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New Zealand indie rock band
the rock band

The Phoenix Foundation is a New Zealand indie rock band formed in Wellington in 1997.

The band was founded by Conrad Wedde, Samuel Flynn Scott, and Luke Buda in 1994 while students at Wellington High School. In 2001, the band expanded their lineup, and were joined by Tim Hansen (bass), Richie Singleton (drums) and Will Ricketts (percussion). The band took their name from a fictional organisation on the popular television show MacGyver. After playing together for several years, they released the China Cove EP in 2000.

Their first full length album Horsepower was released by Capital Recordings in mid 2003 to critical acclaim, and was moderately successful. Horsepower included such singles as "This Charming Van" and "Let Me Die A Woman", which received extensive airplay on alternative radio stations such as 95bFM and RDU FM.

In 2004, the band began work on their second album Pegasus, with Warner Emery replacing Hansen on bass. The album was released in early 2005 and met with some commercial success, eventually obtaining gold status in New Zealand. It was released in Australia by Remote Control Records in October 2006. In 2005, the Phoenix Foundation toured with the Finn Brothers and put on their own theatre tour which included shows at the Wellington Opera House and Auckland's grand St. James Theatre. In June 2005 producer Jet Jaguar released remixes of songs from Horsepower on his website which are available for download. Luke Buda was the first of the group to release solo material. His EP The C Sides (2003) met with critical acclaim in local music reviews. This recording features the long time live favourite from the early days of The Phoenix Foundation, "Television Songs". Both Buda and Samuel Flynn Scott released solo albums in 2006. Buda's Special Surprise came out on Arch Hill Recordings, and showcases his love of synth pop and carefully crafted melody. Scott's record The Hunt Brings Us Life was released on Loop Recordings. It has a more ramshackle feel than the music of The Phoenix Foundation and delves deeper into the Americana that Scott's songs on Pegasus hinted at.

The band recorded the original score to the Taika Waititi film Eagle vs Shark in early 2006. The film was released world wide on Miramax at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007. Following this success they also provided the score to Waititi's 2010 film, Boy. The Phoenix Foundation signed a deal with label Young American Recordings to release their records in the United States. The first American release was Horsepower, on 13 March 2007. The Phoenix Foundation released Happy Ending, their third album, in New Zealand in September 2007. This release was a switch from the Festival arm of Warner Music Group to Flying Nun, and features the single "Bright Grey". After the release of Happy Ending, five members of the band released solo projects. In 2008, Scott's Straight Answer Machine was released (under the name Samuel F. Scott and the B. O. P.) and Buda released Vesuvius. In 2009, Conrad Wedde, Will Ricketts and Richie Singleon all released debut solo albums: Wedde's Bronze, Ricketts' (under the name Wild Bill Ricketts) John Dryden and Singleton's (under the name Rebel Peasant) The Walls of the Well. In 2009, Scott and Buda composed the soundtrack for the film Separation City, which featured many Phoenix Foundation tracks. The Phoenix Foundation played support on the Split Enz tour of 2008.

The Phoenix Foundation released the Merry Kriskmass EP in December 2009. It included songs that, according to the band, wouldn't fit with the atmosphere of their forthcoming album. The band's fourth album, Buffalo, was released in New Zealand on 26 April 2010. For the first time in the band's history, the album was released on vinyl as well as a digital download together with The Do Son EP. Bass player Warner Emery left the band during the recording of Buffalo on amicable terms. He was replaced by Tom Callwood, who had previously provided double bass on the Merry Kriskmass track 'Forget It', and cello on Happy Ending. At the end of September 2010, the Phoenix Foundation announced a new record deal with UK record label Memphis Industries, which released Buffalo worldwide on 24 January 2011. To coincide with the release, the band toured the UK and Europe in January and February, and returned for a longer tour from May to July 2011. Buffalo was well received by English critics, with The Guardian giving the album a 5 star rating. The band performed live on the BBC's ‘'Later with Jools Holland'‘ on 25 October 2011. It was their UK TV debut. The band played two songs, "Buffalo" and "Flock of Hearts". The album was shortlisted for the 2011 Taite Music Prize. In the meantime, Will Ricketts worked on his second solo album, West Wind, which was released on 3 October 2011.