Opshop

Opshop
Opshop at the TechFest, Auckland in 2008
Background information
Origin	Auckland, New Zealand
Genres	Alternative rock
Occupation(s)	Music
Years active	2002–2013 (hiatus)
Labels	Siren Records
Members	Jason Kerrison Bobby Kennedy Matt Treacy Clint Harris
Past members	Tim Skedden Ian Munro

Opshop is a New Zealand rock band who formed in 2002. Their first album, You Are Here was released in 2004. Second album Second Hand Planet was released in 2007 and received Triple Platinum certification. It produced the successful single, One Day. Third album Until The End Of Time debuted at number one on the New Zealand Album Charts in 2010.

Opshop was formed by Invercargill born, Christchurch raised, singer/songwriter Jason Kerrison. He based himself in Auckland, writing music while at a residency in a backpacker's bar.

Growing tired of the solo shows, he invited guitarist and former school friend, Tim Skedden to join him and share the acoustic vibe that the club and its punters had come to enjoy. The following year, Kerrison met up with another old Christchurch school mate - long time drummer Bobby Kennedy - and invited him to join the new band. The band's name was GST (Goldfish Shopping Trolley), though it was soon changed to Opshop. Guitarist Matt Treacy (another Cantabrian living in Auckland) was next to join. The band then recruited a friend of Jason's he had met while studying ethnomusicology at Auckland University. English-born Ian Munro became Opshop's bass player.

During the winter of 2003, Opshop were the winners of Project NZM, a competition on ZM radio station aimed at helping small bands make it big. Project NZM saw the song Saturated being given the song airplay on the ZM network.

A demo recording of their work found its way into the hands of friends Adrien de Croy and Tracy Magan of the newly founded label Siren Records, whose acts included Goldenhorse, who liked the band's music. Siren offered Opshop an opportunity to record some of their material at York Street Studios in a 'live' demo session. The following night, Opshop played their first ever performance alongside Che-Fu and Ted Clarke at the then Leftfield Bar on the Viaduct in Auckland. In the weeks that followed, Siren approached Opshop with a deal that would provide both opportunity and artistic independence, alongside the distribution capabilities of major label Capitol/EMI.