Over the past seven years, Auckland based four-piece OpShop has become one of New Zealand’s best-loved bands, crafting a constant stream of massive hits and three albums, You Are Here, Second Hand Planet and Until The End Of Time.
It seems an age now since OpShop found mainstream fame with singles such as No Ordinary Thing, Secrets, Levitate and Saturated, all popular singles from the You Are Here Album, released in 2004.
However, those songs certainly hit the airwaves and lodged themselves firmly in New Zealand’s musical lexicon, providing the critical and commercial acclaim required to keep the band on target for a lengthy career at the top of the New Zealand charts.
Of course, it wasn’t without its moments of doubt! The band’s relentless touring and publicity schedule following the release of You Are Here led to some inevitable personnel changes (the current line-up has been together since 2005) and lead singer Jason Kerrison was determined to keep the album production closer to the band.
“I had felt somewhat isolated from the process with the production and mixing of our debut based in the States,” he says.
“The experience was ultimately both frustrating and alarming but not because we’re control freaks, it’s just because we take a complete approach to our music and believe in our songs… okay, so maybe we are control freaks.”
If You Are Here was the net result of schoolboy ambition (Kerrison and Treacy first became musically acquainted at Christchurch’s St Bedes College) Second Hand Planet would be the fulfilment of the band’s desire to work with the best, and to be omnipresent during the recording and production process.
Cue Greg Haver, producer for the Manic Street Preachers, Super Furry Animals, Lost Prophets, Tom Jones and a host of other British stars. He wanted to work with OpShop. They couldn’t see a problem with that.
The problems would come soon enough though.
“We had pre-produced around 10 of the 14 songs slated for Second Hand Planet and we realised that all these songs had been written at different times, for different reasons, and that there was absolutely no cohesion to the album,” says Jason.
“Greg was about to head away with the Manic Street Preachers and we had three weeks to find our collective voice, re-work our material, and in some cases, start from scratch. It was a hell of a time!”
Hell of a time perhaps, but the result was one of those rare nuggets of sonic genius that catapult a band from interesting to iconic.
Second Hand Planet did not so much explode onto the charts and burn from the inside out, rather it hit number one in its 32nd week, distributing along the way some of the most recognisable songs of the last decade.
Maybe (New Zealand’s most played single in 2007), Waiting Now and Big Energy in Little Spaces all received widespread critical and commercial success, but it was the achingly familiar One Day (feat. Dianne Swann from The Bads) that stole the show and led Second Hand Planet to triple platinum sales.
“The way I write songs means they don’t have to make immediate sense,” says Jason.
“At an emotional level, though, they hit where they hit. It’s non-linear – it just works where it works.”
One Day certainly worked, picking up a host of industry awards along the way, including the 2008 APRA Silver Scroll for Song of the Year, arguably the highest accolade awarded for song writing in New Zealand.
The success of Second Hand Planet allowed the band to enjoy what they consider a ‘slight sabbatical’, but that only meant finding time to write another album Until The End Of Time and working alongside some familiar faces.
“We went back to Greg Haver and Engineer Clint Murphy for our third album because we thought they had done such a great job with the last one,” deadpans Jason.
“Seriously though, we have pushed the boat out on this one and have brought in a lot of experimentation while staying true to the way we like to write and perform!”
