Two LATE-80s kiwi indie bands re-form for a special show at auckland's juice bar...

New Zealand, 1989 – things were very different for original bands. Studio recording was expensive, home studios consisted of four track cassette decks, radio play was confined to student radioat best, virtually non-existEnt video and recording funding, no internet, limited media coverage for ESTABLISHED AND up-and-coming bands…



Still, many bands flourished, making home-recorded demos and quick-fire studio recordings, releasing cassettes and selling them at gigs, organising their own live shows, press coverage and ultimately chasing the ideal of being ‘signed to a label’ and one day releasing a fully fledged album. Hoi Polloi and P. D. Corp were two of these bands and for the first time since 1989 they will play a show together with original line-ups from the era. Hoi Polloi are reforming for the Parachute Music Festival the week before whilst P. D. Corp are reforming especially for the February 5th show with singer Jono Jack flying in from Europe.



HOI POLLOI

Originally known as Jamboree and releasing a critically-acclaimed 12” EP ‘Independence Day’ in 1986, the band changed it’s name to Hoi Polloi in 1988 when Jenny Gullen replaced original vocalist Brent Tasker, joining founding members David Ball (guitar), Jozsef Fityus (drums) and Andrew Horst (bass).



In the late ‘80s, Hoi Polloi became one of New Zealand’s most progressive bands, rapidly building a name for itself on the live circuit. The NZ Herald called Hoi Polloi “one of NZ’s more talented mainstream (sic) bands”.



After seeing the band perform live in NZ in 1990, Chicago-based Rez Band invited Hoi Polloi to perform at the Cornerstone Music Festival in the U.S. The performance, to a crowd of 2,000, was deemed the “hit” of the festival, and set off an underground buzz among rock aficionados and a signing frenzy among record companies. Although the band had begun pursuing a record deal in New Zealand, they were attracted to the idea of accessing the market in the States.



In 1991, Hoi Polloi signed with crossover label Reunion Records, becoming the first NZ band to sign such a deal and breaking new ground for New Zealand artists.



Hoi Polloi released their self-titled debut album in 1992 to an international audience, with BMG also releasing the album across the U.S.



An intended six-month stint in the U.S. to promote the album became a five year stay, with a rigorous touring schedule of over 200 shows per year. Gigs ranged from legendary small clubs like CBGB’s to large festivals and audiences of up to 50,000 people. Former Jamboree guitarist Dave Steunebrink assumed managerial duties.



In 1993 Hoi Polloi released their second album Spin Me, with the single ‘Angel’ hitting the number one spot on the U.S. national CCM radio chart. In 1994, David Ball and Jozsef Fityus returned to NZ and Scotty Pearson (ex-P.D. Corp drummer and later of Elemeno P) joined Horst and Gullen on drums, with American Troy Daughterty on lead guitar.



A third album Happy Ever After was released in 1995 on Via Records, with the single ‘Tiptoe’ spending eight weeks at the top of the CCM rock charts and making the Top 10 on College Radio in a number of U.S. cities. Crossover success followed with commercial and alternative radio and MTV play.



In 1996, another line-up change saw American Matt McGuyer appointed to drums following Pearson’s return to NZ.



Showcase gigs in New York and new song demos generated ongoing interest from major labels, however serious family illnesses back home led Gullen and Horst to disband the group and return to NZ early 1997.





P.D. CORP

Often overshadowed by coverage of artists from the main cities and more established record labels, bands from the provinces in 1980s New Zealand flourished in a strange parallel universe. P.D. Corp, originating from Rotorua, were one such band.


Formed in mid-1988 for a one-off gig to back songwriter/guitarist Jono Jack, the name P.D. Corp was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the state of New Zealand politics in the late 1980s; State-owned assets were being sold-off and privatised. ‘P.D. Corp’ might have been a name for a privatized prison service (P.D. standing for ‘periodic detention’). The name stuck and P.D. Corp became more than a one-off gig band.



In early 1989 Myke Dowson was added on second guitar and Scotty Pearson replaced original drummer Malcolm Lofroth, joining original members Jono Jack and bassist Andrew White. With Myke’s electric 12-string complimenting Jono’s rhythm guitar the band developed a strong set of original, melodic songs, healthily influence by the likes of R.E.M., Guadalcanal Diary, Hunters & Collectors and other like-minded indie bands of the day.



P.D. Corp established themselves as a hard-working live band playing several gigs a

week up and down New Zealand in venues as

diverse as bikie gang parties (no chicken wire required), pubs, on the backs of trucks, from school halls to the Christchurch Town Hall,

Wellington’s Car Park venue, 80s Auckland

venues the Gluepot, Powerstation and

The Venue, dodgy TV shows, University Orientations and music festivals including

gigs with The Bats, The Six Volts, Hoi Polloi, The Revs, Rez Band and Book of Martyrs.



Although many of the songs penned by Jono and Myke featured heavy social and political themes (vivisection and the Mafia amongst them) P.D. Corp also knew how to poke fun at themselves and break out into self-gratuitous rock moments. Take this live review from Nexus Magazine of P.D. Corp’s Waikato University Orientation show, in March 1990:


“(P.D. Corp) Impressive band that have sounds of punk, new wave, R&B, and just about everything else. A song penned by skinhead (sic) Myke called ‘Oh Baby Baby’ was described as “romantic bullshit” but have

you ever heard a band that sounds like the Clash at their hardest?” 8/10.



In late 1989 P.D. Corp recorded a four song cassette-only EP entitled Piece of Plastic at Hamilton’s Tandy’s Studio. The self-released EP was recorded by Zed Brookes in a day and featured one of the band’s most popular song ‘Make It Reel’ which also gained a small amount of traction on student radio. The band were confident the EP would get their music into the right hands and help pave the way for a full-length album.



One of the band’s many live highlights was playing to several thousand people at the inaugural Shelterbelt Festival on New Years Eve 1989, playing straight after the headline act, Chicago’s Rez Band, on the main stage.

A mini-poll at the festival placed P.D. Corp

first for ‘most enjoyable live band’, right alongside Hoi Polloi (although it was Hoi Polloi who went on to get the record deals!)



In mid-1990 Myke and Scotty left the band and Jono and Andrew continued on with a new lineup including Chris Paki (later of Mobile Stud Unit) until disbanding in late 1991.



Jono released a solo album Vein Labour in 1990. Scotty later joined Hoi Polloi on drums in the U.S. and then Elemeno P back in NZ; Jono relocated to Europe where he still performs, Myke played in several bands including Blister and ran Christchurch’s Jet Set Lounge venue; Andrew continues to work in the music business.


The February 5th Juice Bar show will feature Hoi Polloi’s and P.D. Corp’s line-ups from 1989.

The two bands last played together at Auckland’s Gluepot on December 28th 1989 and Shelterbelt Festival two nights later. This will be a chance for the bands and their old fans to re-live those good times again.

Party like it’s 1989!



The show will open with a solo performance by very special guest Ruby Frost, winner of the inaugural 42Below / MTV ‘42Unheard’ competition!
http://www.myspace.com/rubyfrost

LIVE FRIDAY FEBRUARY 5th

Juice BAR at the Windsor CASTLE, Parnell Rise, Auckland

$10.00 DOOR SALES



www.myspace.com/hoipolloi1 (fan site)

www.myspace.com/pdcorpband (archive site)

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=251502293304&index=1