Gareth Shute: Songs from the Shaky Isles: A Short History of Popular Music in New Zealand

Gareth Shute dives into his book Songs From The Shaky Isles to deliver a whirlwind overview of the past 100 years of popular music in Aotearoa. From the era of “six-o’clock swill” venue restrictions through to the grassroots 80s battle for radio airtime, then on to the seismic shift of the streaming age, Gareth reveals how our music has always been intertwined with wider culture. The talk will also be packed with fun, behind-the-scenes anecdotes about the wild characters who helped define the NZ music scene and will also be accompanied by some fascinating historic images from the Turnbull collection.

Speaker

Gareth Shute writes regularly for the NZ music history website Audioculture | Iwi Waiata and is also the author of six books, including Hip Hop Music In Aotearoa which won a national book award. He is also a musician, who helps run Lil’ Chief Records and has toured overseas with two of their bands – The Brunettes, and The Ruby Suns. His current band is Thee Golden Geese.