Needles and Plastic

 Flying Nun Records, 1981-1988. By Matthew Goody

Needles and Plastic is a fully illustrated account of the label, the bands and the songs from 1981–1988 – the critical early years, when the label was based in Christchurch and getting records pressed in New Zealand.

Matthew Goody tells the story through the records themselves. In entries on over 140 records from The Clean’s Tally Ho 7" in 1981 to The Verlaines Bird-Dog LP in 1988, the book draws on years of research to reveal the stories of the bands, the recordings, the songs, and the audience, with a host of characters contributing along the way – Shepherd, Chris Knox, Doug Hood, Hamish Kilgour and many more.

In this remarkable tale of creativity and chaos, do-it-yourself innovation and extraordinary attempts at world domination, Needles and Plastic tells the inside story of one of New Zealand – and the world’s – great independent music labels. 

Format: Paperback
Publisher: Auckland University Press
Publication Date: November 2022
ISBN: 9781737382980