Straitjacket Fits were a four-piece

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (Kamen Rider), Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * Alternative comics, or independent comics are an altern ...

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band that formed in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

, New Zealand, in 1986 and broke up in 1994. They released three studio albums, ''

Hail Hail is a form of solid Precipitation (meteorology), precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailsto ...

'' (1988), '' Melt'' (1990), and ''

Blow Blow commonly refers to: *Cocaine *Exhalation *Strike (attack) Blow, Blew, Blowing, or Blown may also refer to: People * Blew (surname) * Blow (surname) Arts and entertainment Music *The Blow, an American electro-pop band Albums * ''Blow' ...

'' (1993), and several EPs. Their line-up for their first two albums consisted of

Shayne Carter Shayne P. Carter is a New Zealand musician best known for leading Straitjacket Fits from 1986 to 1994, and as the only permanent member of Dimmer (1995–2012). Carter is a member of the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame, and has been awarded the ...

(vocals and guitar), John Collie (drums), David Wood (bass), and

Andrew Brough Andrew Mark Brough (pronounced ; 7 May 1963 – 2 February 2020) was a singer, songwriter and guitarist from Dunedin, New Zealand. Best known for his work with the Straitjacket Fits, he later led the band Bike. In 1996 he was shortlisted for the ...

(guitar and vocals). Brough departed the band in 1991 and was replaced for the band's final album by Mark Petersen. Straitjacket Fits were a prominent band in the Flying Nun label's second wave of the

Dunedin sound The Dunedin sound was a musical and cultural movement in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand, in the early 1980s. It helped found indie rock as a genre. The scene is associated with Flying Nun Records, an independent label. Bands associated with th ...

. They were inducted into the

New Zealand Music Hall of Fame The New Zealand Music Hall of Fame , Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa is a figurative hall of fame dedicated to noteworthy New Zealand musicians. The hall was created in 2007 by Recorded Music NZ (then known as the Recording Industry Associati ...

in 2008 and have three songs in the

APRA Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time The APRA Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time is a selection of New Zealand songs as voted in 2001 by members of the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). The top 30 of this selection was used to create the '' Nature's Best'' CD an ...

list, " She Speeds", "Down in Splendour", and "If I Were You".

Biography

Like many of their Flying Nun stable-mates, the band hailed from the southern city of

. They formed from the remnants of

The DoubleHappys The DoubleHappys (sometimes spelled ''Double Happys'') were a New Zealand rock band based in Dunedin who short-lived but influential, and part of the Dunedin sound music wave of the 1980s. History The band was formed initially by former Bored ...

, a band comprising

, Wayne Elsey and John Collie. The accidental death of Elsey saw Carter and Collie join forces with David Wood (ex- Working With Walt) in 1986 to form Straitjacket Fits.

(from The Orange) signed on the following year, adding a foil in the form of a pop sensibility to Carter's more raucous songwriting. From their inception, the sound of the band was marked by the seemingly incongruous but effective pairing of Carter's rough abrasive voice and strident guitar and Andrew Brough's sweet vocals and pop hooks.

Pre-1990: ''Life in One Chord'' and ''Hail''

1987 marked the release of the band's first EP. ''Life in One Chord'' spent 10 weeks in the Top 50. Of the four songs, " She Speeds", was to become a hallmark song. It was later judged one of New Zealand's ten best popular songs to date. The edgy lead vocal (from Carter) was underpinned with a dynamic jagged guitar and stabs of strings which tumbled into a churning melodic chorus on which Brough's voice soared. The opposite approach was taken on "Sparkle That Shines", its gentle downbeat melody sung by Brough giving way to a chorus laced with Carter's knife-edge harmonies. The band left Dunedin, briefly moving to

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

, before making the shift to the country's main marketplace,

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

in 1988. Their first album ''Hail'' was produced by Terry Moore (a former member of

The Chills The Chills are a New Zealand indie rock band that formed in Dunedin in 1980. The band were fronted by founding mainstay singer-songwriter, guitarist Martin Phillipps (singer), Martin Phillipps (2 July 1963 – 28 July 2024). During the mid-1 ...

