The Chills perform Pink Frost
by 
|Oh man! Take me back. Yup, drag me kicking and screaming into those halcyon days of the mid to the late 80s when all I cared about was Archie Comics, extra full cream milk, and getting my hands the latest release off New Zealand’s Flying Nun label. This track — Pink Frost — from Dunedin band, The Chills, is a window back to a time when melody ruled, guitars were always slightly out of tune, and haircuts were just five dollars down at your local barber shop.
Tagged: Archie comics, Flying Nun bands, Flying Nun records, New Zealand, Pink Frost, The Chills
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The Chills were the first band I ever saw. Well, actually, they were the first band I never saw, despite my best intentions. I was fifteen at the time, and my friend got word that the seminal Flying Nun act, who hailed from the deepest, darkest trenches of Dunedin, New Zealand, were to play a show that night at the now long gone Max’s in Petersham, Sydney. We had to go. It was The Chills, the very symbol of low-fi sullen rebellion, with their ruddy cheeks and out of tune guitars. So we whacked handfulls of gel in our hair and resolved to sneak our way past the doorman. Only my friend arrived at the venue a little earlier than me (his Dad was clearly a better driver than mine) and promptly sauntered into the venue, while I was turned away for ‘obviously being a minor’. Dammit! They were probably better on record anyway.
Back in the day, when I was a skinny teenager on the great pedestal of life, I had a real obsession for the understated, low-fi, deliciously melodic and somewhat blurry sounds of the New Zealand Flying Nun bands. I would pool my meagre savings and canvas the local record shops, scouring the racks for the latest cassettes from The Bats, The Chills, The Clean, and, later, The Straitjacket Fits. Read more
The Mockers’ song, One Black Friday
Oh boy! The Mockers were the poppiest Kiwi band that no-one outside of the Shaky Isles ever heard of. Take a trip back to the 80s and be prepared to dance.
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YOU'RE SAYING (2)
paul said | 12 September, 2009
You can watch the original video for ‘Pink Frost’ here:
http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/pink-frost-1984
Also recently uploaded to the NZ On Screen site is the excellent 2002 documentary on Flying Nun – Heavenly Pop Hits – in full length:
http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/heavenly-pop-hits-the-flying-nun-story-2002
“This documentary tells the story of the legendary Flying Nun music label up to its 21st birthday. The label became associated with the ‘Dunedin Sound’: a catch-all term for a sprawl of DIY, post-punk, warped, jangly guitar-pop. The Guardian: “[it's] as if being on the other side of the world meant the music was played upside down”. Features interviews with key players, the spats and the dark-but-breezy glory. The label’s influence on the US indie scene is noted and Pavement’s Stephen Malkmus covers The Verlaines’ ‘Death and the Maiden’.”
I’m sure many Lost readers will be interested in watching the doco – Chris Knox, The Chills, Straitjacket Fits, The Clean (MGMT recently covered The Clean’s classic single ‘Anything Can Happen’ in concert) … are all featured in their southern south seas prime.
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James Lillis said | 13 July, 2009
Damn! When I first saw the video for Pink Frost I was BLOWN AWAY. You’re speaking my language… so many memories.