# David Kilgour (musician)

David Auld Kilgour MNZM (born 1961 or 1962) is a New Zealand songwriter, musician and recording artist from Dunedin. He first started playing guitar as a teenager in the late 1970s. With brother Hamish he formed The Clean, a group that went on to become one of the principal acts of the Dunedin Sound.

## Early life and family

Born in Ranfurly, Kilgour is the son of McGregor Kilgour and Helen Stewart Kilgour (née Auld). He was educated at Otago Boys' High School from 1974 to 1976.

## Career
### 1980s: The Clean and The Great Unwashed

In 1980, Kilgour was one of the founders of New Zealand independent rock band, The Clean. The Clean broke up in the mid- 1980s and David Kilgour proceeded to form and play with other bands such as Stephen and The Great Unwashed. The Clean reformed in 1989 and produced the album Vehicle.

### 1990s-present: Solo career

In 1991, Kilgour released his debut solo album Here Come the Cars, which received much critical acclaim and peaked at number 35 on the New Zealand chart. In 1994 Kilgour released his second studio album, Sugar Mouth.
In 1995 Kilgour released First Steps and False Alarms, a compilation of recordings and demos, the so-called "best of the worst", between the late '80s and early '90s. In 1997 he released his third album, David Kilgour and the Heavy Eights.
At the 2001 New Year Honours, Kilgour was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to music. That same year, he released his 4th studio album, A Feather in the Engine.
In 2004, Kilgour released his fifth solo album Frozen Orange. The making of Frozen Orange was documented by filmmaker Bridget Sutherland in the film Far Off Town: Dunedin to Nashville. The film screened at Raindance Film Festival, London; Nashville Film Festival, San Francisco Film Festival, Aarhus Festival of Independent Arts, Denmark and was nominated for ‘Best Feature Documentary’ at DOCNZ, 2007.
In February 2007 Kilgour released his sixth solo album, The Far Now.

## Discography
### Studio albums

List of studio albums, with New Zealand chart positions :
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | NZ |
| Here Come the Cars | Released: 1991 Label: Flying Nun Records (FN220) Format: LP, CD, Cassette | 21 |
| Sugar Mouth | Released: May 1994 Label: Flying Nun Records (FN282) Format: LP, CD | 45 |
| David Kilgour & The Heavy Eights (as David Kilgour & The Heavy Eights) | Released: 1997 Label: Flying Nun Records (FN397) Format: CD | - |
| A Feather in the Engine | Released: 2001 Label: Arclife Records (arclife 016) Format: CD | - |
| Frozen Orange | Released: 2004 Label: Arch Hill Recordings (AHR013) Format: CD | - |
| The Far Now | Released: February 2007 Label: Arch Hill Recordings (AHR025) Format: CD, DD | - |
| Falling Debris (with Sam Hunt) | Released: 2008 Label: Arch Hill Recordings (AHR039) Format: CD, DD | - |
| Left by Soft (as David Kilgour & The Heavy Eights) | Released: April 2011 Label: Arch Hill Recordings (AHR047) Format: CD, DD | 31 |
| End Times Undone (as David Kilgour & The Heavy Eights) | Released: 2014 Label: Merge Records (MRG519) Format: CD, DD, LP | - |
| Bobbie's a Girl (as David Kilgour & The Heavy Eights) | Released: September 2019 Label: Merge Records (MRG688) Format: CD, DD, LP, streaming | 25 |

### Demo albums

List of demo albums :
| Title | Album details |
| David | Released: 1989 Label: Alley Oop (ALLEY OOP 1) Format: Cassette |
| First Steps & False Alarms | Released: 1995 Label: Ajax Format: CD |

### Extended plays

List of EPs :
| Title | Album details |
| Pop Art Toasters (with The Chills) | Released: 1994 Label: Flying Nun (FNCD288) Format: CD |
| Spiritual Gas Station | Released: 1994 Label: Flying Nun (FNCD308) Format: CD |
| Cracks in the Sidewalk | Released: 2002 Label: Arclife Records (arc 017) Format: CD |