By Dan Satherley
Three of the best bands to grace the 1980s are coming to New Zealand in December.
New wave pioneers Devo, stadium rockers Simple Minds and Australian legends the Church will be playing one show only for the first Day On the Green at the Villa Maria Estate in Auckland, December 15.
Devo's flirtation with the mainstream was brief, but their influence can still be felt. Starting out as a multimedia experiment in the mid 1970s, they found fame with turn-of-the-decade hits like 'Whip It' and 'Girl U Want'.
Their songs have been covered by Rage Against the Machine ('Beautiful World'), Nirvana ('Turnaround') and New Zealand's own Shihad ('Gates of Steel'), and their pioneering mix of new wave guitars and analogue synthesisers still sounds like the future, 30 years on.
In 2010 they released their first record since 1990, called Something For Everybody, to rave reviews.
Simple Minds on the other hand were massive in the 1980s and have sold over 40 million records. With songs like 'Don’t You (Forget About Me)’, ‘Promised You A Miracle’ and ‘Waterfront’, it's not hard to see why.
Their live reputation has few equals, having played Wembley Stadium three times as well as being named Q Magazine's best live act in the world.
The Church hit big with their 1988 hit 'Under the Milky Way', and still have a strong following in their native Australia.
In 2010 they were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, and their most recent album Untitled 23 got a five-star review in Rolling Stone.
Tickets go on sale on July 2 from Ticketmaster.
3 News
source: newshub archive
