Rumpus Room are a Hamilton indie-rock band celebrating 20 years of existence this year! So who better than them to be the subject of our second Band Family Tree?! Visit the article HERE.

 In the lead up to Saturday's Bandfandango Finale at Nivara Lounge we caught up with another of the brand-new bands, Hippo Crypts! The band - Lott Larsson, Wairehu Grant and Rob Shirlow - answered some questions for us about their Bandfandango experience thus far!

Did you know the other band members before Bandfandango? Had any of you played music together? Wai and Lott had played together in The Goth and The Pixie, and I (Rob) knew them both from that. 

How did your band name come about? We were kicking ideas around and Lott came up with Hippo Crypts which really shone to us all I think...there were quite a few celebratory exclamation marks when that name came up. It had been a band name in Lott's head for a long time apparently, since his Seattle days. And it reminded me of Rocket From The Crypt and I ended up listening to them a bit afterwards so that was worthwhile.

How have you found the creative process and/or how did you decide on a style of music? We jammed a few riffs, just me and Wai at first, and then filled the detail in as we went. Wai is the lyricist and Lott's basslines are awesome. It's the first time I've drummed...a floor tom and snare...I'm shitting it tbh. We went for a QOTSA vibe at first, and I think it's neat, where we've ended up...as QOTSA as you can with two drums, a double bass and guitar!

How have you found the whole experience?! Personally really cool - I'd never have made music that sounded like this if it hadn't had been for the Bandfandango. 

Do you think your band will play shows after the Bandfandango finale? No idea! Maybe. Wai and Lott are super busy though with other bands and I hope to get Ancient Tapes going again soon. 

Finally...pick three words to describe your BF experience this far! Challenging Exciting Petrifying!

We have added a 'Hamilton Bands' tab to HUP, basically a list of bands (with links) that we know are active or active-ish from Hamilton and the surrounding area. The idea is basically to build a bit of community and make it easier to find bands you might like, particularly if you want to put a show on with bands you like the sound of. Let us know of those we have missed or if any have ceased to exist!
Skip over to HAMILTON BANDS to read on!

In the lead up to Saturday's Bandfandango Finale at NIvara Lounge we caught up with another of the brand-new bands, Closet Octopus! The band - Macaila Eve, Nathan Bregmen, Sam Kimber-Bell and Alex Keegan- answered some questions for us about their Bandfandango experience thus far!

Did you know the other band members before Bandfandango? Had any of you played music together? Nathan and I (Sam) used to play together in a band around 2004-2005 called "Rose Petals and Confetti". Nathan knew Macaila and played together in a band with Alex.

How did your band name come about? Our drummer has a strange interest in Octopuses, we have no idea why. 

How have you found the creative process and/or how did you decide on a style of music? It was great fun! Our musical style was created by getting out our instruments and playing them until it sounded like some awesome music! Our songs develop through a range of genres, folk, jazz, rock, funk and gypsy. 

Did anyone take the lead musically or lyrically? We have a large whiteboard which we found as a useful tool for collaboration. Some of the melodic and harmonic ideas arrived while I was in the shower, and Macaila wrote some wonderful lyrics in which we all turned into a song. 

How have you found the whole experience?! Great -  10 out of 10!

Do you think your band will play shows after the Bandfandango finale? We are planning a world tour where we play at every open mic night around the world. 

Finally...pick three words to describe your BF experience this far! MORAY EELS SUCK!!!!

Ahead of their show at Biddy Mulligans this coming Thursday, August 18th, Cameron Reid caught up with Hollywoodfun Downstairs guitarist and vocalist Kurt Williams to talk about the Wellington band's upcoming tour with Phone Sex Robots, the New Zealand music scene and touring through Europe. ​Read the article HERE!

The first ever Bandfandango Finale will take place this coming Saturday, August 20th, at Nivara Lounge.

For the uninitiated, The Bandfandango is a bit of a musical adventure, whereby keen musicians entered into said adventure and had no idea what would happen next, other than their name would be selected randomly with others and they would find themselves in a new band. This new band then had a couple of months to write three news songs and practice a cover, all of which will be performed at the Finale show this coming weekend by the four new bands.

​HUP caught up with one of these new bands, Kandy Finish, (Andrew Bramwell, Matthew Rae, Kat Waswo), ahead of the show to find out how the experience has been for them and give an insight into what we might expect from the band live! 

Did you know the other band members before Bandfandango (BF)? Had any of you played music together? No!

How did your band name come about? We bounced ideas around and it's the one that stuck!

How have you found the creative process and/or how did you decide on a style of music? We started with asking each person what they wanted to do and built from there, for example Matt wanted to perform flamenco style as it was a new experience for him. All the songs are derived from flamenco jamming of songs he liked (covers). I (Andrew) had a lot of down time when others were not available to jam the groove and layer heaps of synths, bass lines and rhythms, leading to high complexity which was then edited and curated into the arrangements.

Did anyone take the lead musically or lyrically? Leading on "Dear Moon" is Kat who wrote all the lyrics on the day of the Winter Solstice, leading on the other two is Andrew with chunks written or suggested by Kat & Matt.

How have you found the whole Bandfandango experience?!
It has been hard finding time and sticking to appointments with family and other pressures. One member dropped off due to an email not arriving until 5 weeks after it was sent. We added a wildcard bass player this week due to Kat not being able to perform live on the 20th - it's a big week for her recording in a studio with her real band.

Do you think Kandy Finish will play shows after the Bandfandango show?
All the stems are recorded, there is a definitive style that could be continued, there is a cheekiness and shamelessness about the lyrics and delivery...so it would be good, we will see.

Finally...pick three words to describe your BF experience this far! Can we finish!? (Kandy Finish)

Hamilton has hosted a number of notable bands, although the rate at which really significant bands have toured here has slowed somewhat in recent years. I approached musicians from bands that played here in the past, between the 1960s and 2000, and posed a single, simple question: “Do you have any lasting memories or impressions of playing in Hamilton?” Find the article → here ← to find out how they answered!

Wellington’s So Laid Back Country China is a band with a sound that is as unique as its name. Their brand of atmospheric stoner/country rock has been creating waves on the underground scene for a few years now, and last year’s debut LP ‘With Knees of Honey in Goodbye Canyon’ was a stunning piece of work. HUP talked to Michael Keane ahead of the release of the second LP ‘Sin Cristales’ and a tour of the country which includes a show this coming Saturday with Jakob at Nivara Lounge on August 6th. Click HERE to read on!