Mi-Sex Tour

Rip It Up, Issue 34, 1 May 1980, Page 3

Mi-Sex Tour

Murray Cammick

Mi-Sex have just returned downunder after a four week 20 city tour of North America. RIU spoke to Mi-Sex guitarist, Kevin Stanton after their New York gig at Irving Plaza. By then, he was back at the Gramacy Hotel at 212-4754320, doing some phone interviews to New Zealand, as Mi-Sex will tour here between June 13 and June 22.

The eight centre tour will have the band performing in Invercargill (Civic) June 13, Dunedin (Regent) June 14, Christchurch (TH) June 15, Wellington (TH) June 17, Palmerston North (Opera House) June 18, Hastings (Municipal Theatre) June 19 and Auckland Town Hall June 22. Mi-Sex travelled to the USA on their own resources. ‘‘As soon as the record company saw our first gig, they took an interest in us,” says Stanton. “We’ve had a favourable reception everynight we’ve played. The best reaction so far was Washington DC. They reacted like an audience that had been listening to us for years.” The first three gigs were supporting Iggy Pop. The band opened for the Ramones, doublebilled with 999 and otherwise they’ve been headlining. In Toronto they will play a 2000 seater hall as it’s in Canada that sales of Computer Games (the USA album title) have been best, 20,000 in fact. Six tracks of the album were programmed on the FM station heard in Montreal and Toronto. When RIU asked if the band was categorised as new wave by the US media, Stanton replied: “The operative term in the US rs 'punk rock’. We’re a punk rock band here. Only more up-to-date journalists call us new wave.”

This obviously amuses Stanton, as does US radio. “The stations are only after money. That means ratings and playing music that the majority want. They are not selling any new records in the US, because they're not playing any new records. They play early seventies records like Led Zeppelin. It’s the most boring radio I've ever heard.” Having visited the USA, does Mi-Sex want to record there? “We prefer to record in Australia,’’ replies Stanton. "It’s much more relaxed and about twenty five percent of the price. The incentive is there and the equipment is there, so I can’t see any reason not to record in Australia." Prior to their US spin, the band recorded their second album, Space Race, once again with Peter Dawkins. The studio they used was Music Farm, located near the NSW and Queensland border. Dawkins mixed the album in New York. In May and June Mi-Sex will promote Space Race in Aussie and NZ, keeping an eye on the progress of their debut in countries as varied as South Africa, USA, Italy and Japan. With the "Computer Games’’ single charting well in seven European countries. Is USA touring tough? "No way,” replies Stanton, "in Oz we work seven days a week. But over here you can only work five days. New York dies on Monday, just like New Zealand." With the phone call over, it’s 4AM in New York and that means four hours sleep before a drive to Boston. And there's only 10 more cities to go.