Hamilton Underground Press
Hamilton Underground Press (HUP) was launched in March 2015 with the primary aim of promoting and enabling musical and artistic happenings in Hamilton. The webpage and Facebook page provide news on events, podcasts, interviews and reviews.
Since their formation they have organised a number of shows, featuring Hamilton bands, those from elsewhere in New Zealand, and several from overseas (Former Friends of Young Americans (USA); Ted Danson With Wolves (Australia)). In January 2016 they released the first issue of their own zine, HUPzine, which has continued to five issues to date.
On 20 August 2016, HUP ran an event called Bandfandango, where four new bands were created by pulling the names of volunteer musicians out of the hat. In December 2016, they released a compilation album featuring bands, both from Hamilton and elsewhere, who had played at their shows, called Life Beneath a Gravel Streak.
HUP was conceived and is primarily run by Rob Shirlow, with help from Ian Duggan and other contributors.
Major Shows
- 1st Annual HUP Xmas Party, 18 December 2015
- 2nd Annual HUP and Hum Xmas Party, 17 December 2015
- Future City Festival, 3 and 4 March 2017
- The Bats, with Ancient Tapes and The Scones, 19 May 2017
- The Wedding Present, with Ancient Tapes and Rumpus Room, 5 July 2017
- Shonen Knife, with 5 Girls, 4 October 2017
- Spiral Stairs, 2 December 2017
- Future City Festival 2018, 9 and 10 March 2018
