Mi-Sex
| Mi-Sex | |
|---|---|
 Mi-Sex at the Lady Hamilton Nightclub 1978 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | New Zealand/Australia |
| Genres | Rock, new wave |
| Years active | 1978–1985, 2011-current |
| Labels | Columbia |
| Past members |
Steve Gilpin Kevin Stanton Don Martin Murray Burns Phil "Smarty" Smart Steve Osborne Richard Hodgkinson Paul Dunningham Colin Bayley |
Mi-Sex (also styled as MiSex) is a New Zealand new wave rock band that was originally active from 1977 to 1986. Led by Steve Gilpin as vocalist, Kevin Stanton as guitarist and songwriter and Don Martin as bassist. They provided top ten singles, "Computer Games" in 1979 (No. 1 in Australia, No. 5 in New Zealand) and "People" in 1980 (No. 6 and No. 3, respectively). Their first two albums, Graffiti Crimes (1979) and Space Race (No. 1, 1980), both reached the New Zealand top 10. They were known for their cutting edge production and dynamic live shows. Gilpin died in January 1992, two months after a serious car accident from which he never recovered. Mi-Sex have periodically reformed, including in 2011 with Steve Balbi (ex-Noiseworks) on lead vocals.
History
Mi-Sex was formed in 1978 in New Zealand by when Murray Burns on keyboards, Steve Gilpin on lead vocals, Don Martin on bass guitar and Kevin Stanton on lead guitar and backing vocals (all ex-Fragments of Time) and were joined by Richard Hodgkinson on drums.[1] The band name is adapted from an Ultravox track, "My Sex", from that group's debut album, Ultravox! (February 1977).[1][2]
Gilpin had earlier performed as a solo artist in New Zealand, following his winning a TV talent quest, New Faces, in 1972 (second place in the same show was Shona Laing).[3][4] Invercargill-born Burns was influenced by progressive rock bands such as Yes, whereas Stanton's influences veered towards heavy metal. During 1977 Gilpin met Martin and they set about forming their own band; Martin brought Stanton on board and together with former Father Time members Alan Moon and Phil "Smarty" Smart, they formed Fragments of Time.
Fragments of Time were influenced by British new wave and pub rock bands; they received a commission from EMI New Zealand's Peter Dawkins, who wanted a punk-new wave record to introduce the label's new roster. Their line-up changed, with Moon replaced by Murray Burns and Phil Smart leaving, replaced briefly by Steve Osborne and then by Richard Hodgkinson. Fragments developed a quirky, futurist, paranoia-themed blend of new wave, punk, and pub rock, amalgamating some of the textures common to Britain's Ultravox with those more associated with The Stranglers. They blended this with a liberal dose of on stage theatrics. At around the same time, they changed their name – urgently needed for their demo. In a meeting in a room at the back of the Aranui hotel which they were playing in, they accepted the name Stanton had proposed.[5]
Mi-Sex released their first single for EMI New Zealand, "Straight Laddie" (originally intended as a demo), early in 1978.[6] Early performances include the Wellington Institute of Technology and Dr Johns (Ray Johns), on the same day with demo recording at Dellbrook studios in Tawa, and the bus breaking a gearbox on the Ngauraunga Gorge section of motorway.
