Songs From The Shaky Isles – A Short History of Popular Music in New Zealand
by Gareth Shute
Published by Bateman Books, rrp $40

Musician, journalist and author Gareth Shute brings strong research credentials to this fast-moving coverage of the full spectrum of notable Kiwi popular music songs, having previously published two genre-focused books on our music history; Hip Hop Music in Aotearoa and NZ Rock 1987-2007.

This one is a bigger challenge, covering almost a century of music recordings and multiple musical forms, as well as framing the songs and artists in the context of the societal and music industry frameworks they fit. The title, Songs From The Shaky Isles, fits both as a familiar Kiwi colloquialism and as a staple of the nation’s songwriting vernacular. It finds further context with The Māori Troubadours’ rock’n’roll single, Shakin’ In The Shaky Isles, mentioned in an early section about the Māori showbands.

Initially following a timeline to cover off pre-colonialism times through to the mid-1900s, the narrative is broken into 15 chapters with fun titles like Get a Haircut, Pub Rock Rebels, Beats and Grooves, and The Great Indie Crossover. This smartly avoids the confining approach of musical periods or genres, titled sub-sections within each chapter allowing a micro focus on particular industry aspects – scenes, labels, and in certain cases individual artists – some of which may have been fleetingly significant, others spanning decades.

While initially disconcerting to have a band of true significance like Split Enz dispensed with just a page of text, it’s a helpful way to maintain interest and avoid reader fatigue, given the fast-paced, fact-laden coverage. In the case of the Enz, the band reappear later to introduce a chapter titled Making a Living.

Around 700 songs are covered within the book’s 200 pages, a good number of which are taken up with photographs or related artwork, so there really isn’t room for many of those songs to get more than a mention. Easily consumed, the text romps along almost helter skelter. Writing in a casual and relaxed fashion, Shute throws in occasional anecdotes that help lighten the load of detail, providing some eyebrow-raising entertainment and interest beyond the core facts. He also injects his own opinions, and as an active musician who has toured internationally himself, writes knowledgeably about the music itself and some of the musicians. Perhaps for the same reason many of the photos included are the author’s own, making this seem a rather personal account in places.

As tilted it is a short history, and while not new ground it is a great achievement of compact, informative writing. Songs From The Shaky Isles succeeds well in balancing a need for brevity with readability, covering off a huge amount of nuanced history and information. For current and future students of NZ music it will be an invaluable introductory reader, and an entertaining overview reference for anyone interested in aspects of, or all of, our island nation’s popular music history to date.

Published August 2025 by Bateman Books.