Hampster

ROCKHAPPENZ Public Collection

Hampster a Christchurch group from the late 1980s
Conrad Frankland, Carmel Courtney, James Wilkinson and Matthew Lawrence

All four members of the band are Christchurch born and educated, and they have stayed surprisingly close to their roots, becoming an Hampstericon of the Christchurch music scene.  Hampster has developed a strong reputation for skilled musicianship and quirky live performances, and it maintained a loyal following, but, as keyboard player Conrad explained, the lifespan of this small furry animal faced an end to its existance with the finding of a replacement for drummer Matthew Lawrence who left to pursue other interests, whilst the remaining members choose to stay committed to the band.

Hampster’s evolution began in the late 1980s when guitarist James Wilkinson and Conrad Frankland started playing music together.  They were joined later by Matthew to form a backing group, but it wasn’t until they met Carmel Courtney that Hampster was born.  Conrad comments that Carmel’s arranging skills and ability as a soloist took the band to a different level.  Carmel was also responsible for developing lyrics for some songs, although Hampster’s material is mainly instrumental.  The band’s creative process was co-operative; songs sometimes evolved from a jam, (Magoomba Berries, for example), from chord patterns that Conrad came up with, or from a bass-line that James had worked out.

The key to Hampster’s success as a band may have been their ability to respect one another personally and musically.  Conrad insisted that during the band's three month tour of Europe in 1995, (through the United Kingdom and Northern Europe), there was only a minimum of bitchiness, and that by the end, they got along better than ever.  Hampster’s sound smoothly accomodates a diverse range of influences; Conrad lists Folk, Celtic, Dance, Jazz Fusion, and European Jazz as some of their preferences, but he emphasises that each member of the band has broad musical tastes – James has a record collection of over 1000 discs.

They played during the Wearable Arts performance in Nelson, and for a New Year's Eve party at Awaroa Lodge in the Abel Tasman National Park. At least three members of the band will soon be working on a project with the Shenanigan Brothers which involved producing the music for a puppet show.