1856 to 2026 – DIY outsider music, from Aotearoa NZ and beyond
“Weirdly perverse all-over-the-place free-form jam recorded at a practice for a gig. Pretty much zero editing so it is what it is (…). Veers between NZ garage squall and free jazz skronk with epic relentless drumming from Mr Heath. Copied onto disk as a quickie give away for the show.”
Antony Milton
David Heath – drums
Dave Edwards – bass
Antony Milton – guitar
Recorded in Masterton, NZ
19 July 2026
released August 5, 2026
“A few months between drinks but The Troubled Times are back with perhaps their ‘dustiest’ session yet. The whole thing was recorded onto Dave Edwards‘ phone resulting in a slightly more lo-fi sound than usual. Murky drones, percussive clatter and spasms of edgy delay soaked bliss.
A mumbled song.” – Antony Milton
A late EP coda to the year –
Tracks 1-4 recorded live at the Bakehouse, 29-11-25 – opening act for Featherston Free Sound Ensemble /
Tracks 5-6 recorded 08 February 2025 at the Carterton Club.
includes two pieces from Poems & Lyrics in the Scotch Dialect (1856)
and the first live performance of Assembling Disconsonant
Smalltown NZ free improv by Featherston Free Sound Ensemble
Paetumokai / Featherston,
Aotearoa / New Zealand,
Recorded at the Bakehouse, October-November 2025
| 1. | 19-11-25 #1 orchestral overture 08:53 |
| 2. | 27-11-25 #3 casino 03:39 |
| 3. | 12-11-25 #4a static electricity 02:34 |
| 4. | 12-11-25 #5c tremelo 03:48 |
| 5. | 30-10-25 #2 Bulgarian 11:27 |
| 6. | 27-11-25 #2 banjo 04:55 |
| 7. | 12-11-25 #3b ukulele 03:27 |
| 8. | 12-11-25 #5a EDM 03:51 |
| 9. | 30-10-25 #3 guitar 04:27 |
| 10. | 19-11-25 #4 towards the exit 03:25 |
| 11. | 12-11-25 #3a orchestral reprise 04:53 |
Continue reading “Experiments Under the Hills (2025)”“I was wide awake at 2.30am so listened to us on headphones in the dark in bed. I’m probably biased, but I think we sound bloody awesome” – Guy Walker
Smalltown free improv – live at @bakehousecollectivenz
“I was wide awake at 2.30am so listened to us on headphones in the dark in bed. I’m probably biased, but I think we sound bloody awesome” – Guy Walker
Paetumokai / Featherston,
Aotearoa / New Zealand,
29 November 2025
Guy Walker – turntable, cassette loops
Alex V – turntable, MIDI, sampler
Dave Edwards – bass, guitar, e-drum, harmonica
Continue reading “Live at the Bakehouse 29/11/25”Following the 25th anniversary of fiffdimension in 2023, it was in some ways tempting to leave it there, and retire…
… but I soon found myself creating new music in 2024:
January: Solo suite for electric guitar, bass and electronic percussion.
April: New combination of old free improv collaborators Simon O’Rorke and Antony Milton.
“A virtual infusion of ‘ants-in-the-pants’ for the entomologically deficient.” –Antony Milton
“The album blends Antony Milton‘s and my styles, with Dave Edwards often occupying a pivotal midpoint. It’s an exhilarating session.” – Simon O’Rorke
June-August: A pair of new albums from The Troubled Times (trio with Antony Milton and David Heath):
The Latest Poll marked a departure into semiacoustic freak folk; whereas Boa leaned more towards noisy electric rock.
June-July: Recorded a couple more of my ancestor’s poems for this epic acoustic/folk work-in-progress (& hoping to finish it off this summer when my nephews visit):
September: A long-overdue return (after six years!) to live performance in Wellington, and The Troubled Times‘ first appearance there at the Pyramid Club.
October: A career-spanning longform interview, telling my life story and the background influences behind the music.
October: An international performance across the ditch :
The Sydney performance can now be heard on the Live 2022-24 album:
November: A new solo 7″ on vinyl (first one since 2016):
“Some seriously scrambled dissonance. 80’s vocals hits 60’s electro/cut-up nonsense whilst smothering an ever mutating bassline […] the track contains more musical ideas in its 5 mins than some exhibit in musical careers.” – Simon Baker, What Lies Beneath
December: A thoughtful birthday present (thanks Talei!): a t-shirt featuring the cover art from The Troubled Times’ A Second Sun album.
I also enjoyed a visit to my hometown of New Plymouth (& hope to play a gig there next time!)
This was 20 years ago today!
Ascension Band played at the Meatwaters Festival at Happy, in Wellington. We look so young… happy anniversary guys!
By auspicious coincidence, this morning (exactly 20 years on) I found an original DVD of the full performance (as well as discs of the 2005 gigs with the 18-piece imperial phase lineup).
Continue reading “Ascension Band: Live 2004”Dave Edwards live solo at Solway Showgrounds, Masterton NZ
24th June + 19th August 2023
at ‘The Next Big Thing Wairarapa‘
A track from the Loose Autumn Moans album – originally recorded in 2003, and recently played live for the first time in 20 years!
Thank you everyone who came to The Troubled Times‘ live debut, in Featherston NZ
Antony Milton – guitar David Heath – drums Dave Edwards – bass
Mānawatia a Matariki!
Thanks also to Zac and Holly Winterwood,
Continue reading “The Troubled Times: live at Common Ground 15/07/23”
