The Headless Chickens

Sorry, this event’s been and gone

When:

Fri 28 Nov ’08, 8:00pm

Where: Powerstation, 33-35 Mt Eden Rd, Eden Terrace Show map

Ticket Information:

Adult: $49.50
Booking fees may apply

Related Artists:

The Headless Chickens

Favourites:

Jodi Fulton
Jen Parke
Kajal
wonderferret
Aroha Hathaway
Richard Phelps
Michelle Fletcher
hhayhurst
Rebecca Lees
scorpsnz

Friday 28 November 2008 sees a special reunion of the Headless Chickens’ classic line-up from the hit-making era of their Body Blow album – and a welcome return of the Chickens’ unrivalled brew of dastardly electronics, danceable beats and sharp pop songs.

The Headless Chickens return to the Powerstation in Auckland for their first shows in so long that nobody’s counting. The following week they fly over the Tasman to perform in Melbourne and at Sydney’s Homebake Festival.

The Chickens were possibly the most challenging chart-topping act of the nineties. A string of hits on both sides of the Tasman included “Cruise Control”, “Donde Esta La Pollo”, “Gaskrankenstation”, “Juice”, “Mr Moon” and the NZ number one “George”. An enormously popular touring act with a flamboyant live show, the Chickens built a huge fanbase in New Zealand and Australia (where they toured ten times) before they splintered apart and the band petered out before the end of the decade.

After a decade away, this group that saw its way through tragedy (the suicide of founding member Johnny Pierce) and triumph (their NZ number one triumph with “George” remains the only chart-topping song for their legendary label Flying Nun) is now back to strut around the farmyard in their own inimitable style.

Chris Matthews and Fiona McDonald are back to share lead vocal duties, while the muscular rhythm section of Bevan Sweeney and Grant Fell lay the base for the sonic mayhem wrought by Matthews, Michael Lawry and Anthony Nevison.

"This is neither a rock band with some gee-whizz samples or a bunch of art-boffins making whoopee with guitars . . . Body Blow sounds like no one else on earth." (Rip It Up, November '91)

Tickets on sale 6 October from Ticketmaster and Real Groovy.

Event listed by CRS

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Content Editor 4 years ago

Hi guys,
Thanks for sharing your memories!
This time the winners of the doubles passes are:
- venus274
- Pixi
Have a great time :)
Gina @ Eventfinder
Content Editor 4 years ago

Hi guys!
Thanks for sharing your memories :)
This time the winners of the double passes are:
- Barbara Peterson
- otukuogo
Have a great time.
Gina @ Eventfinder
Venus Stephens 4 years ago

'Gascrankinstation'....I was in college when I 1st saw the video for this song on CV?...Radio with Pictures?...whatever the current music show was @ the time..I had this fascination with Anita Mc Naught the newspresenter, (who features in a scene on television in the video)...ya know... she seemed really refined & I loved her hairstyle! It was the oddest song & the vid was odd but I REALLY liked it...which was odd in itself because maori teenage girls from Otara just dont do indie...I got an awareness of what I liked & who I liked outside the norm of my peers...its lucky when a bands music can encourage you to be whatever you should be...from the Chickens I discovered Bailterspace & the Abel Tasmans...which encouraged my true love of NZ music, long before there were t-shirts making it cool.
In a lot of ways Im stil, ya know...2.7.4 but thanks to tunes like George (love Fionas makeup on that one) I feed my senses with what I like,
not the masses.
Ollie Mollie 4 years ago

Cruising out along the dirt road to Takau Bay to watch the boys surfing, cranking up Cruise Control, swerving to miss vermin on the road and fish-tailing into a ditch...got to meet cute farmer boy with good tractor, highlight of the day!
Pixi 4 years ago

Memories...
You know I don't even remember when it came out, but "Cruise Control" basically described, word for word, my life and various times. And from then I was hooked. I was suffering some seriously crap teenage years at the time, sadly awesome that someone else knew exactly how I felt, and put it to music in the way only the Chickens could. I still wish I had a cruise control function.
Fiona oh that amazing voice - I would try very unsuccessfully to sing along to that Primo ad. Very unsuccessfully. I tried to keep it to the car when I was driving alone, to avoid damaging my friends' ears. And then I heard she doesn't drink flavoured milk! hehe. (or was that just a vicious rumour?)
Even when Fiona wasn't singing, I loved the chickens. "Expecting to Fly" is my favourite song to listen to on my birthday. I try and break it out at parties, especially as my birthday is shared with another Chickens fan.
I miss the Chickens... Love Strawpeople but still not the same. Body Blow is a must have.
Wellshaw 4 years ago

Well you asked for it! My memory of headless chickens is for real. It comes from back in the 1950's when I was just a youngster. We'd gone to visit some friends of the family, they had a farm and a few chooks and what happens when they get old and stop laying ....? They go to pot - I mean the big black cooking pot with vegies out of the garden, bunch of fresh herbs etc. But to get there they have to be slaughtered. So there was my 12 yr old friend running round chasing headless chooks after the dad had done the deed with an axe. They really do keep running round for a short time! As a protected little townie I didn't understand the ways of the farm - chicken in those days was rare - and the saying "silly as a headless chook" is indeed correct. I watched the gutting, plucking etc in awe but my mum assures me I didn't feel well enough to eat that night.
3beards 4 years ago

I was living in the UK at the time - Body Blow, in particular the intro to Cruise Control was often cranked up loudly. Spanish friends said that 'Donde este la pollo' was grammatically incorrect but hey, the chicken had crossed the road.
Hutch007 4 years ago

Gaskrankenstation was the only song in my head when I worked for a year pumping gas.
hhayhurst 4 years ago

I remember listening to 'Body Blow' just after 3 month backpacking trip around central america – and being really impressed with myself that I knew actually knew what 'Donde este la pollo' meant and how to pronounce it properly now that I spoke a bit of spanish. What a complete twit! Still a great song (and album) tho...
Barbara Peterson 4 years ago

my fave song is "donde esta la pollo" & i laughed when i heard the rumour behind it.. that Headless Chickens were in South America asking "where's the party at?" in Spanish, when in fact they were asking "where's the chicken?" Dunno if its true or not, but i tried asking locals the same thing on a trip to Argentina, just for the fun of it, but my accent must have been worse than i thought, because i got given grapefruit juice!!!? :-)
Linda Gordon 4 years ago

Cruise control was a favourite.
Lucy Bowen 4 years ago

Reminds me of lazy Summer Sundays at home with my family, eating watermelon and making fresh lemonade... Singing along as we go
Tania Hallinan 4 years ago

My fondest memories is a regular event, is driving long distance with my hubby, with our stereo blaring, and singing Headless Chicken songs word for word.... just love the music. MY favourites are Mr Moon, Cruise Control, Chopper, Donde Esta La Pollo and Gasrankinstation.... The music is way before there time.
Hard to belive it been a decade... It great to see the band back performing.....
scorpsnz 4 years ago

For me i listen to them all the time and it takes me back to big bay Manukau harbour me my mates and cousins all just chillin together no responsibilities nowhere we had to be listening to excellent music...its so hard to get us all together these days that in goes the cd and i'm back there....also the Gasfrankinstation song has memories relating to my children when they were young toddlers cracking up at the line "oh he's a vicious lil bugger..." and mummy play again play again, continuously until i had to make up a story the the cd player broke..oh yes The Headless Chickens are definately a favourite in this house hold