The DoubleHappys (sometimes spelled ''Double Happys'') were a New Zealand rock band based in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

who short-lived but influential, and part of the

Dunedin sound The Dunedin sound was a style of indie pop music created in the southern New Zealand university city of Dunedin in the early 1980s. Characteristics According to Matthew Bannister, Dunedin sound "was typically marked by the use of droning or ...

music wave of the 1980s.

History

The band was formed initially by former

Bored Games Shayne P. Carter is a New Zealand musician best known for leading Straitjacket Fits from 1986 to 1994, and as the only permanent member of Dimmer (1995–2012). Carter is a member of the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame, and has been awarded the ...

members

Shayne Carter Shayne P. Carter is a New Zealand musician best known for leading Straitjacket Fits from 1986 to 1994, and as the only permanent member of Dimmer (1995–2012). Carter is a member of the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame, and has been awarded the ...

and Wayne Elsey after the demise of Elsey's other band The Stones in 1983. They employed an old and erratic drum machine (dubbed "Herbie Fuckface"). Herbie proved too erratic and it was not long before the duo opted to recruit former school friend John Collie to provide a more reliable rhythm section. They took part in the

Flying Nun ''The Flying Nun'' is an American sitcom about a community of nuns which included one who could fly when the wind caught her cornette. It was produced by Screen Gems for ABC based on the 1965 book '' The Fifteenth Pelican,'' written by Tere ...

"Looney Tour" in February 1984, traveling around the country with various other bands, cutting a single, the "Double B-side" ("The Other's Way" and "Anyone Else Would"), in March. Early in 1985, the band recorded an EP, ''Cut it Out'' and embarked on a short tour in June. Towards the end of the tour the band were traveling south from Auckland by train, and Elsey, in high spirits, climbed out of a carriage. The train passed under a bridge, killing Elsey instantly. The two remaining members of the band decided not to continue with the name, but later formed the nucleus of

Straitjacket Fits Straitjacket Fits formed in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1986 and were a prominent band in the Flying Nun label's second wave of the Dunedin sound. Biography Like many of their Flying Nun stable-mates, the band hailed from the southern city of Dun ...

. A compilation CD ''Nerves'' which features the single, EP, and live tracks, was released in 1992. "The Other's Way" was covered by

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia band The Glory Box on their 1991 album ''Fudgeland''.

Discography

Singles & EPs

* Double B Side (7" – 1984 – Flying Nun Records – FN026) #42 * Cut It Out (12" – 1985 – Flying Nun Records – FNDH002) #33 * How Much Time Left, Please? (12" – 1990 – Avalanche Records – ONLY MLP 012 – Recorded in 1984)

Compilations

* Nerves (7'' – 1992 – Flying Nun Records – FNCD196)

References

*Davey, T. and Putschmann, H. (1996). ''Kiwi Rock''. Dunedin: Kiwi Rock Publications. New Zealand indie rock groups Flying Nun Records artists Dunedin Sound musical groups {{NewZealand-band-stub