Flying Nun Update + Martin Phillips of the Chills RIP

Martin Phillips of the Chills, dead at 61.
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[@benrankins4446]

So great to see a young Chris Knox too. Can't believe we've lost Martin and not that long ago Hamish too. What an amazing music scene in Dunedin for such a small population. Have been so lucky being close by in Australia and having had the opportunity to see a lot of those Flying Nun bands many times. That's very cool that you have This Sporting Life. You have an excellent Flying Nun collection. Great overview. Cheers...Ben

[@seekingathread]

Thank you Ben. I wish I was closer to NZ, couldn't be further away but the music is so close to my heart. As is people like Martin and definitely Hamish. There are a ton of great documentaries and features on Flying Nun. That was just a little slice there. Luckily the label and head honcho Roger Shepard did such a great job of archiving and telling the tale of the label. CHeers!

[@stevecarlsonvinylcommunity9147]

I am a huge fan of the Chills and it got me into the Flying Num label which fits my musical taste. Pink Frost is also one of my all time favorite songs, truly haunting I wish the albums were easier to find Anything from Flying Nun is hard to locate

[@seekingathread]

Ah I know, tell me about it. I've paid the price to track down some of these originals. I just love the overall package though. Still plenty of Chills albums for me to listen to actually. I am by no means a completist.

[@ButteryDigs]

Lovely video and eloquently said! A very sad feeling down here washing over the country :( Funnily I was just walking along Karaka Bay last weekend (Marie and the Atom song)

[@seekingathread]

Hey James, very nice. I bet that Bay is beautiful. Thanks for checking in and I'm still down to have that chat when you are free.

[@markspooner1224]

61 is no age, very sad news. Nice to see some more Flying Nun records.

[@the-vinyl-dreamscape5084]

I've heard of the Flying Nun label but i never went down that rabbit-hole. My head was always in another place plus I'm a bit older so that could explain why this wasn't on my radar. Anyeway, it's really good hear a bit more about the label and associated bands. Very impressive collection, Dom. Thanks for the update. Peace.

[@seekingathread]

Highly encourage you to check out some of the releases. You may be more into the avant garde and darker experimental stuff, which there is certainly some. (Thinking the Pin Group, Gordons or Dead C of course). But the label is so collectible from an artwork perspective and the music. Plus they favored 12" eps early on which is a favorite for me too. Thanks Shawn!

[@Russell.S]

Nice FN update, Dom. I have the 2nd NZ issue of the Dunedin Double too, have never seen a 1st pressing so far. My wantlist still has The Subliminals - United State, a couple of The Clean EPs, Tall Dwarfs 3EPs and Stumpy and a bunch of Bats records that are all fairly pricey. I posted a tribute to Martin on the Hoffman forum about meeting him in Dunedin in 2000. He was a good soul and generous with his time. RIP Martin Phillipps.

[@seekingathread]

Hey Russell. I will look for that post on Hoffman. He was certainly well known in NZ but here he still could use some more eyeballs, on Phillips that is. Hope all is well!

[@johnmavroudis2054]

I would say that "NIGHT OF THE CHILL BLUE" and "THE GREAT ESCAPE" are every bit the equal of "PINK FROST"... Their catalog is deep... and I think their best album is "SUBMARINE BELLS" which is PERFECT from beginning to end. Thanks for sharing and taking the time to remember the great Martin Phillipps. He's a LEGEND. ...thanks also for mentioning the ABLE TASMANS... who were another brilliant underrated band. My white whale for collecting is their FANTASTIC swan song "STORE IN A COOL PLACE"... which I have yet to find on vinyl. It's on my all-time Top 20 albums. So, so good. They're albums "HEY SPINNER" and "SOMEBODY ATE MY PLANET" about both fanstastic... Wish I could fid them both on vinyl, as well. All I can find is "Cuppa Tea..."

[@seekingathread]

Nice, some good tips for me there and further points of the Chills to get into. I still have Submarine Bells on CD though I remember the period era production getting on my nerves.

