Shoes This High

Shoes This High were a New Zealand post-punk band formed in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1979. They disbanded in 1981 and three of the members went on to form the band Fishschool.^[1]

Shoes This High
Origin	Masterton/Wellington, New Zealand.
Genres	Post-punk[1]
Occupation(s)	Musician, singer-songwriter, record producer
Instruments	Vocals guitar bass guitar drums
Years active	1979–1981
Past members	Kevin Hawkins Brent Hayward Jessica Walker Chris Plummer Andrew Strang Don Campbell Wayne Morris

Biography

History

The first lineup of Shoes This High included: guitarist Kevin Hawkins; bassist Jessica Walker; vocalist Andrew Strang and drummer Wayne Morris. They played their first gig in the Cuba Mall in Wellington on 18 November 1979. By the time of their next performance on 9 December, Brent Hayward had replaced Strang on vocals. Two weeks later, Morris left the band. Initially only a replacement drummer for a show at Thistle Hall, Don Campbell ended up being a full-time member, replacing Morris.^[1]

After befriending the band the Features they moved to Auckland in mid-1980 where they shared a house with members of the Gordons and Unknown Wrecks.^[1]

The first EP was released in a limited edition by the band itself through STH Records in 1981. Their sound was built around a mix of Captain Beefheart, Public Image Ltd, and The Fall.^[2]

Break Up

In 1981, the band split with Brent Hayward going on to perform solo as Smelly Feet and then in Kiwi Animal.^[3] Kevin Hawkins, Jessica Walker and Chris Plummer formed Fishschool who released tape recordings on New Plymouth's Ima Hitt Records.^[4]

In 2014, the posthumous live album Straight to Hell was released by Siltbreeze.^[5]

Discography

EPs

• Shoes This High EP, STH Music, 1981

Live albums

• Straight to Hell, Siltbreeze, 2014

Compilation appearances

• "The Nose One" on Killed by Death DIY Volume 1, Redrum Records, 1999

References

1. Maclennan, David (28 May 2013). "Shoes This High". Audio Culture. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
2. Steel, Gary (28 February 1981). "Stayers Shoes This High Shine". The Evening Post. Retrieved 1 December 2021 – via Witchdoctor.
3. Goddard 2013, p. 135.
4. Shoes This High, Up the Punks, Wellington Rock Scene Archive, accessed 14.04.2019.
5. "Shoes This High — Straight to Hell". Siltbreeze. Retrieved 1 December 2021.

Bibliography

Goddard, Michael (2013). "Noise from Nowhere: Exploring 'Noisyland's' Dark, Noisy and Experimental Music". In Goddard, Michael; Halligan, Benjamin; Spelman, Nicola (eds.). Resonances: Noise and Contemporary Music. Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 134–149. ISBN 978-1-4411-1054-1.