As you've probably already heard, we lost a monumental force in underground music this weekend with the passing of New Zealand icon and founding member of The Clean, The Chills, The Great Unwashed, and last but not least, the formidable Snapper. As one of the most-often lauded and recurring names you'd see pop up in histories and liner notes on the classic Flying Nun material, Gutteridge was an unrelenting force that although most credited with involvement with some of the most classic Flying Nun material, his most formidable and revered work clearly came through with Snapper, one of the late 80s most impressive NZ bands, and still one of the most awe-inspiring.
If you're only familiar with The Clean and The Chills, then you're not even getting the full picture of Peter Gutteridge's power and versatility, not to mention those sinister sizzling synth lines that trap the mind in a state of PURE noise, bent into easily swallowed bursts of gutteral bliss that truly transcended the other New Zealand sounds of the era, and instantly set them apart as the 'Suicide of New Zealand.'
Check out the incredible interview with Peter from Mess and Noise right HERE and grab the PURE 2LP reissue out on 540 Records for an unforgettable ride into this legend's inner demons from your favorite local record store, or right HERE.
And Flying Nun has uploaded a tribute to Peter Gutteridge today as well, with rare photos and live video you won't see anywhere else, and with him just recently playing his PURE album live in its entirety in New York last month, we really wish he'd have held on longer.
