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]

  1. ^ "The Narcs – AudioCulture". www.audioculture.co.nz. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Great NZ album: Great Divide – The Narcs". Radio New Zealand. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  3. ^ "NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. NZ On Screen. Retrieved 22 May 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. ^ "First song: The Narcs perform live". Radio New Zealand. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  5. ^ "The Narcs". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 22 May 2018.