Nocturnal Projections
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Defunct | 1983 |
| Headquarters | Stratford, near New Plymouth , New Zealand |
| Products | Music recordings |
Nocturnal Projections was a post-punk group originating from Stratford, near New Plymouth, New Zealand, active between 1981 and 1983. Their sound, characterized by prominent bass lines and a somber atmosphere, often invited comparisons to British acts such as Joy Division, although their guitar work was more dynamic and less metallic in tone. Unlike many of their UK peers, they steered clear of heavily polished studio productions.
History
The lineup featured Peter Jefferies on vocals, his brother Graeme Jefferies handling guitar duties, Brett Jones playing bass, and Gordon Rutherford on drums. Following Nocturnal Projections, Peter and Graeme established This Kind of Punishment, which remained active into the late 1980s. Graeme subsequently founded Cakekitchen, while Peter embarked on a solo career, releasing multiple albums.
Prior to forming Nocturnal Projections, the Jefferies brothers were involved in punk outfits such as the Plastic Bags; some early compositions like "Walk in a Straight Line" were later rerecorded by Nocturnal Projections.
Their debut was the 1981 cassette Things That Go Bunt in the Night, recorded straight to cassette and distributed in a very limited run, estimated at around 100 copies. This was succeeded by another cassette titled November 1981, probably laid down using a four-track recorder.
In 1982, they issued their initial vinyl records: a 7" single featuring "Nerve Ends in Power Lines" / "In Purgatory" and the Another Year 12" EP.
The group's last release came in 1983 with a three-track 12" containing Understanding, Another Year, and In Darkness. Peter Jefferies later voiced his dissatisfaction with the overly produced nature of this studio recording. Live performances from this era include "Words Fail Me," which appeared on the 1986 compilation Biding Our Time and was later reinterpreted by This Kind of Punishment, as well as "Walk in a Straight Line," featured on the 1990 compilation Xpressway Pile=Up.
In 1995, the European label Raffmond released a CD titled Nerve Ends in Powerlines compiling eleven tracks by Nocturnal Projections, including several previously unreleased songs. This CD also contained four hidden tracks sourced from their early cassette recordings.
Songs from their first cassette resurfaced on subsequent releases such as the Hate Your Neighbours CD (1997), the Worldview 7" (1998), and the compilation CD Move to Riot (2002).
Discography
| Release Date | Title | Label | Chart Position | Country | Catalog Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albums | |||||
| 1981 | Things That Go Bunt in the Night § | - | - | ||
| 1982 | November 1981 | - | - | ||
| 1995 | Nerve Ends in Power Lines (CD reissue) |
Raffmond | - | - | |
| EPs | |||||
| 1982 | Another Year | - | 44 | NZ | |
| 1983 | Understanding, Another Year, In Darkness | - | - | ||
| Singles | |||||
| 1982 | Nerve Ends in Power Lines/In Purgatory | - | - | ||
| 1998 | Worldview | Raw Power Records | - | - | |
- § recorded directly onto cassette and released in very limited quantities.
Featured contributions
Since the 1980s, the band has been included on various compilation albums, such as:
- (1986) - Biding Our Time (Failsafe Records) - Words Fail Me
- (1990) - Xpressway Pile-Up (Xpressway) - Walk in a Straight Line
- (1997) - Hate Your Neighbours (Zerox Records)
- (1997) - Move to Riot (Raw Power Records) -