY 2009 2726 MAY 2009

COVER STORY

1964Dinah Lee (born in Waimate as Diane Marie Jacobs) is the first female Kiwi artist to make it to number one in Australia, with single Don’t You Know Yokomo. Dinah, dubbed the Queen of the Mods, has equal successes with singles Reet Petite and Do The Blue Beat.

1965ChanTS R&B pioneer the New Zealand garage rock scene. As the resident band at Hereford Street venue The Stage Door, it becomes known for its very loud, very wild live shows. During one, Mike Rudd (guitar and vocals) nails his guitar to the floor while it’s still plugged in. The band breaks up in 1967, but reforms in 2007.

1965The Australasian Performing Right Association presents the first SiLVeR SCROLL aWaRDS, New Zealand’s most prestigious songwriting award. Ray COLumBuS wins in 1966 for single I Need You, while OpShOp wins it in 2008 for single One Day.

Christchurch musiciansmake their mark ...

1964Ray COLumBuS & The inVaDeRS top the Australian charts with single She’s A Mod. The first international number one hit to be recorded in New Zealand, a success not repeated until OmC’s How Bizarre in 1996.

1959max meRRiTT anD The meTeORS’ single Get A Haircut makes it into New Zealand’s Top 10 singles.

Christchurch doesn’t often get credit for being a creative city, but when you look at the number of great musicians who have started here, it’s about time it did. It might not be as culturally diverse as Wellington, or host the head honchos like Auckland, but Christchurch is a city that rocks.

In the 1960s, Christchurch was making its presence felt with two now-legendary bands. Max Merritt and The Meteors had already made it into New Zealand’s Top 10 with Get A Haircut (1959), and Ray Columbus and The Invaders were surfing a new wave of British-influenced music. By 1964, Ray and his band had made New Zealand history.

The Invaders moved to Australia in 1963 and caused shockwaves in Sydney with She’s A Mod. Ray had teenagers transfixed with his new dance move, the Mod’s Nod, and She’s A Mod rocketed through the charts. When it reached the top, She’s A Mod became the first international number one hit to be recorded in New Zealand.

Before he made it big in Australia, Ray enjoyed a “very vibrant” era in hometown Christchurch.

“Max Merritt had the Hibernian Hall teenage club (Barbadoes Street), eventually switching to Argyle Street; Rod Derrett had the 99 Club, for older, squarer people at the time; Bobby Davis was at Top Of The House; and The Invaders and I opened the Plainsman (Lichfield Street) for promoter Doug Cowan, catering for United States servicemen,” Ray recounts.

Meanwhile, Dinah Lee was well on her way to becoming ‘Queen of the Mods’ and the

like usSounds

With May being New Zealand Music Month, there’s no better time to acknowledge Christchurch’s music idols and the mark they’ve made on the music scene. Who knew such a small city could produce such a wealth of talent?

Chants R&B were making plenty of noise establishing garage rock at The Stage Door (Hereford Street). In the following decades, Chapta, The Bats, The Androidss, Bill Direen, and The Exponents stepped into the limelight, demonstrating the range of talent Christchurch had on tap.

Al Park, of Louie and the Hotsticks, describes Christchurch in the ’80s in four venues: The Carlton, The Papanui, The Aranui and The Hillsborough. Covers were taking centre stage in a city enjoying prosperous times.

“We had the (Ranfurly) Shield,” Al says. “People tend to forget what a huge difference to the economy that made.”

There was plenty of partying, frivolity and music-infused weekends, and Christchurch had its first ‘indie’ recording label, Flying Nun Records.

By the time the 21st century was upon us, Christchurch had sent Bic Runga, Anika Moa and The Feelers into the fray. Nathan King, whose band Zed was in the thick of it, says: “A lot of the popular new music was coming from Christchurch during 1997 to 2000 and, with each success, New Zealand music was becoming more and more acceptable in the mainstream marketplace.”

Now doing the rounds as a solo artist, Nathan says: “It’s great that plenty of New Zealand musicians have had loads of success in New Zealand over the last decade, but it seems harder nowadays to get established and stay there. It seems there’s more focus on a hit single, then moving on to the next big thing. I guess that’s a reflection of the iPod Generation.”

