The Swingers hit the high notes

Press, 3 April 1980, Page 14

The Swingers hit the high notes

One of New Zealand’s top rock bands, . the Swingers, will' return to Christchurch this week for a two-week, stint at the Arahui Motor Hotel? • • The popular Auckland group will play on their own this week, with the exception of Good .Friday when the hotel is closed and on Monday there will be an in-concert double billing at the hotel with the Newz. . . The Swingers will then spend a week at the Captain Cook Tavern in Dunedin, before returning on April 14 for a double-bil-ling with the Newz for that week. ■■■ The Swingers are also mobile off. the recording scene, having just completed a single called. “One Good Reason” backed by “All Over Town.” The drummer, Buster Stiggs, said that the single would be released in about a fortnight, on the Ripper Records label. ? The single was chosen from a number of demo tapes, by the band and was co-produced by Mike Chunn (one of the. cofounders of Ripper Records), Buster Stiggs said. ■ CBS Records would distribute Ripper Records’ records, he said. An indication of the popularity of the Swingers

was given when the group pulled 5000 people at a concert at Myers Park, Auckland, last Sunday, when the group was billed .with Lip Service. In addition, the March edition of the musical throwaway, “Rip it Up,” gave the Swingers fourth place in a readers’ poll, behind Split Enz, Toy Love. Citizen Band, and Mi-Sex, the two last groups being third equal. According to Buster, Phil Judd got a boost of confidence from his guitar playing when he was named best guitarist, while Bones Hillman was named second best bass guitarist after Mike Chunn, formerly of Citizen Band. '• 3 '/

Since Chunn has left Citizen Band then Bones may as well be . considered the best bass guitarist Stiggs' was named the third-top drummer in New Zealand after Brent Eccles, of Citizen Band, and Mike Dooley, of Toy Love. Both Eccles and Dooley are now in Australia. At this stage the group have no intention of recording an album in New Zealand. The group intended to go back to Auckland and have some time off and work on more material, Buster Stiggs said.