Adult Mayflys

Rotorua, New Zealand - not a place known for 'indie' or alternative rock music but it had a small and lively scene from the mid to late 1980s. Acts such as the Boogadagas, Calamari Bushmen, Da Hubcaps, Lounge Lizards, Book of Martyrs, Pet Cemetary, Big Fat Torturous Band, Dufty Baker, the Earthlings, P.D. Corp and Adult Mayflys played to audiences that wanted more than "pub rock in a tourist town". Many of the musicians who made up these acts crossed over into each others bands at one time or another. With very few venues that supported local music, gigs often took place at someone's house, the Rotorua Art Gallery at Tudor Towers or the legendary Homestead Tavern. Sometimes bands scored a support act for a more well-known act traveling through town or ventured out to Tauranga, Hamilton or even Auckland for the odd gig. In some cases (Book of Martyrs) the bands relocated outside of Rotorua and found more success, appearing in the likes of Stamp and RipItUp magazines and heard on student radio. Most of these bands found their way to Zed Brookes' Tandy's recording studio, just outside of Hamilton to record. Luckily many of these recordings still exist despite only being released on cassette only. Like many original bands who originated from the provinces of New Zealand at the time, the Rotorua bands (or 'Mudpool sound') were mostly overlooked in favor of acts from the main centers such as Auckland, Wellington and of course Dunedin with its Flying Nun legacy. There is no doubt if these Rotorua acts were in fact based in Dunedin back then, they may have become household names like the Chills, The Clean or the Verlaines now are. Sometimes geography is a hinderance but also determines the sound that ultimately defines you. Hopefully in the digital age more archives of the Mudpool bands will make their way to the ears of music fans who will discover a piece of New Zealand music they may not have known ever existed. The Adult Mayflys consisted of Dave Bishop, Jeremy Taylor and Graeme Anderson and produced a typically 'New Zealand' style indie rock. Anderson was also a member of pioneering Flying Nun act the Stones with Jeff Batts and Wayne Elsey; Bishop went on to form the Big White Indie Band at the end of the 80s, the Earthlings in the early 90s, the successful Peter Stuyvesant Hitlist in the late-90s and is now a solo artist in his own right as "Davey Beige" with a new album due in Sept 2017. Taylor moved on to join the Calamari Bushmen.