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
editAlbums
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
editAotearoa Music Awards
editThe 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.