End of the trail

Press, 10 February 1983, Page 14

End of the trail

After three years in public, the Christchurch countryrock band, the Cowboys, have decided to split. The band first performed in public at the Hillsborough Tavern bn New Year’s Eve, 1979, and their final performances are at the Gladstone Tavern this week. The Cowboys commanded a lot of respect for the standard of their musicianship during that time. Mike Waldegrave, the band’s guitarist, said that there were no fights in the audience when the band played at the Carlton Hotel for a stint of two and one-half years. The audience’s attention was on the music, he said. The band had managed to play at the Carlton for that length of time in spite of the “steep” cover charge. At the same time there was a lot ■ of pressure to perform on the band, and there was no break from it, he said.

Among the reasons that Waldegrave gave for the Cowboys splitting was “the need for a holiday,” and as in most areas of human relationships, communication between the band members.

Waldegrave.and the band’s saxophonist, Phil Tuuta, intend to continue playing in bands. They also have a sound hire firm to fall back on. Waldegrave said he was not sure what the other band members, John Lloyd, Geoff Farmar, and Don Bean, would be doing.

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nevin topp