Wellington rock titans Shihad will be honoured at the 2024 Taite Music Prize ceremony on April 15th, taking out this year’s IMNZ Classic Record Award for their 1995 hard rock staple Killjoy.
Presented each year by Independent Music New Zealand (IMNZ), the award recognises a locally released album more than 20 years old that’s still shaping Aotearoa’s musical landscape. Killjoy more than qualifies. Released via Wildside Records, it was the breakthrough moment for Shihad – and a defining record in New Zealand rock history.
The album spawned two Top 20 singles, “You Again” and “Bitter”, and cleaned up at the 1996 Aotearoa Music Awards with four wins, including Album of the Year. Killjoy quickly gained cult status and drew praise from Iggy Pop and members of Metallica. Even MTV took notice, tipping the band for international success.
With ten studio albums and 18 AMA trophies to their name, Shihad rank among Aotearoa’s most decorated and enduring rock exports. The latest accolade follows the band’s massive farewell tour, which wrapped in March with a record-breaking, sold-out show at Auckland’s Spark Arena – the largest-ever crowd for a NZ-headlined hard rock gig.
Formed in 1988, Shihad made the leap from thrash beginnings to stadium-worthy rock, sharing stages with the likes of Faith No More, Tool and Black Sabbath, and building a rep for high-voltage live shows and a fiercely uncompromising sound.
“We need to pay homage to the legacy of this band, because it’s meant so much to us and also to the people that have supported us,” frontman Jon Toogood said on tour. “We’re gonna fucking hit it!”
Also on the night, emerging acts Pony Baby, VIDA, 花溪 Flowerstream and Byllie-jean will compete for the Auckland Live Best Independent Debut Award.
Meanwhile, the main Taite Music Prize – for the best NZ album released in the past year – is packed with talent, including Georgia Lines, Fazerdaze, MOKOTRON, DARTZ, and more.
Winners will be revealed at Q Theatre in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland tomorrow night, Tuesday, April 15th.
Explore the full list of finalists, and the stories behind their albums, in Rolling Stone AU/NZ’s deep-dive feature here.
For more on the Taite Music Prize and future editions, head to the official site.
