Graeme Downes
| The Verlaines | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Dunedin, New Zealand |
| Genres | Rock |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Associated acts |
The Chills The Clean Paul Winders and The Goodness Herriot Row Dead C Able Tasmans |
| Website | www.theverlaines.co.nz |
| Members | Graeme Downes Tom Healy Darren Stedman Stephen Small Rob Burns |
| Past members | Craig Easton Philip Higham Anita Pillai Jane Dodd Greg Kerr Alan Haig Caroline Easther Robbie Yeats Mike Stoodley Paul Winders Gregg Cairns Russell Fleming Stephen Cournane |
The Verlaines are a rock band from Dunedin, New Zealand. Formed in 1981 by Graeme Downes, Craig Easton, Anita Pillai, Phillip Higham and Greg Kerr, the band went through multiple line-ups.
The band was named after French poet Paul Verlaine—not, as is occasionally suggested, Tom Verlaine, who also took his stage name from the poet.
The Verlaines were noted for their angular, "difficult" song structures, wordy and downbeat lyrics, unusual subject matter all contained in often frantic up-tempo playing. The Verlaines were led by songwriter and vocalist/guitarist Graeme Downes although many other New Zealand musicians played guitar, bass, drums and brass instruments during the different stages of the band. Downes is an academic at the University of Otago, where he is head of the Department of Music. He teaches contemporary music and has research interests in Mahler and Shostakovich. He has released one solo album, Hammers and Anvils, which came out on Matador Records in 2001.
Their signature songs include "Death and the Maiden", "C.D. Jimmy Jazz & Me", "Bird-dog" and "Ballad of Harry Noryb".
The band's recorded debut was on the seminal Dunedin Double EP, which was released by Flying Nun Records and was the debut of several bands who would go on to be central to the mythology of the Dunedin Sound.
In 2003 a career retrospective, You're Just Too Obscure for Me, was released.
The Verlaines contributed the soundtrack to the film Eden, collaborating with actor Adetokunbo Adu, and screenwriter Rebecca Tansley. A song from Eden, What Sound is This? appeared on their album Untimely Meditations in 2012.
The group have appeared on several compilations over the years in New Zealand and overseas.
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