The Narcs
The Narcs are an award winning New Zealand band, that formed in 1980 in Christchurch, New Zealand, by bassist Tony Waine, drummer Bob Ogilvie and guitarist Garth Sinclair – departed/replaced by Australian guitarist/singer songwriter Andrew/Andy Dickson.[1]
Christchurch remained the band's base with a series of resident club and pub gigs building their following. Touring had become a regular event for The Narcs by 1981, and the pressures of the road contributed to Bob Ogilvie leaving – being replaced by Steve Clarkson on drums in 1982. Keyboardist Liam Ryan became a full-time Narc in 1983.
The band pursued a management deal with Mike Chunn, and signed a record deal with CBS Records.[2]
During a retreat at a commune the band wrote most of the songs for their debut album, Great Divide. The single, "Heart and Soul", peaked at No. 4 on the NZ charts. At the 1984 New Zealand Music Awards, the band won 3 awards[2] and the album achieved gold disc status.[3]
The band worked in both NZ and Australia, recording a total of four albums and playing alongside such acts as Midnight Oil, Split Enz, Elton John and Queen.
The band reformed in 2016 with ex-DD Smash drummer Peter Warren and Rikki Morris of The Crocodiles[4] and have continued to play live and record music since then. In 2018, the band released new single 'Summerhill Stone'.[5]
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]| Title | Extended play details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| NZ [6] | ||
| Whistle While You Work (with Coconut Rough) |
|
17 |
| Great Divide |
|
14 |
| The Narcs |
|
27 |
| Push the Boat Out |
|
- |
| Best of The Narcs |
|
- |
Extended Plays
[edit]| Title | Extended play details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| NZ [6] | ||
| The Narcs |
|
- |
| No Turning Back |
|
12 |
Singles
[edit]| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ [6] | |||
| 1982 | "Over My Head" | - | Whistle While You Work |
| 1983 | "Look the Other Way" | 38 | |
| 1984 | "You Took Me (Heart and Soul)" | 4 | Great Divide |
| "Lazy Susan" | 35 | ||
| "Missing in Action" | - | ||
| 1985 | "Diamonds On China" | 14 | The Narcs Album |
| "Side By Side" | - | ||
| 1986 | "Abandoned By Love" | - | |
| 1988 | "It's Got To Be Love" | 49 | |
| 1995 | "Back to the Deep" | - | Push the Boat Out |
Awards and nominations
[edit]Aotearoa Music Awards
[edit]The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously known as New Zealand Music Awards (NZMA)) are an annual awards night celebrating excellence in New Zealand music and have been presented annually since 1965.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | The Narcs | Group of the Year | Nominated | [7] |
| 1983 | The Narcs | Group of the Year | Nominated | |
| 1984 | "You Took Me Heart and Soul" | Most Popular Song | Won | |
| "You Took Me Heart and Soul" | Single of the Year | Won | ||
| Dave McArtney for "You Took Me Heart and Soul" by The Narcs | Producer of the Year | Won | ||
| Graeme Mhyre for "You Took Me Heart and Soul" by The Narcs | Engineer of the Year | Won | ||
| Andy Dickson (The Narcs) | Male artist of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 1985 | Fane Flaws for "Diamonds On China" by The Narcs | Video the Year | Won |
References
[edit]- ^ "The Narcs – AudioCulture". www.audioculture.co.nz. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ a b "Great NZ album: Great Divide – The Narcs". Radio New Zealand. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ "NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. NZ On Screen. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "First song: The Narcs perform live". Radio New Zealand. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ "The Narcs". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ a b c "The Narcs at NZ Charts". Retrieved 21 August 2021.
- ^ "Aotearoa Music Awards". aotearoamusicawards.nz. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
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