The iPod Generation might be busy flicking around the world on the internet, but Jeff Fulton says that isn’t such a bad thing.

Jeff has been involved in music since the age of 10, when he played drums alongside his brother in their first band. His CV boasts three years working with Neil Finn, running Neil’s studio and New Zealand business, and he is now the manager of Chart, the Christchurch Music Industry Trust.

According to Jeff, the iPod Generation has pushed MySpace and Facebook to the fore and these internet pages act as business cards for today’s bands.

“MySpace is a music industry standard. It shows (through hits) how popular you are.”

Bang! Bang! Eche!, a Christchurch band straight out of high school, has already clocked up almost 194,000 views on its MySpace – a

The Mod’s Nod: Plant your feet in one spot, sway your torso and don’t stop shaking your head. To get the rhythm right, sing She’s A Mod enthusiastically.

Words Kate Preece

CHRISTCHURCH MUSIC

Musicians (anti-clockwise from top): Bic Runga, Carmel Courtney, Jordan Luck, Linly Baxter, Ray Columbus, Al Park

168 ALL ACCESS ALL ACCESS 169

cabaretPhotographer: Edouard Boutinaud

Stylist: Cyril Lefèvre

Make-up: Steven Canavan

Hair: Christoph Hasenbein

Model: Veronicka @ Success

boutinaud copy.indd 1-2 12/7/05 9:30:39 pm

Photographer: Hiroshi KutomiCreative beauty editor: Attracta Courtney

Skin Care: PRADA Hydrating Serum/FaceFoundation: NINA RICCI Flawless Control Foundation 60 Eye shadow: SHISEIDO silky eye shadow duo 58 Blue HaloLips: PRADA shielding balm SPF15/Lip/Tint 7ALEXANDER McQUEEN: Yellow lace and cotton dress@ 0207 355 0088

Hair: Thomas DunkinMake up: Attracta Courtney @ DWMStylist: Donna WallaceModel: Julia Nikol @ NextDigital art work: MPD DIGITAL LONDON

The dawn of nnocenceIPhotographer:

IPhotographer: Hiroshi Kutomi

IHiroshi Kutomi

The dawn of nnocenceIThe dawn of nnocence

96 ALL ACCESS ALL ACCESS 97

HIROSHI sunday.indd 1-2 12/7/05 9:46:17 pm

M onsoonPhotographer: Elise DumontetCreative beauty editor: Attracta Courtney

Foundation: Lancome Paris Color Id SPF 8Eye shadow: Make up ForeverCheeks: Stila

120 ALL ACCESS

ELLISE sunday.indd 1-2 12/7/05 10:00:01 pm

74 ALL ACCESS

It was only going to be a matter of time before Frank Gehry brought his unique

architectural talents to a hotel, and at the end of this year you’ll be able to book

in to the Marqués de Riscal, the most avant garde resort in the whole of Europe,

currently under construction in the most unlikely of places – the sedate, quaint,

Rioja wine region of Spain.

The hotel isn’t, in fact, too far from Gehry’s iconic Guggenheim Museum in

Bilbao, but represents a radical departure for the Starwood Group who will

be managing the property as part of their Luxury Collection, a brand more

synonymous with classic, historic properties like the Gritti Palace and Excelsior

in Venice and the Grande Bretagne in Athens.

The interior promises a vast array of unique suites and rooms designed by

Gehry, world famous for his groundbreaking design for both the Walt Disney

Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Experience Music Project in Seattle. There

will be a wellness centre, swimming pool and vast banquet hall, converted from

an ancient cellar. As you’d expect, given the hotel’s location and its owners,

vintners Vinos de los Herederos del Marques de Riscal, the latter promises to

have a wine list as remarkable as Gehry’s designs.

www.starwood.com

Contemporary Vintage

Global Social

gehry hotel.indd 1-2 12/7/05 10:25:08 pm

summer FruitsPhotographer: Ryo Kaykura

Creative beauty editor: Attracta Courtney

126 ALL ACCESS ALL ACCESS 127

Givency Prisme Again! Blush 07 Pop Candy

RYO Tuesday.indd 1-2 12/7/05 10:02:35 pm