Sneaky Feelings

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Sneaky Feelings
Sneaky Feelings in 1982, as depicted on the Dunedin Double EP. Back: Kat Tyrie; Front, left to right: Matthew Bannister, David Pine, Martin Durrant.
Background information
Origin	New Zealand
Genre(s)	Rock Pop
Years active	1981-1992
Label(s)	Flying Nun Records
Associated acts	The Blue Meanies, Death Ray Cafe, Dribbling Darts, Mutton Birds
Former members
Matthew Bannister (guitar, vocals) David Pine (guitar, vocals) Martin Durrant (drums, vocals, 1981-1988) Kat Tyrie (bass, vocals, 1981-1983) John Kelcher (bass, vocals, 1983-1992) Ross Burge (drums, vocals, 1988-1992)

Sneaky Feelings were a 1980s New Zealand pop/rock band, led by Matthew Bannister, who recorded on the Flying Nun label. Initially recording with the line-up of Bannister (guitar), David Pine (guitar), Kat Tyrie (bass) and Martin Durrant (drums), Tyrie was replaced by John Kelcher early in the band's career. Durrant left shortly before the band's demise, and was replaced by Ross Burge.

Sneaky Feelings were unusual among Dunedin Sound bands in that all four members of the band sang and several of the members wrote material. The jangle sound of the guitars and layered vocals drew their influence from the music of the Byrds and the Beatles, and comparisons can be made with some of California's Paisley Underground bands.

The band's name comes from a song by Elvis Costello, "Sneaky Feelings", which is on his debut album My Aim Is True (1977).

[edit] History

Sneaky Feelings were one of four Dunedin bands to reap the benefits of the newly-formed Flying Nun label with the release of the Dunedin Double EP, alongside the Stones, the Verlaines and the Chills. Sadly, the multi-voiced harmonies of their sound were not well-suited to the primitive recording conditions of early Flying Nun, so it is rarely captured at its best on the albums they released. The band's biggest hit was with the single "Husband House" in 1985.

After the demise of Sneaky Feelings in 1989, Bannister moved to Auckland where he founded the Dribbling Darts. He later worked briefly with the Mutton Birds alongside Ross Burge, and has since formed a new band, The Weather. He also wrote a book about the experience of being in a band during the heyday of the Dunedin Sound movement - Positively George Street. Pine has returned sporadically to music, notably in Dunedin-based band Death Ray Cafe in the late 1980s. Sneaky Feelings briefly re-formed in 1992 to record several extra tracks and tour to promote the CD release of Send You. They also re-formed to performed a one-off concert as part of a celebration of Dunedin music, held in that city in 2006.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Featured appearances

The group have appeared on several compilations over the years in New Zealand. The following is a list of these albums that have featured tracks by Sneaky Feelings.

• (1987) - Tuatara: A Flying Nun Compilation (Flying Nun Records) - "Throwing Stones"
• (1988) - In Love With These Times (Flying Nun Records) - "Trouble With Kay"
• (2003) - Nature's Best 3 (Sony Music) - "Husband House"

[edit] Singles

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Matthew Bannister's current band, "The Weather"

[edit] Further reading

• Bannister, M. (1999) Positively George Street. Auckland: Reed Books. ISBN 0-7900-0704-5
• Davey, T. & Puschmann, H. (1996) Kiwi rock. Dunedin: Kiwi Rock Publications. ISBN 0-473-03718-1
• Dix, J. (1988) Stranded in paradise: New Zealand rock'n'roll 1955-1988. Wellington: Paradise Publications. ISBN 0-473-00638-3
• Eggleton, D. (2003) Ready to fly: The story of New Zealand rock music. Nelson, NZ: Craig Potton Publishing. ISBN 1-877333-06-9