Story: Popular music

The Chills, 'Heavenly pop hit', 1990

The Chills were one of New Zealand's major pop groups of the 1980s and 1990s and had a large following overseas. The group was fronted by Martin Phillipps, the band's only constant member and the person credited with fuelling its indie pop creativity.  'Heavenly pop hit' was the lead single from the 1990 album Submarine bells, and it attracted outstanding reviews in New Zealand and overseas, including in the British music magazines Melody Maker and New Musical Express. The band remained active in the 2000s and in October 2015 issued Silver Bullets, their first album length release in 19 years.

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How to cite this page:

Chris Bourke, 'Popular music - Pop-music scene, 1970s and 1980s', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/video/42655/the-chills (accessed 24 April 2024)

Story by Chris Bourke, published 22 Oct 2014