[@salters]

I only found out about The Chills because I loved the art on the sleeve of Submarine Bells..I have that and the following Soft Bomb album..Great band deserving of much more acclaim ..

[@amigofiel63]

Roi Colbert was a good friend. we swapped records for decades. Through him I met some of the Flying Nun artists, including Martin Phillips. I actually took him cruising for wax when the Chills were here in L.A. recording Soft Bomb. Saw them live at I think the Roxy (sooo many years ago can't remember for sure which club). Martin was a great chap and is sadly missed worldwide.

[@seekingathread]

Wow, that's amazing! Seems like a nice man and certainly talented as a songwriter. Sad to see some of the key players in the early NZ indie scene starting to pass.

[@GizmoBeach]

Shame it didn’t happen while he was with us, but The Chills discography prior to their triumphant return needs to be remastered/updated in its entirety. All of it; Sunburnt, the Stand By EP etc. It angers me to see forgettable fluff or absolute garbage get the VIP engineering treatment, while the music of a lifetime gets the out-of-print bum rush.

[@seekingathread]

I will plead guilty in not knowing all of the material but I am ready to expand that for sure. I will go on looking for those originals, even if these get the remaster treatment.

[@vinylstockholm]

Hi Dom! This was great, your Flying Nun collection is just awesome! Very nice additions. I've been reading the book "Needles and Plastic: Flying Nun Records, 1981-1988" this summer and I'm discovering many interesting releases, so my wantlist is pretty big now 😊 Pink Frost is an amazing song, I need that single. I'm going to the Den Bosch fair this November, hope I can find some FN records there. Last time I went (2019) I came home with a bunch of Flying Nun's. Very sad with Martin Phillips.

[@seekingathread]

Yes I have that book as well, incredibly well done. That would definitely be a focus for me if I was at Den Bosch. Those are the years I mainly want to cover in the originals hunting too: 81-88. A lot of amazing stuff in there. Cheers Jonas!

[@kaymart8703]

Outstanding + enviable entries you've got there, comrade. All you're missing is Snapper's first EP (and arguably their first LP, "Shotgun Blossom")

[@seekingathread]

Don't I know it. I have the Snapper ep reissue but that will just not do

[@kaymart8703]

@@seekingathread You do know it! I've got a copy of the original pressing, and can confirm its phenomenal sound - maybe even cut a little too hot, but never hot enough to cause distortion. So yeah, its good 'n' loud. I hope a copy crosses your path soon! Keep up the good work

[@giantorangerecords]

Nice, def need to get a copy of "Kaleidoscope World." Got into Flying Nun about a year ago after The Clientele talked about the label on their podcast. But gosh, this stuff is hard to find on vinyl in the US.

[@seekingathread]

It sure is. Every now and again when I have some funds to use, I make a order with NZ sellers. I usually wait until they have 2-3 records I'm looking for.

[@Localbandography]

Lacking in Flying Nun releases here. Have never seen anything on the label pop up down here. I’ve got The Pin Group RSD 7” and The Clean box set I’ve almost picked up a few times. Was on the wall at Lunchbox.

[@seekingathread]

That Clean set is great, really gives you all the essentials. Unfortunately they usually land in my parts via a plane ticket. But its one of those labels for me clearly.

[@ErwinvanMaanen]

Flying nun is probably my favorite label and I am planning a ‘pelgrimage’ to Dunedin next year. So sad is Martin Phillip’s passing. Love his music and The Chills🙏

[@MrKelleyzinho]

I don’t think you will find anything even approximating a Flying Nun-like scene in today’s Dunedin. I visited there in 1990 and it was already gone. It’s a beautiful place, though, but I would say that it’s an introverted place at the bottom of the world. I don’t think it was ever a “hot scene” kind of place.

[@seekingathread]

Nice Erwin! Certainly a place I hope to visit in this life, Dunedin and elsewhere in NZ. Hope all is well

[@MrKelleyzinho]

Pink Frost always seemed very Bowie-inflected to me, at least the vocals and overall mood

[@seekingathread]

Feels more like a Cure thing to me but I could see that