) and was released later that year (it would later be re-released on CD, accompanied by the four songs from ''Life in One Chord''). The band's first overseas venture, to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, came in 1989, followed soon by a tour of Europe. The band were in Berlin the week the wall fell.

1990: ''Melt'' and Brough's departure

In 1990 the band started work on their follow-up album '' Melt'' (produced by Gavin Mackillop), which was to produce moderate hits with the Brough composition "Down in Splendour" and Carter's "Bad Note for a Heart". The following year the band was back on the road with an extensive tour. Straitjacket Fits supported My Bloody Valentine in Australia and

The La's The La's were an English rock band from Liverpool, originally active from 1983 until 1992. Fronted by singer, songwriter and guitarist Lee Mavers, the group are best known for their hit single " There She Goes". The band was formed by Mike ...

in the United States. But the strain was beginning to show, with reputed "musical differences" between Carter and Brough. Brough left the band at the end of the tour, and was replaced by guitarist Mark Petersen.

1992-4: ''Done'', ''Blow'', and breakup

1992 saw the release of EP ''Done''. It reached number 11 on the New Zealand Top 40 singles chart. Produced by

Tony Cohen Anthony Lawrence Cohen (4 June 19572 August 2017) was an Australian music record producer and sound engineer. He worked with Nick Cave's groups the Birthday Party, and then the Bad Seeds from 1979 to 2001. In mid-1986 he followed Cave to Lond ...

in Melbourne and without Brough's involvement, ''Done'' was an altogether louder and more guitar-driven record. The band then moved to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

to record their third album ''Blow'', with producer Paul Fox. The album was released in 1993, but lacked the carefully balanced dynamic that had always been evident in the interplay between Carter and Brough. It produced the singles, "Cat Inna Can" and "If I Were You". A US tour culminated with an appearance on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' on 11 November 1993, but the writing was largely on the wall for the band and they decided to go into a semi-permanent hiatus, following their appearance at 1994's

Big Day Out The Big Day Out (BDO) was an annual music festival that was held in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as Auckland, New Zealand. The festival was held during summer, typi ...

. In 1993, the band contributed the track "Brittle" to the AIDS-Benefit Album

No Alternative ''No Alternative'' is an alternative rock compilation album produced by Paul Heck and Chris Mundy that was released in 1993. It was the third compilation put together by the Red Hot Organization, a charity dedicated to raising money for and awa ...

produced by the

Red Hot Organization ''Red Hot Organization'' (RHO) is a non-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization with goals to promote diversity through equal access to healthcare through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors ...

Legacy, post-SJF music, and reunions

In 1998, a self-titled CD was released. Its 16 tracks were all previously available on other releases; the CD is essentially a "best-of" compilation. Post-Straitjacket Fits, Shayne Carter found success with his band

Dimmer A dimmer is a device connected to a light fixture and used to lower the brightness of the Lighting, light. By changing the voltage waveform applied to the lamp, it is possible to lower the Luminous intensity, intensity of the light output. Al ...

, whose first album bore little similarity to that of Straitjacket Fits. Allowed more complete control of the music's sound, his band's music was sparser and included more electronics. Gone are the strident guitars, although they returned on some later releases. Andrew Brough released one album with the band

Bike A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. B ...

, before moving back to Dunedin and retreating from the music scene. John Collie became a photographer of some note who has exhibited his work widely. In 2001, as part of the

Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwri ...

's 75th anniversary, a poll was conducted on New Zealand's top 100 songs of all time. Straitjacket Fits' song "She Speeds" was voted at number nine. "Down in Splendour" was at number 32, and "If I Were You" at number 88. In 2005, Straitjacket Fits reformed without Brough for a brief series of concerts around New Zealand. In 2008, the band received the New Zealand Herald Legacy Award at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards, and were inducted into the

. In his acceptance speech, Carter said "To all the artists out there who are brave enough to think outside of the square – kia kaha." David Wood died suddenly, on 17 November 2010. A service for David was held at the Pt Chevalier RSA on the following Monday. He left behind a wife and two children. Andrew Brough died on 2 February 2020.

