Mana “Jah Son”

Mana’s cover of Herbs’ ode to Jesus takes place at the Otara markets, with the band performing live in a corner of the car park to a modest audience.

But much more exciting is market life. The camera sweeps over the jam-packed Saturday morning market, and then almost seems to have to fight its way through the bustle. But the video captures some interesting scenes of ordinary people doing their weekly veggie shop.

There’s also a brief montage of South Auckland scenes, including the dole office. Presumedly when Jesus comes, He will make everything ok. Hm, the markets look a little too crowded. Do you suppose Jah Jr will ease the congestion?

Best bit: the really serious looking woman who samples an orange segment.

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… a bit of bogan.

Kantuta “April Sun in Cuba”

The one good thing about this song – the band pronounce Cuba like “kooba”, not “kyewba”. Apart from that, it’s a novelty hit – a Latin flavoured cover of Dragon’s pub rock hit. Not that there’s no place in the world for novelty cover versions, but this one is just a little uninspired.

The video action takes place on a suburban Auckland beach, where the band and their friends have a big beach festival. Things then move to a night club where the band set up, before it all explodes into a giant ‘April Sun in Cuba cha-cha-cha sexy senorita dances the forbidden dance’ fest.

I wonder if the band (and NZ On Air) imagined this would be an accessible gateway into getting the world of Latin music in the pop charts, only for Kantuta to evolve into their natural form as event entertainment. Well, perhaps they paved the way for the Buena Vista Social Club.

Best bit: the April sun in Mission Bay.

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… preaching at the markets.

3 The Hard Way “Hip Hop Holiday”

Every time you play this song, 10CC’s giant swimming pool of money gets a few more gold doubloons. Remember, kids: always clear samples.

Directed by Clinton Phillips and filmed in lovely warm sepia tones, “Hip Hop Holiday” evokes a hot city summer. This is not the New Zealand of going to the beach. It’s the New Zealand of inviting all your friends around to hang out in your backyard.

The lads cruise Aucklandtown in a convertible before arriving at their slightly less urban destination – a suburban house (but it’s a proper New Zealand state house bungalow). Bobbylon from the Hallelujah Piccasos shows up for some guest MCing, and the suburbs erupt into a game of touch rugby and hip-hop-loving.

Fun and charming, “Hip Hop Holiday” is a perfect slice of the early ’90s Auckland hip hop sound. It was the first single with an NZ On Air-funded video to reach No.1, where it happily remained for three weeks in early 1994.

Best best: cruising down that cinematic stretch of Queen Street between Wellesley Street and Mayoral Drive.

Director: Clinton Phillips
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… a forbidden dance of desire in seaside Auckland.

Wayne Gillespie “Living in Exile”

I started to google this song title and it alarmingly autocompleted as “wayne gillespie living in prison”. A bittersweet twist of fate? No, it turns out “Living In Prison” is a book on the history of correctional facilities written by another Wayne Gillespie.

The real Wayne can be found in the video playing in a Sydney nightclub, with the most enthusiastic video miming I’ve yet seen. It’s a really straight performance video, with the camera never swaying from the stage. At one point there’s a shot of the drummer, who looks like Dave Grohl with a perm, but that’s about the most exciting thing that happens.

Considering that seven years earlier Wayne gave us the sexy urban cool in his “Losing One” video, “Living In Exile” seems really low budget and disappointing in contrast. The lyrics suggest something epic on the open road (and Australia has plenty of epic open roads). Perhaps Wayne has been exiled to the confines of the night club, never to leave.

Best bit: Wayne’s laid-back blue steel.

Next… party on the front lawn.

Strawpeople “Trick with a Knife”

When Fiona wasn’t being Fiona From The Headless Chickens, she was bringing the gift of songcraft to the Strawpeople. “Trick with a Knife” is a dark and moody song, and Fiona lets her voice get really high.

The video is a crazy noir, where a smoking man in a chair awaits the arrival of a woman who transforms her boyish looks with the help of a sequinned catsuit and a boofy blonde wig. There are many meaningful glances between them, including an incredible slow zoom into the man’s crotch.

Mark and Paul from the Strawpeople make cameos in flashes of grainy film, and I don’t think Fiona even appears in it, making things even more mysterious.

Best bit: a close up of a 50 cent coin (the old giant chunky one), with which the man nervously plays.

