Soundtrack to your studies - 1997

The 1996 Orientation was free for students and was spread between Shadows and the Powerstation. The gig listing in Craccum is not only a great reflection of the Auckland bands of the time (Pash, Future Stupid), but also the amazing new capabilities of digital typesetting!

Head Like A Hole were reaching the height of their fame at this time, having gone all out on their video for Springsteen cover ‘I’m On Fire’ which was filmed on a rooftop in Wellington, with the use of a helicopter.

New Zealand hip hop had reached new heights recently with DLT and Che Fu hitting No.1 with Chains. When they performed at Orientation, it was under the True School Hip Hop show banner, since DLT was a key DJ on the bFM show of the same name.

The bFM Summer Series had a performance by Darcy Clay. Footage from the day was later used on the music video of his out-of-nowhere hit single ‘Jesus I Was Evil.’

Less recognised at the time was the fact that the University of Auckland was the seedbed for one of New Zealand’s biggest music-related companies. Steve West was a student and he wanted to slow down bass guitar parts in order to learn them, without the pitch changing. This took a whole day with current software so he did a research project to find a better algorithm and his solution led to the founding of Serato.

The 1997 Big Day Out line-up was headlined by Soundgarden, Offspring, Prodigy, and Supergrass. However many attendees of the festival claim local band Shihad played the stand out set. The organisers found the band perfectly suited their allocated time on the main stage just as day was turning to night and began calling this the “Shihad Slot.” That year, their song ‘Home Again’ came out, though it initially failed to make the Top 40. Nonetheless, it went on to become one of their most loved tunes.

What was pumping on your stereo while you were on campus? Suggest songs to add to our 1990s playlist, and you could win $100 Flying Out voucher.