The Bats

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The Bats are a New Zealand indie rock band from Christchurch . It is attributed to the Dunedin Sound .

history

The Bats were founded in 1982 by singer and rhythm guitarist Robert Scott, lead guitarist Kaye Woodward, bassist Paul Kean and drummer Malcolm Grant. The line-up has remained constant to this day. After numerous concerts, especially on the South Island of New Zealand, the group released their first EP By Night in 1984 on the Flying Nun Records label , which reached number 34 in the New Zealand charts. The following year the band toured Europe supporting Alex Chilton . During recordings in a London studio, the EP Made Up in Blue was created , which appeared in 1986 and was also released in Europe. The NME voted her the single of the week after the release. Also on tour were large parts of the debut album Daddy's Highway , which were recorded in a recording studio in Glasgow. The LP was finally completed in New Zealand and released in 1987. Even if it didn't hit the charts, it was voted 88th on the list of 100 best New Zealand albums of all time in 2000 by music magazine Rip It Up .

The band toured repeatedly through New Zealand, Australia and from 1986 also through the USA. At the end of 1988, The Bats' second album The Law of Things was recorded in Wellington. It was released in 1990 and reached number 38 on the New Zealand charts. Flying Nun Records released a sampler of the group's early EPs that same year. In 1991, Fear of God was the third studio album, which reached number 43 in the New Zealand charts and made it into the top 50 of the French charts. In 1992 The Bats recorded their fourth album Silverbeet in a studio in Stoughton, Massachusetts , USA . This was released in 1993 and reached number 26 in the New Zealand charts, the highest position of one of their LPs in the chats to date. It reached number 6 in the College Music Journal charts in the USA. Also in 1992, the band toured France as part of the Les Inrockuptibles Festival with Television and The Wedding Present . In 1993 The Bats played as the opening act for Radiohead on their US tour. After the album Couchmaster , which was released in 1995, the band was quiet for a few years, the members of which turned to other musical projects.

From 2000 the band played concerts again, in 2005 a new studio album was released with At the National Grid . This was followed by The Guilty Office in 2009 , for which The Bats toured Europe in 2009. The following year they played at a benefit concert for the victims of the Darfield earthquake . In addition, her song Afternoon In Bed appeared on the soundtrack of Massy Tadjedin's film Last Night . In 2011, Free All the Monsters was released, a new album that was nominated for the Taite Music Prize. In 2017 the album The Deep Set followed , for which the band announced a European tour.

Discography

Albums

  • 1987: Daddy's Highway
  • 1990: The Law of Things
  • 1991: Fear of God
  • 1993: Silverbeet
  • 1995: Couchmaster
  • 2005: At the National Grid
  • 2008: The Guilty Office
  • 2011: Free All the Monsters
  • 2017: The Deep Set

Singles

  • 1987: Block of Wood
  • 1990: Smoking Her Wings
  • 1991: The Black and the Blue
  • 2009: Castle Lights

EPs

  • 1984: By Night
  • 1985: And Here Is 'Music for the Fireside'
  • 1986: Made Up in Blue
  • 1988: 4 songs'
  • 1993: Courage
  • 1994: Spill the Beans
  • 1995: Afternoon in Bed

Compilations

  • 1990: Compiletely Bats
  • 2000: Thousands of Tiny Luminous Spheres
  • 2014: Volume 1

swell

  1. ↑ The Bats on the New Zealand music charts. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  2. ^ Rip It Up. List of New Zealand's top 100 albums. rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  3. ^ Bats Stories article on the band's homepage. thebats.co.nz Retrieved April 10, 2017
  4. ↑ Rocking for right reasons. The Press . October 25, 2010, accessed October 18, 2016.
  5. ↑ Top 20 IMNZ Albums - Week to Thursday, October 6, 2016. indies.co.nz. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  6. ↑ Gigs thebats.co.nz.Retrieved April 10, 2017

Web links