Songs from the Shaky Isles is a fast-paced, big-picture account of how popular music arose in our far-flung island nation. It shows how wider society influenced, and was itself impacted by the country's musical culture, but with plenty of room for outrageous anecdotes and insightful analysis. It's a treat for music fans and history buffs alike.

From early Māori waiata and European settler folk songs that could only be heard in person through to modern pop/hip- hop hits that have spread digitally to all ends of the earth, this book is the complete guide to the bands and the songs that have reached iconic NZ status.

Songs from the Shaky Isles is a pictorial feast and features bands and musicians including Boh Runga from Stellar (featured on the cover), Bic Runga, Benee, The Chills, Dave Dobbyn, The Mockers, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Margaret Urlich, Jenny Morris, Lorde, Sir Howard Morrison, Ray Columbus, Max Merritt, The Human Instinct, Savage, Shihad, Shapeshifter, Six60, Scribe, Tex Morton, Walter Smith, Split Enz and so many more.

Gareth Shute has a wide-ranging understanding of popular music in New Zealand, which gives him a singular perspective on how it has progressed over the last century and a half. He is also a gigging musician with garage rock band, Thee Golden Geese. Since 2002, he has also helped run the label Lil Chief Records and in the first decade of the label he toured internationally with two of its bands: The Brunettes and The Ruby Suns. This gives him a unique insight as someone who not only researches local music history but is directly involved in the scene on a weekly basis.