Directors: Mark Tierney, Paul Casserly
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… exile in videoville

Shihad “Derail”

In the mid ’90s, I remember video maker Greg Page saying he’d made his own version of a video for “Derail”, which the band had declined in favour of this one with roller coasters in it that was not cut to the beat.

The “Derail” video is fairly arty. It’s black and white and features footage of: a horse racetrack and punters, cathedrals, a cow in a field, a man playing golf, amusements at Rainbow’s End, and various sights along State Highway One, particularly around Huntly.

It’s a bleak vision of Kiwiana, the sort of thing that would end up in an exhibition at the Dowse Art Museum. Is this video better than Mr Page’s more traditional video based on live footage? Maybe, but I while the visuals are great, I can’t help feeling there’s a disconnect between that and the song.

Best bit: the Rainbow’s End bird mascot shakes its tailfeather.




Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… flip of the coin, flick of the hair.

Supergroove “Scorpio Girls”

When an 18-year-old dude sings about “Scorpio Girls”, those “bad bitchin’ babes [who] get my guitar strumming”, you know it’s not realistically based on a reality of a man tormented by a never-ending influx of devilwomen messing up his life. It’s more likely about being an 18-year-old who wants to have sex but all the girls say no.

This “Scorpio Girls” video takes place in three locations – a live concert, a dark spooky room (via the Northhead tunnels), and the chamber of Scorpio Girls. The chamber is a white room where girls in black jeans and sweatshirts shove the band. It looks exactly like a bunch of girls who’ve been instructed to shove a band around for a music video, and most of them are obviously really enjoying themselves, looking more like “Whee-hee! I’m in a Supergroove music video!” than “Grrr! I’m a Scorpio Girl! Hide ur penis!”

This all goes to prove that the Scorpio Girls concept is a purely fictional construct. There are no Scorpio Girls, just fans who dig Supergroove. But it is good the song exists, because it has the great chant-along “Oooooh! Ah-ha!” bit.

Best bit: DIY lighting effects – waving torches while running through the dark tunnels.




Director: Kerry Brown
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… region rock whippersnappers.

Straitjacket Fits “If I Were You”

After years of this video only being available on weird European websites, finally NZ On Screen have stepped up and are hosting it. Hooray!

It helps that the “If I Were You” video looks a bit like the opening titles of a Bond film, but instead of naked ladies, it’s the Straitjacket Fits that are presented in overlapping colourful images, complete with water shimmers and fireworks.

“If I Were You” was the Straitjacket Fits final NZ On Air-funded video, and indeed their final single. It’s not such a great swansong – all angry and paranoid (though with some lovely guitar), but the video manages to take the edge of the anger.

Best bit: Fireworks!

Director: Andrew Dominik
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… bad bitchin’ babes.

Holy Toledos “Not To Say”

I am utterly charmed by this band. They are a five-piece folk-rock band, with a 100% geek membership. Their lead singer has a cherub-faced look going on, and they all look like they’ve been taking music lessons since they were kids.

The band play the song in a slightly shabby looking Vulcan Lane of the 90s, in front of a wall of band posters (one for an Elvis impersonator). The inner-city location gives the band an edge of cool, but did they even need it? The song chorus even ends with the hilariously anti-BJ line “stop going down”.

There’s one great bit where a band member steps up on a park bench, then almost immediately steps down, as if he’s not quite ready for centre stage.

The video is obviously low-budget and a bit repetitive, but it captures the charm of the band and is a good debut as any.

Best bit: a brief shot of an old man enjoying an ice cream.

Note: this video has since been made private so it can no longer be viewed. Booo.

Director: Karyn Hay
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… Bond-esque thrills.

Fuemana “Closer”

The Fuemana family and Matty J are back with more of their smooth grooves, with influences galore, including a Monkees/Del Tha Funkee Homosapien reference with “Mr Fuemana, Mr Phil Fuemana”.

The video takes place in a day-lit club (probably Cause Celebre, which seems an Auckland ’90s thing). The group perform their song, with the Fuemanas being cool and Matty J trying to be cool.

When Phil does his keyboard solo, a very Catholic looking crucifix can be seen on the piano keys, implying that perhaps this song is about getting closer to God.

It’s funny to look at this video and think that within three years, one of the guys in this video was going to have a bonafide international mega hit single.

Best bit: Matty J’s seduction moves.

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… cherub-faced folk rock.