Midweek Mixdown: Flying Nun founder Roger Shepherd

To celebrate 40 years of Flying Nun, Roger plays a selection of NZ classics by The Verlaines, The Chills, The Bats, etc. 

Flying Nun's Roger Shepherd on The Mixtape

Our guest on The Mixtape this week is Flying Nun Records founder Roger Shepherd.

A music fan who decided that someone should be recording the bands he loved to watch each weekend - Roger decided to begin Flying nun Records in Christchurch City in 1981.

Armed with this idea and a mere $50, Flying Nun Records went on to document one of the most diverse and interesting bodies of music in New Zealand - and, some would say, the world.

Flying Nun is one of the great rock 'n' roll stories, full of big personalities, high ideals, opportunities both seized and lost, and so much amazing music. 

Rodger opens up about the early Flying Nun years, his thoughts on the label now, and chooses a great selection of Flying Nun tunes. Listen to Roger on The Mixtape right here. 

Check out the video clips for The Verlaines' "Death and the Maiden" and The Bats' "In The Subway" below. 

Verlaines live at Windsor Castle, 1986 due from Schoolkids Records

The 17-track double live album captures Graeme Downes and crew performing at their peak in Auckland. 

Here's the scoop...

Schoolkids Records is releasing a double album from New Zealand's legendary Verlaines entitled Live at the Windsor Castle, Auckland May 1986 for the first time ever, exclusively for RSD Drops 2021 on June 12th.  

Packaged in a beautiful gatefold jacket, the artwork is a replication of the vintage gig poster. Sky Blue vinyl, complete with download code and liner notes from Graeme Downes: “ The Verlaines. at the time, were Graeme Downes, Jane Dodd and Robbie Yeats. We lived in Dunedin at the near-bottom of the South Island of New Zealand.  These gigs were recorded to try to capture a live version of Slow Sad Love Song for the upcoming Birddog album that we recorded later that year.” Limited to 1200 copies Worldwide.

Watch The Verlaines video for "Doomsday" from 1986 followed by the track listing and the actual 1986 tour poster which served as the model for the album sleeve design. 

 

The Verlaines – Live at the Windsor Castle, Auckland, May 1986

Makes No Difference / Just Mum / You Forget Love / Take Good Care Of It / Lying In State / Fuck It Alf / Only Dream Left / For The Love Of Ash Grey / Icarus Missed / Pyromaniac / Lover Armageddon / Slow Sad Love Song / It Was Raining / Doomsday / You Cheat Yourself / You Say You / The Ballad of Harry Noryb

Graeme Downes previews The Verlaines' 10th album Dunedin Spleen

Here's Graeme Downes discussing a few compositions from Dunedin Spleen due May 10th.