Zed is a

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rock group, which was formed as Supra in 1996 in

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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 The Official Aotearoa Music Charts, formerly the Official New Zealand Music Chart (), is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Mu ...

; while their second album, ''

This Little Empire ''This Little Empire'' is the second studio album by New Zealand rock band Zed. It was produced by Sylvia Massy Shivy and Zed at Radiostar Studios in Weed, California, and engineered by Rich Veltrop and assisted by Josh Kiser. Unlike the ban ...

'' (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

Cashmere High School Cashmere High School () is a state coeducational secondary school, located in southern Christchurch, New Zealand. It was opened in 1956 in response to population growth in southern Christchurch during the 1950s. The school is located in the su ...

: 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." Campbell's father contacted

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, and former rock-and-roll artist,

Ray Columbus Raymond John Patrick Columbus (4 November 1942 – 29 November 2016) was a New Zealand Benny Award-winning singer and songwriter, television host, music manager and entertainer, with a career spanning six decades. As the lead singer of surf mus ...

. Columbus had them signed to a publishing deal for their original material and booked their early recording sessions. In 2000 they added Andy Lynch (Sensei Master) as second guitarist. The band worked with producer David Nicholas on their debut album, '' Silencer'' (2000). Rhythm and vocal tracks were recorded at Revolver Studios in

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 ...

, with final overdubbing and mixing at Mangrove Studios, north of Sydney, Australia. Released in New Zealand later that year, ''Silencer'', debuted at No. 1 on the New Zealand Album Charts, and was certified triple platinum. It provided in six top 40 singles with "Renegade Fighter" (2000) peaked at No. 4. The band's second album, ''

'', was released with two different track lists, one for the New Zealand market in 2003, and another aimed at the United States the following year. In total Zed had ten top 40 singles in New Zealand. Zed disbanded in 2004, they subsequently reunited for a few live gigs (a 2008 performance at Auckland's Vector Arena, 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,

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, 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.

Members

* Nathan King – vocals, guitar * Adrian Palmer – drums * Andy Lynch – guitar * Ben Campbell – bass, vocals

History

Members

Discography

Albums

Singles

Notes

References

External links