Gareth Shute
@garethshute.bsky.social
Popular Music Historian (and unpopular music performer). Lil Chief rep.
Did you go to Parachute Music Festival? Here's the story of the event. Plus I'll comment back with the story by @davidfarrier.com about the terrible DC Talk singer for those who want some additional reading.
audioculture.co.nz/articles/par...
audioculture.co.nz/articles/par...
Parachute Festival - Article | AudioCulture
Parachute Festival, Mystery Creek, Waikato. - Parachute Music Collection
Parachute Festival was one of the largest local music festivals in the first decade of the 2000s. It relied heavily on Christia...
audioculture.co.nz
November 14, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Did you go to Parachute Music Festival? Here's the story of the event. Plus I'll comment back with the story by @davidfarrier.com about the terrible DC Talk singer for those who want some additional reading.
audioculture.co.nz/articles/par...
audioculture.co.nz/articles/par...
Warehouse has my book for cheap! Only $32! (Though obviously independent bookstores are much better if you can afford the RRP)
November 13, 2025 at 2:01 AM
Warehouse has my book for cheap! Only $32! (Though obviously independent bookstores are much better if you can afford the RRP)
Reposted by Gareth Shute
Huge congratulations to the winners of the Aotearoa Alternative Awards 2025 — brought to you by SRN member stations Radio Control 99.4FM, 95bFM, RadioActive 88.6FM, RDU 98.5FM & Radio One 91FM 🏆🫡
Aotearoa Alternative Awards 2025 Winners Announced
Brought to you by SRN member stations Radio Control 99.4FM, 95bFM, RadioActive 88.6FM, RDU 98.5FM and Radio One 91FM.
www.undertheradar.co.nz
November 9, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Huge congratulations to the winners of the Aotearoa Alternative Awards 2025 — brought to you by SRN member stations Radio Control 99.4FM, 95bFM, RadioActive 88.6FM, RDU 98.5FM & Radio One 91FM 🏆🫡
I was interviewed for this piece about a certain Crowded House song and managed to end it with the lamest dad joke possible. You're welcome!
How one 40-year-old song ended up in seemingly every big NZ movie of 2025
How one 40-year-old song ended up in seemingly every big NZ movie of 2025
Between Tinā, Pike River and Prime Minister, this classic hit is absolutely getting absolutely thrashed in cinemas this year....
thespinoff.co.nz
November 7, 2025 at 7:12 PM
I was interviewed for this piece about a certain Crowded House song and managed to end it with the lamest dad joke possible. You're welcome!
I'm chuffed to have received such a positive response to my book, Songs From The Shaky Isles!
November 5, 2025 at 2:30 AM
I'm chuffed to have received such a positive response to my book, Songs From The Shaky Isles!
Reposted by Gareth Shute
Tongan rugby league fans are the greatest show in sports
Tongan rugby league fans are the greatest show in sports
Forget the game. The highlights of Sunday's Kiwis vs Tonga test happened in the stands....
thespinoff.co.nz
November 3, 2025 at 5:30 AM
Tongan rugby league fans are the greatest show in sports
Reposted by Gareth Shute
November 7: Beastwars launch a new album, The Ship//The Sea. Nov 20: the band go on tour.
On Beastwars' origins: "Nathan Hickey & Clayton Anderson found they had a shared love of Kyuss so agreed to jam together..." (By @garethshute.bsky.social). The new... www.audioculture.co.nz/profile/beas...
On Beastwars' origins: "Nathan Hickey & Clayton Anderson found they had a shared love of Kyuss so agreed to jam together..." (By @garethshute.bsky.social). The new... www.audioculture.co.nz/profile/beas...
Beastwars - AudioCulture
The story of Beastwars reaches back to 1986, when singer Matt Hyde started his first band, Microwave Babies, while still at Saint Bernard
www.audioculture.co.nz
October 14, 2025 at 9:42 PM
November 7: Beastwars launch a new album, The Ship//The Sea. Nov 20: the band go on tour.
On Beastwars' origins: "Nathan Hickey & Clayton Anderson found they had a shared love of Kyuss so agreed to jam together..." (By @garethshute.bsky.social). The new... www.audioculture.co.nz/profile/beas...