One-off show as Dimmer's "special guests", King's Arms, 2018

The imminent closure of Auckland venue the King's Arms in 2018 led to of a one-off reunion of Dimmer (Shayne Carter's post-SJF band) and a group of "special guests" on 9 February. Those guests were John Collie and Mark Petersen who, along with Carter and Dimmer bassist Vaughan Williams, played a set of Straitjacket Fits songs (without taking on the band name). It was the first time Carter, Collie and Petersen had performed without the late David Wood.

Band members

*Shayne Carter – guitar, vocals (1986–1994) *John Collie – drums (1986–1994) *David Wood – bass (1986–1994) (died 2010) *Andrew Brough – guitar, vocals (1987–1991) (died 2020) *Mark Petersen – guitar (1991–94)

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

Featured appearances

The group has appeared on many compilations and soundtracks since their inception in both

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. The following is a list of these albums that have featured tracks by the Straitjacket Fits. * ''

In Love With These Times ''In Love With These Times'' is a compilation of previously released songs by artists on New Zealand based Flying Nun Records. It was released by Flying Nun in 1990 and re-released in a 2CD package with the 1991 compilation '' Pink Flying Saucers ...

'' (1988)

Flying Nun Records Flying Nun Records is a New Zealand independent record label formed in Christchurch in 1981 by music store manager Roger Shepherd. Described by ''The Guardian'' as "one of the world's great independent labels", Flying Nun is notable for bringi ...

– " She Speeds" * ''Getting Older 1981–1991'' (1991)

– "Dialing a Prayer" * ''Pink Flying Saucers Over the Southern Alps'' (1991)

– "Bad Note for a Heart" * ''

'' (1993)

Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...

– "Brittle" * '' Topless Women Talk About Their Lives'' (1997)

– " Down in Splendour" and " She Speeds" * ''

Scarfies ''Scarfies'' (released as ''Crime 101'' in the United States) is a 1999 New Zealand black comedy film set in the southern university city of Dunedin. The film's original title comes from the local nickname for university students, scarfie, s ...

'' (1999)

– " She Speeds" * ''

Nature's Best ''Nature's Best'' is a two-disc compilation album of thirty New Zealand popular music songs, selected by a panel as the top thirty New Zealand songs of all time. Selection The genesis of the idea was the 75th anniversary of the Australasian Per ...

'' (2002)

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...

– " She Speeds" * ''

Nature's Best 2 ''Nature's Best 2'' is a two-disc compilation album of 35 New Zealand popular music songs, numbers 31-65 on the APRA 75th Anniversary Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time. See ''Nature's Best'' for more information on the selection process of t ...

'' (2002)

– " Down in Splendour" * ''

Nature's Best 3 ''Nature's Best 3'' is a two-disc compilation album of 35 New Zealand popular music songs, numbers 66-100 on the APRA 75th Anniversary Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time. See ''Nature's Best'' for more information on the selection process of ...

'' (2003)

– " If I Were You"

Featured DVD appearances

* ''Very Short Films: A Flying Nun DVD'' (2003)

– " She Speeds" * ''Second Season: Flying Nun DVD II'' (2004)

– " Down in Splendour"

Awards

Aotearoa Music Awards

The

Aotearoa Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant that ...

(previously known as ''New Zealand Music Awards'' (NZMA)) are an annual awards night celebrating excellence in

New Zealand music The music of New Zealand has been influenced by a number of traditions, including Māori music, the music introduced by European settlers during the nineteenth century, and a variety of styles imported during the twentieth century, including ...

and have been presented annually since 1965. ! , - , 2008 , , Straitjacket Fits , ,

, , , , , -

References

External links

Flying Nun Records: Straitjacket Fits Biography
*Kara, Scott
The Story of Straitjacket Fits
, ''New Zealand Herald'' 2 October 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
Interview with Shayne Carter and David Wood and live performance of 'Missing Presumed Drowned'
{{Authority control APRA Award winners Flying Nun Records artists Dunedin Sound musical groups Rough Trade Records artists New Zealand indie rock groups Arista Records artists Musical groups established in 1986 Musical groups disestablished in 1994 1986 establishments in New Zealand Musical groups from Dunedin 1994 disestablishments in New Zealand