Zed is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

pop rock group, which formed as Supra in 1996 in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

Ben Campbell Benjamin or Ben Campbell may refer to: * Ben Nighthorse Campbell, former U.S. Senator from Colorado * Ben Campbell (musician) (New Zealand), bassist for rock bands Atlas and Zed * Benjamin Campbell, founder of Campbell, California * Ben Campbell, a ...

on bass guitar, Nathan King on lead vocals and guitar, and Adrian Palmer on drums. In 2000 they added a second guitarist, Andrew Lynch. Their debut album, '' Silencer'' (2000), peaked at No. 1 on the

New Zealand Albums Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...

; while their second album, ''

This Little Empire ''This Little Empire'' is the second (and last) studio album by New Zealand rock band Zed. It was produced by Sylvia Massy Shivy and Zed at Radiostar Studios in Weed, California, and engineered by Rich Veltrop and assisted by Josh Kiser. Unl ...

'' (November 2003), reached No. 3. Their top 10 singles are "Glorafilia" (1999), "Renegade Fighter" (2000) and "Hard to Find Her" (2003). They toured New Zealand, Australia and United States before disbanding in 2004. They have reformed periodically including in 2017 and again in 2019.

History

Zed was formed in 1996 as Supra by students at

Cashmere High School Cashmere High School ( mi, Te iringa o Kahukura) is a state coeducational secondary school, located in southern Christchurch, New Zealand. It was opened in 1956 in response to population growth in southern Christchurch during the 1950s. The sch ...

on bass guitar, Nathan King on lead vocals and guitar, and Adrian Palmer on drums. Initially playing cover versions of work by "Crowded House, Supergrass, Blur and Radiohead they started getting together in each other's bedrooms to practice the kind of hook laden pop music they were listening to." Campbell's father contacted

talent manager A talent manager (also known as an artist manager, band manager or music manager) is an individual who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry. The responsibility of the talent manager is to oversee the day-to-da ...

, and former rock-and-roll artist,

Ray Columbus Raymond John Patrick Columbus (4 November 1942 – 29 November 2016) was a New Zealand Benny Award-winning singer and songwriter, television host, music manager and entertainer, with a career spanning six decades. As the lead singer of Ray Colum ...

. Columbus had them signed to a publishing deal for their original material and booked their early recording sessions. In 2000 they added Andy Lynch (Sensei Master) as second guitarist. The band worked with producer David Nicholas on their debut album, '' Silencer'' (2000). Rhythm and vocal tracks were recorded at Revolver Studios in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, with final overdubbing and mixing at Mangrove Studios, north of Sydney, Australia. Released in New Zealand later that year, ''Silencer'', debuted at No. 1 on the New Zealand Album Charts, and was certified triple platinum. It provided in six top 40 singles with "Renegade Fighter" (2000) peaked at No. 4. The band's second and final album, ''

'', was released with two different track lists, one for the New Zealand market in 2003, and another aimed at the United States the following year. In total Zed had ten top 40 singles in New Zealand. Zed disbanded in 2004, they subsequently reunited for a few live gigs (a 2008 performance at Auckland's Vector Arena, and two corporate events in 2011). Nathan King launched a solo career, then later sang with band Paper Planes. Campbell and Lynch formed a new band,

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...

, which disbanded in late 2008. Lynch was working as a session musician in Auckland. In 2017 Zed reunited to perform live. and in 2019 they undertook a national tour to celebrate 20 years of ''Silencer''.

Members

* Nathan King – vocals, guitar * Adrian Palmer – drums * Andy Lynch – guitar *

History

Members

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links