On Beastwars' origins: "Nathan Hickey & Clayton Anderson found they had a shared love of Kyuss so agreed to jam together..." (By @garethshute.bsky.social). The new... www.audioculture.co.nz/profile/beas...
Love it when Duncan Greive goes full chart-nerd! The podcast is fab too. @thespinoff.bsky.social
thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/...
thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/...
New Zealand’s first ever vinyl chart is here. What story does it tell?
No surprise who's number one – but the rest of the chart makes for fascinating reading.
thespinoff.co.nz
October 14, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Love it when Duncan Greive goes full chart-nerd! The podcast is fab too. @thespinoff.bsky.social
thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/...
thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/...
Reposted by Gareth Shute
"Pluto immediately had success on student radio with 2 poppy acoustic tracks, 'She's Jive' and 'Hey Little'.
Yet their real aim was the multi-layered rock sound they achieved on their second album, Pipeline Under The Ocean (2005)..." www.audioculture.co.nz/profile/pluto @garethshute.bsky.social
Yet their real aim was the multi-layered rock sound they achieved on their second album, Pipeline Under The Ocean (2005)..." www.audioculture.co.nz/profile/pluto @garethshute.bsky.social
October 14, 2025 at 1:30 AM
"Pluto immediately had success on student radio with 2 poppy acoustic tracks, 'She's Jive' and 'Hey Little'.
Yet their real aim was the multi-layered rock sound they achieved on their second album, Pipeline Under The Ocean (2005)..." www.audioculture.co.nz/profile/pluto @garethshute.bsky.social
Yet their real aim was the multi-layered rock sound they achieved on their second album, Pipeline Under The Ocean (2005)..." www.audioculture.co.nz/profile/pluto @garethshute.bsky.social
Reposted by Gareth Shute
Gareth Shute tells us a bit about his great new story: Banned! Ten videos and songs “with issues”... @garethshute.bsky.social
www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/ban...
www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/ban...
October 11, 2025 at 2:02 AM
Gareth Shute tells us a bit about his great new story: Banned! Ten videos and songs “with issues”... @garethshute.bsky.social
www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/ban...
www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/ban...
Reposted by Gareth Shute
The Government of New Zealand has made a new tourism ad and it's surprsingly honest and informative!
Honest Government Ad | Visit New Zealand!
YouTube video by thejuicemedia
www.youtube.com
October 10, 2025 at 5:49 AM
The Government of New Zealand has made a new tourism ad and it's surprsingly honest and informative!
Reposted by Gareth Shute
Congratulations to The Warratahs, who will be inducted into the NZ Music Hall of Fame at the APRA Silver Scroll awards on October 29. AudioCulture has several pages devoted to the band, and its original members... www.audioculture.co.nz/profile/the-...
The Warratahs - AudioCulture
Here
www.audioculture.co.nz
October 10, 2025 at 4:39 AM
Congratulations to The Warratahs, who will be inducted into the NZ Music Hall of Fame at the APRA Silver Scroll awards on October 29. AudioCulture has several pages devoted to the band, and its original members... www.audioculture.co.nz/profile/the-...
I had a fun time digging out some of the more ridiculous reasons for certain local songs/videos being banned over the years. Though the vid for Timberjacks's Come to the Sabbat' did get one airing on TV in the 70s and I doubt they'd show it now...
We're on a roll with prohibited music! Today, @garethshute.bsky.social digs out music videos that went a step too far - including a HLAH video which was banned, but not for the obvious reasons...
www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/ban...
www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/ban...
Banned! Ten videos and songs “with issues” - Article | AudioCulture
Ten New Zealand videos or songs from 1970 to 2008 which have been banned from television or radio play, locally or overseas. Who could take offence at Steve Allen’s utopian theme ‘Join Together’? Clue...
www.audioculture.co.nz
October 8, 2025 at 7:14 PM
I had a fun time digging out some of the more ridiculous reasons for certain local songs/videos being banned over the years. Though the vid for Timberjacks's Come to the Sabbat' did get one airing on TV in the 70s and I doubt they'd show it now...
