NZ Music In Australia to June 06

NZ Music In Australia

Back in May while we were in the throes of NZ Music Month there was also a little country to the west called Australia where some musical stuff was going on. We’ll tell you what Kiwis were getting up to across the ditch in the month of May – but first let’s get to the most recent news from June.

Highest Australian Chart Positions for NZ Singles in June

#5 Evermore – Running
#40 Savage ft. Aaradhna – They Don’t Know

Highest Australian Chart Positions for NZ Albums in June

#5 Split Enz - Spellbound
#40 Evermore - Dreams
#85 V/A - She Will Have Her Way: The Songs Of Tim & Neil Finn
#98 Bic Runga – Birds

Highest ARIA Digital Track Chart Positions for NZ Singles

#21 Evermore – Running

Anticipation for the new Evermore album Real Life continued to build off first single ‘Running’ was released to retail. The song stormed up the radio charts, taking just a few weeks to crack the top 50 most played songs nationwide and drag their first album Dreams back into the Top 40 albums for an encore performance at retail. Also flying over the counter of record stores was the ‘Running’ single, released in the middle of the month - debuting at #7 in the singles chart, climbing to #5 the following week, and having the distinction of being the only NZ song to feature on the ARIA Digital Chart in May and June.

On the heels of the hugely successful Split Enz reunion tour (with Evermore in support) the Australian New Zealand legends’ collection Spellbound re-entered the Album Chart at #11, bullying it’s way to #5 and holding onto to that spot at the month’s end.

Other Finn-related news saw the double-platinum selling covers album She Will Have Her Way slip off the Album Chart after an impressive 36 weeks, and Crowded House’s platinum-selling DVD collection Dreaming – The Videos topping the Music DVD Chart.

Nominations for July’s Urban Music Awards were announced (we’ll have the results for you in the next newsletter). They included:

Fast Crew - Best Hip Hop Single, Best Hip Hop Album, Best Hip Hop Group, and Best New Talent.
Savage - Best R&B Single, Best Hip Hop Album, Best Male Artist, Best New Talent
Scribe and P-Money - Best Hip Hop Single, Best Male Artist (Scribe)
Aaradhna - Best Female Artist
Adeaze - Best R&B Group
Deceptikonz - Best Hip Hop Group

Winners on the night were Savage (Best R&B Single, Best Hip Hop Album), and Scribe & P-Money (Best Hip Hop Single, Best NZ DJ), with Brotha D picking up the Urban Hero Award.

Savage continued to lurk around the edge of the Top 40 with his single ‘They Don’t Know’ (featuring Aaradhna), which continued to stay on the radio night plays chart and finished the retail month at 49.

Following their sold out national tour with The Veronicas in April/May, Elemeno P’s ‘You Are’ was in the Top 10 most-added songs at radio for 2 weeks, and ‘11.57’ started to get some attention too, with the clip being screened on MTV and Rage, and the song itself featuring as a hit pick in The Music Network.

Aussie label Speak n Spell have signed Auckland rockers Shaky Hands, making them label mates with acts such as Editors and The Dears. Their debut EP Cut Off Your Hands will be released soon.

Cobra Khan have licensed their first single ' Wrapped in Plastic ' to Universal Music Australia to appear on a upcoming Triple J Short Fast & Loud compilation due to be released in July. Cobra Khan will be releasing their debut EP through Melbourne label Casadeldisco. 1157 act Cold By Winter is also picking up heaps of spot plays on Triple J’s Short Fast and Loud Show.

Australian-based Kiwis Fur Patrol have been approached by Simon Raymonde (ex Cocteau Twins and owner of Bella Union Records in the UK/Europe) to produce their forthcoming record in Wales.

Shapeshifter are preparing to return to Australia for their first live shows in over 6 months. The band, who have been busy recording their new album Soulstice in Kaikoura, play release parties for the first single/video 'Bring Change' in Melbourne and Sydney at the end of July.

Upcoming albums are set for release from Concord Dawn, Evermore, Juse, and Che-Fu, while Cassette are also rumoured to be very close to signing an Australian record deal.

Creative Vibes have released a 12 inch single ‘Together’ by Shortboard, a duo made up of Aussie-based Kiwi jazz pianist Gerard Masters and Loop Recordings’ Phil Brokelmann.

Highest Australian Chart Positions for NZ Singles in May

#32 Savage ft. Aaradhna – They Don’t Know
#78 Fast Crew – Suburbia Streets

Highest Australian Chart Positions for NZ Albums in May

#50 V/A - She Will Have Her Way: The Songs Of Tim & Neil Finn

Australia spent May preparing for Evermore’s next onslaught. Their sophomore album Real Life spent the month sitting in the middle of the most anticipated at retail chart, the Dirty South remix of ‘It’s Too Late’ topped the Clup Top Ten for two weeks and was 10th on 3 Mobile’s download chart. ‘Running’ was the second most-added song to radio the week of its release to programmers, and was synched as the theme to Channel 7’s Football Season.

Another notable synch in May was the use of ‘Why Does Love Do This To Me’ by The Exponents in an Air New Zealand TV campaign. Perhaps next year could be Deja Voodoo’s ‘Today, Tomorrow, Timaru’?

ENDS

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