Holding an important place in the heart of Australian and New Zealand music, Mi-Sex are remembered as true pioneers in the down-under new-wave scene, transforming the turntables of Australia and New Zealand as music grew up into the 80s. And now they are back with some new games—reformatted, rebooted and retooled with a little extra RAM.
Formed in New Zealand in 1977 around the trio of Don Martin, Kevin Stanton and the late great Steve Gilpin, the group pioneered the introduction of electronic instruments into the rock genre, heading across the ditch to Australia with a string of seminal hits including ‘People’, ‘Blue Day’ and of course the unstoppable ‘Computer Games’.
This international hit single preceded the glut of similar-sounding British chart entrants by a year or more and became one of the defining pop-rock songs of the Australasian music-scape. It ascended to #1 on the Australian charts during November ’79 and hit the top five in New Zealand. By April 1980 ‘Computer Games’ had charted in more than 20 countries, and had peaked inside the top ten in Canada, France, Austria, Italy, West Germany and South Africa.
Recipients of seven Countdown Awards, two top ten albums and global success, Mi-Sex had an intense six-year career before calling it a day in 1985, moving on to other projects. After the tragic passing of Gilpin in 1992, the band members became close once more, eventually re-forming on stage in 2011 to fundraise for the Christchurch Earthquake appeal before getting together more permanently to hit the road once more.
With the enigmatic Steve Balbi (Noiseworks, Electric Hippies) recruited to fill Gilpin’s sizeable frontman shoes, the band hit a new stride, combining the energy and spirit of their original line up with a new musical direction and purpose, writing again for the first time since the 80s and starting on the road to reclaim their place in the Australian & New Zealand music zeitgeist.
They recently released their first album in over 30 years, Not From Here, in September 2016.
The Mi-Sex lineup is made up of the enigmatic Steve Balbi on lead vocals and Travis New on guitar; alongside original Mi-Sex members Don Martin, Murray Burns, Paul Dunningham and Colin Bayley.
DATE: Friday, September 29, 2017
VENUE: The Stag & Hunter Hotel
TIME: 7pm
PRICE: $44+BF