The Clean was a New Zealand indie rock band formed in Dunedin in 1978. They have been described as the most influential band to come from the Flying Nun label, which recorded many artists associated with the "Dunedin sound", and one of the first bands to be described as "indie rock".

Led by brothers Hamish and David Kilgour, the band rotated through a number of musicians before settling on their well-known and longest running line-up with Robert Scott.

History

Formation

Hamish and David Kilgour started to write and play music together in Dunedin in 1978, influenced by 1960s pop rock and garage records, punk rock, and psychedelic music. giving the nascent label its first hit.

Following the release of "Tally Ho!", The Clean recorded their debut 12" EP Boodle Boodle Boodle in September 1981, engineered by Chris Knox and Doug Hood in an old Auckland hall. The EP was released on Flying Nun in October, debuting at number five on the New Zealand music chart and staying in the top 20 for almost six months. The continued success of the EP gave Flying Nun more financial security, and allowed the label to grow further. In May 1982, the band recorded and released the Great Sounds Great, Good Sounds Good, So-so Sounds So-so, Bad Sounds Bad, Rotten Sounds Rotten EP, produced again by Knox and Hood. The release reached number four on the music charts and received positive praise. They supported The Fall on their 1982 tour of New Zealand, before releasing the "Getting Older" 7" single in October 1982.

Hiatus

Following "Getting Older" and for most of the 1980s, The Clean were effectively disbanded. Flying Nun released Odditties in July 1983, a cassette of 21 previously unreleased songs, many from the band's own home recordings made on a Revox B77 tape recorder.

In 2003, the two-disc compilation Anthology, released on Merge Records, awakened new interest in the band in the US, building on an international reputation that had been enhanced by endorsements from prominent 1990s indie groups such as Pavement and Yo La Tengo. Doug Hood died from cancer in September 2024.

Discography

  • Vehicle (1990)
  • Modern Rock (1994)
  • Unknown Country (1996)
  • Getaway (2001)
  • Mister Pop (2009)

Awards

Aotearoa Music Awards

The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously known as New Zealand Music Awards (NZMA)) are an annual awards night celebrating excellence in New Zealand music and have been presented annually since 1965.

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Filmography

  • 1999: Scarfies, in which they are seen performing the song "Tally Ho!" in a performance at the Empire Tavern, Dunedin (the line-up for this performance was David Kilgour, Robert Scott, Robbie Yeats, and Thomas Bell). The song appeared on the soundtrack.

See also

  • Music of New Zealand
  • The Chills
  • Tall Dwarfs

References

  • Interview at Acetone Magazine
  • The Clean on Flying Nun Records
  • The Clean on Film Archive