1981–1986: origins and early years In the early 1980s, Robert Scott and Kaye Woodward were sharing accommodation together in Christchurch. Scott was already playing bass in
The Clean, and had also played with bassist Paul Kean in the short-lived band, Thanks To Llamas. After Scott taught Woodward some of his songs, the three began playing together at parties as The Percy Taiwan Band. After recruiting Malcolm Grant of The Bilders on drums, they renamed themselves The Bats. The Bats first performed in Dunedin on New Year's Eve, 1982. Over the next two years, they were involved in the live music scene in Christchurch and Dunedin, before releasing their first EP,
By Night (1984), on the nascent alternative New Zealand record label,
Flying Nun. The band spent the next two years touring New Zealand and Australia, and released another EP, ''
And Here Is 'Music for the Fireside''' (1985). The band's early releases were accompanied by some typically low budget but original music videos, notably 'By Night', 'I Go Wild' and 'Downfall'. The band then travelled to Europe and spent time touring Britain and Germany, including playing support for
Alex Chilton. They recorded the
Made Up in Blue EP at the 24 track Point Studio in London in December 1985. 'Made Up in Blue', the first single released in the U.K. by Flying Nun, was awarded 'Single of the Week' by the influential British magazine,
NME. Notable tracks on the album include "North By North", "Tragedy" and the lead single, "Block of Wood", all of which were staples on New Zealand student radio. The Bats' second album
The Law of Things (1990) continued to define a consistent Bats sound. It featured
Alastair Galbraith on violin, as did ''Daddy's Highway
. In 2000 the compilation album Thousands Of Tiny Luminous Spheres'' was released on Flying Nun Records. The Bats continued to play occasional gigs, often opening as Minisnap and finishing with the full Bats lineup. Robert Scott has stated that he thinks the regular breaks taken by the band have contributed to its longevity. In an interview, he said, "Each time we come back to it, it is fun. I don’t think working on other projects has harmed or hindered any other projects. It adds to it I think." In September 2005, The Bats released their first album in ten years,
At the National Grid, on their own label, Pocket Music. Internationally, the album was released by Little Teddy Records in Germany, Magic Marker in the US and Egg Records in the UK. The album generally received very positive reviews. Tim Sendra at
Allmusic gave it 4 stars, adding "...having the group back at such a high level is as refreshing as a plunge into an ice-cold mountain stream." It got airplay on many college radio stations in the US, leading to an appearance at Austin's
SXSW Festival in 2006. The band toured the UK and Europe in May and June 2009 in support of the album. In October 2010, the band played at the free relief concert in
Hagley Park following the
September 2010 Canterbury earthquake in front of about 140,000 people. The
Mayor of Christchurch at the time,
Bob Parker, joined The Bats for the performance and played guitar. In 2011, The Bats reunited with their old label Flying Nun and released their eighth album,
Free All the Monsters, which was described by
Pitchfork as "...their best record in years, possibly ever". The album was released by Mistletone Records in Australia, Revolver/Midheaven Distribution in the US, and Forte Distribution in the UK and Europe. ==Popular culture==