Fresh Talent: Carriage H

Being a Dunedin band carries with it some pretty heavy lineage and high expectations, but three-piece Carriage H seem ready to meet them.
Andrew Wilson (bass/samples), Tiddy Smith (guitar/vocals) and Michael Prain (drums/samples) took the top prize at this year's cokesmokefreerockquest, a win that has boosted their already none-too-shabby music career. As their impressive CV shows, Carriage H are not a band to sit around waiting for prize winnings. They have already scored a record deal to release an EP and album (although won't say who until "the ink's dry") and have developed a reputation as the support band of choice in Dunedin. They've played alongside HDU, Shihad, Weta, Fur Patrol, The D4, The Subliminals and Zed (which Andrew describes as their strangest gig to date). A tour with Dimmer is planned for summer, the band having caught the eye (and ears) of Dimmer and HDU manager, Natasha Griffiths. They have also had airplay on Dunedin's Radio One and they contributed a track Solipt to the recently released antenna Records 'Starf*ckers' compilation.
The band formed in late 1999, the three sharing classroom space at Logan Park High School and discovering a shared love of music. Andrew describes their sound as "noisy, sonic rock and roll" and admits to a penchant for effects and big chords.

 

Their checklist of bands they admire include The Dead C, Snapper, Mogwai and Sonic Youth which provides an instant sonic signpost to where they're at. The next step is to take the music into the studio. They have had a taste, working with Thomas Bell from arclife.
They will be taking HDU engineer Dale Cotton into York Street Studios (part of their rockquest prize) to produce their debut EP, 'Enemy Sound', which looks set to spread the Carriage H sound north - and beyond.