Nick Sampson – Guest DJ Session

Nick Sampson, of Netherworld Dancing Toys amongst many musical enterprises, is adapting his Audio Culture Songwriter’s Choice for our radio show, with the original brief explained: “How do you pick 10 songs from our land’s rich and eclectic musical history? It’s a big ask.”

Then he got to thinking: “For some reason, the first one that popped into my head was Nerve Endings in Powerlines by New Plymouth’s Nocturnal Projections. The Nocturnals brought ‘new music’ alive, providing the storming country hall soundtrack to me and my music-obsessed friends growing up in the backwater that was Taranaki in 1979-80. They’re still evocative of that time and place for me. Thinking about that, I decided to focus on some key songs that were important as school led onto my journey south to Dunedin, where I had the chance to help create a band and embark on my own musical adventure.’

As a foundation playlist that will no doubt include tangents and further branching out, the bands for starters include Split Enz, The Terrorways, The Swingers, The Spelling Mistakes, Toy Love, Screaming Mee Mees, The Newmatics, The Verlaines, The Clean, Sneaky Feelings, Look Blue Go Purple, The Stones, The Chills, Tall Dwarfs, The Hulamen, and The Pelicans.

All bands creating one of the most important periods of Kiwi music history, challenging social norms and expressing the joys and frustrations of the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the attitude to playing new and different music was: have a go, mate. Don’t be shy.

They truly paved the way in showing others and those who came after that it’s okay to be free with your musical creations. Do it.