The Terminals

The Terminals

The Terminals are a New Zealand alternative rock band formed in 1988. The group draws on psychedelic rock, indie rock, noise rock and garage rock, and it is associated with the New Zealand alternative scene.

Line-up and background

The band includes Brian Crook, Mick Elborado and Peter Stapleton. Stephen Cogle and Peter Stapleton both play in The Victor Dimisich Band in the early 1980s, and Stapleton also plays with The Pin Group and Scorched Earth Policy. Ross Humphries is also a former member of The Pin Group, while Mick Elborado plays bass and keyboards with Scorched Earth Policy. Humphries is later replaced by Brian Crook, who also plays guitar in Scorched Earth Policy.

Recordings and labels

The Terminals sign to Flying Nun and release their debut EP, Disconnect, in 1988. They then issue two albums on the label before moving to Xpressway for their third album, Touch. Little Things follows in 1995, and later releases appear on Xpressway, Raffmond and Siltbreeze. Their early material is more melodic, while later recordings are darker in tone.

Selected songs and later activity

Notable songs include “Frozen Car”, “Native Waiter” and “Deadly Tango”, along with a cover of Roxy Music’s “Both Ends Burning”. After the 2007 album Last Days Of The Sun, the band enters an extended hiatus. They return in 2017 with the album Antiseptic.