Graeme Downes

Graeme Downes first earned widespread recognition as singer and guitarist for the Verlaines, contributing to seven of their albums before striking out alone at the start of the twenty-first century. Alongside his songwriting and performances, he holds a post at New Zealand’s University of Otago, where he teaches courses devoted to contemporary rock music. Completed in 1999, his debut solo project remained unreleased until August 2001, when it appeared under the title Hammers and Anvils.