The Clean were one of the most influential New Zealand bands of the post-punk era. They formed in the town of Dunedin in 1978, when
Hamish Kilgour (drums) and his brother
David (guitar) recruited
David's school friend, guitarist Peter Gutteridge. Soon afterward, they opened for New Zealand punk rockers Enemy.
The Clean were one of the first bands in the country to play original material. They carved out a distinctive noisy but melodic sound, distinguished by
David's screeching, distorted guitar. When the
Kilgour brothers decided to relocate the band to Auckland in 1979, Gutteridge had already left the lineup.
The Clean played with a rotating bassist before
David quit the band and moved back to Dunedin. Once he was back home, he was introduced to bassist
Robert Scott and the two started playing together; news of his brother's new musical relationship prompted
Hamish to move back to Dunedin and begin
the Clean again.
In early 1980, the group began playing around town in earnest. In early 1981, a fan named Roger Shepherd began Flying Nun Records to release a single by
the Clean, "Tally Ho!" With its jagged guitar, sweet melody, and persistent organ, "Tally Ho!" reached number 19 on the charts.
As they prepared to record their first album, they discovered that the small amount of New Zealand engineers didn't care for the band's material.
The Clean didn't fight -- they backed down, deciding to record on a four-track under the guidance of
Chris Knox and Doug Hood. In November, the
Boodle Boodle Boodle EP was released; it surprised every observer by climbing to number four on the New Zealand charts.
Boodle and the 1982 EP Great Sounds Great captured the quirky sides of
the Clean's sound, since they did not have the technology to replicate the band's roaring live sound. Later in 1982, the group released their loudest single yet, "Getting Older." Soon after its release,
David Kilgour exited the band, moving back to Dunedin.
Robert Scott left after
David's departure, forming a band of his own,
the Bats.
Hamish Kilgour moved to Christchurch -- where Flying Nun Records was located -- and bought his own four-track. After
Hamish had begun writing and recording,
David came up to Christchurch to help finish up the solo tracks, as well as to record some
Clean songs. The resulting music, released under the name
the Great Unwashed, was collected on the album Clean Out of Our Minds. The music was a departure from
the Clean's punk-injected sound; instead, it was folkier and more acoustic.
To promote the record, the Kilgours reunited with Peter Gutteridge while still using the name
the Great Unwashed. On the ensuing tour, the band concentrated on Gutteridge's backlog of material; at the beginning of 1984, they recorded an EP called Singles, which earned quite a bit of airplay and sales. Bassist
Ross Humphries was added so
David Kilgour and Gutteridge could both play guitar, yet
the Great Unwashed wound up breaking up within a year.
Hamish Kilgour formed
Bailter Space with guitarist
Alister Parker, Gutteridge began developing a new band called Snapper, and
David stopped playing for a few years.
The Clean -- the lineup featuring
Robert Scott -- reunited in 1988 for two concerts in London; a five-song EP culled from the shows was released a year later. The members of the band were encouraged by the results and decided to embark on a world tour. After the tour ended, the band recorded a new album, which was more straightforward and pop-oriented than their previous material. The record,
Vehicle, was released in the spring of 1990 and the band supported its release with a world tour. After the tour's completion, the band split again.
David Kilgour went solo,
Scott returned to
the Bats, and
Hamish Kilgour moved to New York and formed
the Mad Scene. Like lovers who could never quite say goodbye, the group reunited in 1994 to record a new album.
Modern Rock was released in late 1995, followed by
Unknown Country in 1996 after which the trio went their separate ways yet again.
After time spent away working on solo projects and with other bands, the trio got back together in 2000 for a festival in their Dunedin hometown, they stayed together for more shows and a new album
Getaway, which was released in 2001 on Merge and featured guests
Ira Kaplan and
Georgia Hubley of
Yo La Tengo. Two years later, Flying Nun and Merge co-released a career spanning collection titled
Anthology. Over the next few years the band kept playing shows, a few of which were documented on limited-edition live albums; 2001's Slush Fund, 2003's Syd’s Pink Wiring System, and 2008's Mashed. The trio ended the decade with a new studio album, 2009's
Mister Pop, then spent the next year playing a select set of concerts around the globe. Once back home, they began sessions for a possible new album, but abandoned them after the catastrophic earthquake that hit New Zealand in early 2011. They got back together to tour the next year, playing some shows in the US. They did the same in 2014, and then in early 2015 played two concerts in Australia. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine