Bruce Blucher

aka Alpaca Brothers


Bruce Blucher is a maverick with a Marshall amp, a player of dirty chords, a singer who underrates himself, and a songwriter of considerable skill. He has released some of the most enduring, but somehow obscure, songs to come out of New Zealand.

Beginning sometime in 1984 he teamed up with Nick Wilkinson (bass) and Steve Cournane (drums) to form the Alpaca Brothers. Bruce himself was on guitar, and provided most of the vocals. More the singer by default than by actual choice, he surrounded his vocals with a considerable amount of high amp volume. The band played around Dunedin, made several trips to Auckland, released Legless, a 12-inch EP on Flying Nun, and added more guitar to the sound by adding Paul Cahill to the line-up somewhere along the way.

Cyclops double A-sided Light/ Spolcyc 7-inch single, 1995
A generic poster for The Alpaca Brothers
Alpaca Brothers - The Lie (live at the Windsor Castle, 10 May 1985 - filmed by Bob Sutton)
Hurtin', the 1994 lathe-cut single from Trash
Trash in Chicago, 1994, L to R: Bill Meyer, David Lester, Jean Smith, Paul Cahill, Bruce Blucher, Peter Jefferies, John Allen and Robbie Yeats
Photo credit: Peter Jefferies collection
B.V.C was Trash fronted by Viv Crowe. The double A-side single Once in a Blue Moon b/w Soft October was released on US label Roofbolt.
Bruce Blucher - Piece Of Shit (included on Does It Float?, a 1994 Trinder Music compilation)
The Alpaca Brothers at Chippendale House, Dunedin, June 1986, one of their last performances
The Flying Nun poster for the Legless EP, 1986
The Alpaca Brothers with Look Blue Go Purple, Sounds Café, Dunedin, March 1985
Cyclops' 1991 7-inch single Eh Simpleton
Trash's 1992 US released 7-inch single On And On With Lou Reed
Gamaunche and The Alpaca Brothers at Dunedin's Empire Tavern, September 1985
The 1994 Cyclops album Goat Volume
Cyclops recording Goat Volume in Fish Street Studio, 1991
Photo credit: Peter Jefferies collection
Trash's 1995 Mihiwaka CD
Alpaca Brothers - Hey Man (live at the Windsor Castle, 10 May 1985 - filmed by Bob Sutton)
Cyclops at Dunedin's Crown Hotel, 1990
Photo credit: Peter Jefferies collection
The Alpaca Bros at the Captain Cook Tavern, Dunedin, January 1985
The Alpaca Brothers 1986 12-inch EP Legless, produced by the band with Terry Moore in Dunedin and mixed at Auckland's Progressive Studios
Andre Richardson and Bruce Blucher
Photo credit: Peter Jefferies collection
Bruce Blucher with Stephen Kilroy, Fish Street Studio, 1991
Photo credit: Peter Jefferies collection
The Alpaca Brothers play Hamilton student bar the Wailing Bongo in 1985
Bruce Blucher in Fish Street Studio, Dunedin, 1991
Trash's Not Gate album, released in 1994 on the US New World Of Sound label
Bruce Blucher
Labels:

Flying Nun


Turbulence Records


New World of Sound


Xpressway


Arclife Records


IMD


Feel Good All Over


Trinder Music

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