Band Members:
Jason Kerrison (vocals, guitar, keyboards)
Matthew Treacy (guitar, vocals)
Bobby Kennedy (drums)
Clint Harris (bass, vocals)
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danwgreenfield
Joined: 01/04/08 Posts: 1 Location: Hawke's Bay View Profile |
Where in New Zealand would you like to see OpShop play? Posted: Mon May 5, 2008 2:13 pm Check out this great competition site from Telecom, and tell them if you would like to see OpShop play in your own home town! |
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slutydeomn
Joined: 04/04/07 Posts: 3 Location: Canterbury View Profile |
ciao Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 11:36 pm opshop is awsm glad some people in christchurch has musical talent |
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Kraven
muzic.net.nz Admin Joined: 01/01/02 Posts: 827 Location: Manawatu View Profile |
Second Hand Planet Number One! Posted: Wed Jan 9, 2008 5:00 pm OpShop's album, Second Hand Planet has just been placed as #1 on the New Zealand Top 40 Album charts. Well done guys! http://www.muzic.net.nz/charts/s45158/second-hand-planet.html |
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gemz
Joined: 24/04/05 Posts: 3 Location: Manawatu View Profile |
Lyrics Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2005 6:54 pm Hey all, Ive had this song in my head the last couple of days, and i THINK its opshop, but not too sure, but i only really know the tune and the fact that im pretty sure the first word of the chorus is hesitating or something similar.i know thats really ambiguous, but if anyone knows what song that is, pretty sure its nz music either way, could u let me know? [email protected]. cheers! |
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Shade
muzic.net.nz Admin Joined: 17/07/02 Posts: 5072 Location: Manawatu View Profile |
NZ Music Month - OpShop Posted: Sun May 1, 2005 9:52 am Yes it's time to celebrate our kiwi music once again as NZ Music Month is here again. NZ Music Unplugged is an exciting line-up of shows being held on the Sunday afternoons of May. It will be 5 shows that feature 15 Kiwi bands. 3 bands per Sunday. Opshop will be performing at the 2nd Sunday and all for free! Details coming soon. |
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scribe_layne_conpsy
Joined: 24/10/03 Posts: 21 Location: Auckland View Profile |
RE: No ordinary thing guitar chords? Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2005 4:17 pm hehe thanks, yea i looked three as soon as i rote this post haha but yeapo thanks neways |
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cafe_au_lait
Joined: 25/01/05 Posts: 1 Location: Auckland View Profile |
RE: No ordinary thing guitar chords? Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2005 3:25 pm http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/o/opshop/no_ordinary_thing_crd.htm i havent tried out the chords yet, but hopefully thats useful to you. |
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scribe_layne_conpsy
Joined: 24/10/03 Posts: 21 Location: Auckland View Profile |
No ordinary thing guitar chords? Posted: Sun Jan 9, 2005 4:15 pm Does anyone have teh guitar chords for No ordinary thing? Haha first lyrics now this, think im getting into obbsession mode with this song lol |
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scribe_layne_conpsy
Joined: 24/10/03 Posts: 21 Location: Auckland View Profile |
RE: No Ordinary thing lyrics please? Posted: Sun Jan 9, 2005 4:06 pm yaayyyyy |
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Shade
muzic.net.nz Admin Joined: 17/07/02 Posts: 5072 Location: Manawatu View Profile |
RE: No Ordinary thing lyrics please? Posted: Sat Jan 8, 2005 10:28 am The lyrics for No Ordinary Thing are now up on OpShop's muzic.net.nz artist page, along with a link to their new website. Enjoy |
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cam_e_hoe
Joined: 07/01/05 Posts: 1 Location: Auckland View Profile |
RE: No Ordinary thing lyrics please? Posted: Fri Jan 7, 2005 11:51 pm hey i was wondering do you have the lyrics to 'No Ordinary Day' yet? I LOVE that song too and its currently my summer song this yr If you have the lyrics can you please post them up here? thanks |
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scribe_layne_conpsy
Joined: 24/10/03 Posts: 21 Location: Auckland View Profile |
RE: No Ordinary thing lyrics please? Posted: Thu Nov 4, 2004 8:07 pm Please please email me - [email protected] if you find the lyrics much appreciated |
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scribe_layne_conpsy
Joined: 24/10/03 Posts: 21 Location: Auckland View Profile |
RE: OpShop Go Gold! Posted: Thu Nov 4, 2004 8:06 pm No ordinary thing is the bomb song gotta love it... needing the lyrics man! ehh |
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scribe_layne_conpsy
Joined: 24/10/03 Posts: 21 Location: Auckland View Profile |
RE: Opshop Posted: Thu Nov 4, 2004 8:05 pm Opshop are the man... or men haha, havent been to a gig dunno when theyre performing next in Aucks but really wanna go! I love "no ordinary thing" you can probably tell in my post in teh discussion thing haha |
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scribe_layne_conpsy
Joined: 24/10/03 Posts: 21 Location: Auckland View Profile |
No Ordinary thing lyrics please? Posted: Mon Nov 1, 2004 9:04 pm Does anyone have "No ordinary thing" lyrics please??? |
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Shade
muzic.net.nz Admin Joined: 17/07/02 Posts: 5072 Location: Manawatu View Profile |
OpShop Go Gold! Posted: Thu Aug 26, 2004 8:01 pm One of NZ's favourite local acts Opshop sell gold! This is a huge achievement for the band who have had success with their singles 'Nothing Can Wait', 'Secrets', 'Saturated' and their latest huge hit 'No Ordinary Thing'. The band are currently on tour with Eight and have been playing to fantastic crowds all over the country.... don't miss them! |
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nostatic
Joined: 08/07/04 Posts: 3 Location: West Coast View Profile |
Opshop Posted: Fri Jul 9, 2004 9:13 pm If you haven't been to a show..go If you dont own the cd..buy it you will dig "You are here" ...and of you don't. I will want to know why |
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