Vinyl lovers! This new podcast hosted by Charlotte Ryan & Duncan Greive is quite a fun look at the rise and fall and rise again of records in NZ:
The Long Play: How vinyl came back to life – and what it means
The Long Play: How vinyl came back to life – and what it means
A walk through the long, strange history of vinyl records in New Zealand....
thespinoff.co.nz
October 8, 2025 at 2:02 AM
Vinyl lovers! This new podcast hosted by Charlotte Ryan & Duncan Greive is quite a fun look at the rise and fall and rise again of records in NZ:
Reposted by Gareth Shute
Another Bollinger banger! It's going to take a minute to get used to the idea of Prince Tui Teka and Beryl Te Wiata being deemed too raunchy for radio, but they were different times, I guess.
An absolute must-read: Nick Bollinger uncovers some of the NZ songs banned in the past from radio play by the NZBC (later RNZ), and the multiple reasons why. Even Prince Tui Teka was banned! www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/ban...
Banned from radio: the Broadcasting memos - Article | AudioCulture
Throughout the history of radio there have been songs which, for one reason or another, have been deemed unsuitable for broadcast. There are such memorable cases as the BBC’s banning of Split Enz’s ‘S...
www.audioculture.co.nz
October 7, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Another Bollinger banger! It's going to take a minute to get used to the idea of Prince Tui Teka and Beryl Te Wiata being deemed too raunchy for radio, but they were different times, I guess.
Some amazing photos in this article!
Notes from a city past: David Herkt's new @audioculturenz.bsky.social piece on the era of transgender shows at Mojo's on Queen. The most enjoyable piece of writing I've read all week. www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/moj...
Mojo
From the beginning of the 1970s, at 348 Queen Street in Auckland, there was an unmissable sign. It read “Mojo’s Nitespot”. It would eventually become the frontage of New Zealand’s first, largest, and ...
www.audioculture.co.nz
October 3, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Some amazing photos in this article!
Reposted by Gareth Shute
This is the opposite of doomscrolling: it's metal scrolling! We are very excited to share with you our brand new Heavy Metal Timeline, taking you through the history of metal in Aotearoa. @garethshute.bsky.social has done a great job on this: www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/hea...
Heavy Metal Aotearoa Timeline - Article | AudioCulture
www.audioculture.co.nz
September 25, 2025 at 11:47 PM
This is the opposite of doomscrolling: it's metal scrolling! We are very excited to share with you our brand new Heavy Metal Timeline, taking you through the history of metal in Aotearoa. @garethshute.bsky.social has done a great job on this: www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/hea...
Reposted by Gareth Shute
Brand new: Michael Larsen (from Grey Parade) has put together a great list of Ten Lost Earworms from the 80s, featuring The Mockers, IQU, Sneaky Feelings and more. Do you have any faves here? www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/ten...
Ten Lost Earworms from the 80s - Article | AudioCulture
Car Crash Set - Trevor Reekie, Ryan Monga, Nigel Russell.
A discussion came up at band practice the other day around, of all things, smoke machines. The Singer, who was in A Dunedin Band, smirked slyl...
www.audioculture.co.nz
September 24, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Brand new: Michael Larsen (from Grey Parade) has put together a great list of Ten Lost Earworms from the 80s, featuring The Mockers, IQU, Sneaky Feelings and more. Do you have any faves here? www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/ten...
I spoke with @tonylstamp.bsky.social on RNZ's mixtape. Some of the chat was about my book - Songs From The Shaky Isles - but mostly we spoke about NZ music history & how my life has intersected with it at various stages. Plus played some laidback tunes!
www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...
www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...
The Mixtape: Gareth Shute
The author of five non fiction books about music and creativity in Aotearoa, Gareth Shute's latest is called Songs From the Shaky Isles: A Short History of Popular Music in New Zealand. He also writes...
www.rnz.co.nz
September 20, 2025 at 5:40 AM
I spoke with @tonylstamp.bsky.social on RNZ's mixtape. Some of the chat was about my book - Songs From The Shaky Isles - but mostly we spoke about NZ music history & how my life has intersected with it at various stages. Plus played some laidback tunes!
www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...
www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...
