Zed is a New Zealand rock group, which was formed as Supra in 1996 in Christchurch by Ben Campbell on bass guitar and triangle, Nathan King on lead vocals, guitar and trumpet, and Adrian Palmer on drums and percussion. In 2000 they added a second guitarist, Andrew Lynch. Their debut album, Silencer (2000), peaked at No. 1 on the New Zealand Albums Chart; while their second album, This Little Empire (November 2003), reached No. 3. Their top 10 singles are "Glorafilia" (1999), "Renegade Fighter" (2000), and "Hard to Find Her" (2003). They toured New Zealand, Australia and United States before disbanding in 2004. They have reformed periodically including in 2017, 2019 and 2023.
History
Zed was formed in 1996 as Supra by students at Christchurch's Cashmere High School: Ben Campbell on bass guitar, Nathan King on lead vocals and guitar, and Adrian Palmer on drums. Initially playing cover versions of work by "Crowded House, Supergrass, Blur and Radiohead they started getting together in each other's bedrooms to practice the kind of hook laden pop music they were listening to." Columbus had them signed to a publishing deal for their original material and booked their early recording sessions.
Zed disbanded in 2004, and two corporate events in 2011). Nathan King launched a solo career, then later sang with band Paper Planes. Campbell and Lynch formed a new band, Atlas, which disbanded in late 2008. Lynch was working as a session musician in Auckland. In 2017 Zed reunited to perform live. In 2019 they undertook a national tour to celebrate 20 years of Silencer. In 2023, they announced a comeback by releasing a live video of "Renegade Fighter" online. They also released the single "Future You", which was included on their third album, Future Memory, released in August 2024. They toured nationwide in New Zealand in November and December 2023.
In 2026, they toured alongside Iggy Pop, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and Hoodoo Gurus for Greenstone Entertainments 2026 Summer Concert Tour.
Members
- Nathan King – vocals, guitar
- Adrian Palmer – drums
- Andy Lynch – guitar
- Ben Campbell – bass, vocals
Discography
Albums
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Details
! scope="col" | Peak chart<br>positions
|-
! scope="col" | NZ<br />
|-
! scope="row"| Silencer
|
- Released: 2000
- Re-released: 2001 (with bonus disc)
- Label: Universal Music NZ
- Catalogue: 0140382 (bonus disc edition)
| align="center" | 1
|-
! scope="row"| This Little Empire
|
- Released: 11 November 2003
- Label: Interscope
| align="center" | 3
|-
! scope="row"| Future Memory
|
- Released: 23 August 2024
- Label: August Avenue, Warner
| align="center" | 13<br />
|}
Singles
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Year
! rowspan="2" | Title
! colspan="2" | Peak chart positions
! rowspan="2" | Album
|-
! <small>NZ</small><br />
|-
|rowspan="3"|1999
|"Oh! Daisy"
|align="center"| 15
|align="center"| —
|rowspan="5"|Silencer
|-
|"I'm Cold"
|align="center"| 19
|align="center"| —
|-
|"Glorafilia"
|align="center"| 9
|align="center"| —
|-
|rowspan="2"|2000
|"Renegade Fighter"
|align="center"| 4
|align="center"| 82
|-
|"Come on Down"
|align="center"| 12
|align="center"| —
|-
|rowspan="2"|2003
|"Starlight"
|align="center"| 15
|align="center"| —
|rowspan="5"|This Little Empire
|-
|"Hard to Find Her"
|align="center"| 9
|align="center"| —
|-
|rowspan="2"|2004
|"Don't Worry Baby"
|align="center"| 16
|align="center"| —
|-
|"She Glows"
|align="center"| 21
|align="center"| —
|-
|2005
|"Firefly"
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|-
|2023
|"Future You"
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|rowspan="3"| Future Memory
|-
|rowspan="2"|2024
|"Into the Ocean"
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|-
|"Meant to Be"
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|-
|colspan="5" style="font-size:90%" align="center" | "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
|}