Reposted by Gareth Shute
Kia ora, it's Rāmere Monday afternoon, and time for the AudioCulture Quiz. This week we have a special quiz celebrating Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, with questions by Gareth Shute. How did you get on? @garethshute.bsky.social
www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/aud...
www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/aud...
AudioCulture Quiz - Article | AudioCulture
Welcome to the weekly AudioCulture Quiz. Clue: answers are on the site or, for those in a hurry, at the link below.
AudioCulture Quiz, 15 September 2025
Moana and the Moahunters - Tahi
1. In 1993, Mo...
www.audioculture.co.nz
September 15, 2025 at 1:33 AM
Kia ora, it's Rāmere Monday afternoon, and time for the AudioCulture Quiz. This week we have a special quiz celebrating Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, with questions by Gareth Shute. How did you get on? @garethshute.bsky.social
www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/aud...
www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/aud...
Reposted by Gareth Shute
Searching for the Aotearoa music scene on Bluesky?
We've done the job for you 😘
(Encouragement to let us know accounts we're missing)
💿💿💿
We've done the job for you 😘
(Encouragement to let us know accounts we're missing)
💿💿💿
September 14, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Searching for the Aotearoa music scene on Bluesky?
We've done the job for you 😘
(Encouragement to let us know accounts we're missing)
💿💿💿
We've done the job for you 😘
(Encouragement to let us know accounts we're missing)
💿💿💿
Reposted by Gareth Shute
Nau mai ki te Wiki o te Reo Māori; first up is the phenomenon that is Waiata Anthems. The first album in 2019 covered many genres: the pop of Benee & Drax Project, the soul of Stan Walker & Teeks, & country courtesy of Tami Neilson. By @garethshute.bsky.social www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/wai...
Waiata Anthems - Article | AudioCulture
Waiata Anthems began as a bold idea to encourage Aotearoa’s biggest acts to re-record their hits in te reo Māori, but gradually grew into a living, breathing kaupapa that continues to inspire artists ...
www.audioculture.co.nz
September 14, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Nau mai ki te Wiki o te Reo Māori; first up is the phenomenon that is Waiata Anthems. The first album in 2019 covered many genres: the pop of Benee & Drax Project, the soul of Stan Walker & Teeks, & country courtesy of Tami Neilson. By @garethshute.bsky.social www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/wai...
A nice positive story for your weekend...
AudioCulture starts Te Wiki o te Reo Māori early, with Gareth Shute's story of the rise and rise of Waiata Anthems. It began as an idea of Hinewehi Mohi's to encourage popular Aotearoa artists to record their hits in te reo Māori and kept growing ... www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/wai...
Waiata Anthems - Article | AudioCulture
Waiata Anthems began as a bold idea to encourage Aotearoa’s biggest acts to re-record their hits in te reo Māori, but gradually grew into a living, breathing kaupapa that continues to inspire artists ...
www.audioculture.co.nz
September 12, 2025 at 9:12 AM
A nice positive story for your weekend...
Reposted by Gareth Shute
Crucial lore drop - thank you Nicholas Lindstrom, 95bFM, @audioculturenz.bsky.social & of course @garethshute.bsky.social
95bfm.com/bcast/audio-...
95bfm.com/bcast/audio-...
Audio Culture with Chris Cudby: September 09, 2025
Chris Cudby joins Nicholas to discuss his recent Audio Culture feature! The pair discuss his youth in Birkenhead, his time in the legendary band Golden Axe, and his recent releases under the moniker P...
95bfm.com
September 10, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Crucial lore drop - thank you Nicholas Lindstrom, 95bFM, @audioculturenz.bsky.social & of course @garethshute.bsky.social
95bfm.com/bcast/audio-...
95bfm.com/bcast/audio-...
Some beautiful album covers here. And you can see them in person at Objectspace in AK until Nov.
Take a tour through 75 years of Māori record covers
Take a tour through 75 years of Māori record covers
Some of the covers on display as part of Objectspace's exhibition Pohewa Pāhewa: Te Rūma....
thespinoff.co.nz
September 6, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Some beautiful album covers here. And you can see them in person at Objectspace in AK until Nov.