In August 1978 the band relocated to Sydney, where they became the city's "fourth biggest drawcard" within six months.[1] They were signed to the Australian division of CBS Records by the label's then A&R manager and house producer, Dawkins, who had produced "Straight Laddie". Their first single for CBS, "But You Don't Care", was released in Australia in June 1979, which peaked at No. 25 on the local Kent Music Report Singles Chart and No. 33 on their native Official New Zealand Music Chart.[7][8]
Their debut album, Graffiti Crimes was issued in July 1979 to coincide with their national tour supporting Talking Heads.[1] They also headlined their own tour of Australia.[1] It reached No. 6 in New Zealand and the top 20 in Australia.[7][8] It was also produced by Dawkins at Studios 301, Sydney during April and May 1979. The original album version had ten tracks, Luis Feliu of The Canberra Times felt "The songs are all well rounded with a beginning, middle and end, and pulsating rhythms for the colourful lyrics to bounce off. Hardly any time wasted between cuts too, straight into the next song. Naturally, this sort of music has to be played at a gutsy volume level."[9] He described the group's members as "a close-knit unit, musically and personally, and live together in a large house in Sydney. Vocalist Steve Gilpin (formerly a TV balladeer in NZ) is not just another new-wave singer, he actually possesses a naturally powerful, clear and melodic voice. Guitarist Kevin Stanton is proficient and imaginative, so too is keyboards-synthesiser player Murray Burns. Bassist Don Martin and drummer Richard Hodgkinson provide a controlled, energetic rhythm and beat."[9]
Added to later versions of the LP is their biggest hit, the synthesiser-driven single, "Computer Games",[1][2] a Burns-Stanton composition released in Australia on 1 October 1979. Dawkins had first heard the track at the album launch, he asked Stanton, "'Why didn't you play me "Computer Games" when we were doing the demos for the album?'. Kevin answered in the most succinct way possible, 'Because I hadn't written it yet!'"[2] Musicologist, Ian McFarlane, opined that it was an "electro-pop anthem... With its simplistic, brain-teasing riff and Gilpin's mannered vocal yelps, 'Computer Games' boasted little substance but was constructed for maximum effect. It came to epitomise the one word which has plagued the memory of Mi-Sex: 'contrived'."[1] The single went to No. 1 in Australia, made the top 5 in New Zealand.[7][8] It reached the top 10 in Austria, Canada, France, Italy, South Africa and West Germany.[1][5]
The follow-up album, Space Race sold well and produced another big single, "People", but the band were unable to maintain their early momentum and two later albums failed to produce the same interest. Mi-Sex took a hiatus break from February 1986 with Stanton moving to London to work with Fairlight and produce feature film sound tracks.
Gilpin remained in Australia, working with his cover band Under Rapz. In November 1991, while returning to his home after a gig, he was seriously injured in a major car accident, and lapsed into a coma from which he never recovered. He died in Southport Hospital on 6 January 1992.
The band reunited for a fundraising concert following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, with former Noiseworks bass player Steve Balbi on lead vocals. As of 2014 they were back in the studio working on new songs, 30 years since their last release.[10] Stanton had been forced to sit out, having recently undergone serious surgery on his spine which rendered his entire left arm useless, but repairable with intricate neurosurgery.
The "Culture" controversy
Mi-Sex gained considerable publicity during 1980 thanks to then Prime Minister of New Zealand Rob Muldoon. The New Zealand government had slapped a 40% sales duty on records, much to the objection of the New Zealand Arts Council, record retailers and record companies. On 21 April, Muldoon claimed that popular music was "not culture", stating that "The records sold in this country are not Kiri Te Kanawa's, they are 50 to 1 those horrible pop groups and I'm not going to take the tax off them."[11]
Mi-Sex were due to start a major New Zealand tour five weeks later, and - sensing an opportunity for publicity - Kevin Stanton invited Muldoon to attend their Wellington concert during a radio interview in Hamilton, an invitation which he was forced to accept. The Prime Minister attended the concert along with his daughter (who reportedly loved the concert) and met with the band after their performance, but the sales tax remained. Muldoon was pleasant but Burns recalls seeing a newspaper article the next day in which he'd said it was about as cultural as On the Mat, which was a wrestling show of the time.[10]
Awards
Mi-Sex received seven awards at Australia's 1980 TV Week/Countdown Music Awards: 'Most Popular Album or Single', 'Best Australian Single' and 'Best New Talent (Johnny O'Keefe Memorial Award)'.[12][13]
Cover versions
In 1999, "Blue Day" was covered by Eurodance-pop artist Nicolette. Released in New Zealand by Universal Music, it reached number 20 in the charts. While the version horrified some purists, it was well received by the band and Nicolette subsequently collaborated with Colin Bayley on several songs.[14]
Discography
Albums
| Date | Title | Label | Charted | Country | Catalogue number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albums | |||||
| 1979 | Graffiti Crimes | CBS | 6 | New Zealand | 463031 2 |
| 1980 | Space Race | 1 | New Zealand | SBP 237442 | |
| 1981 | Shanghaied! | - | New Zealand | SBP 237701 | |
| 1983 | Where Do They Go? | - | New Zealand | MX 203364 | |
| EPs | |||||
| 1988 | Mi-Sex EP | CBS | - | New Zealand | 651091-7 |
| Greatest Hits | |||||
| 1985 | '79-'85 | CBS | - | New Zealand | SBP 8117 |
| 2007 | The Essential Mi-Sex | Sony | - | New Zealand | B000NJLPUW |
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ [8] |
AUS [7][15] |
AUT [16] |
CAN | NL [17] |
US | |||
| 1978 | "Straight Laddie" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| 1979 | "But You Don't Care" | 33 | 25 | — | — | — | — | Graffiti Crimes |
| "Computer Games" | 5 | 1 | 16 | 2 | 44 | 61 | ||
| 1980 | "People" | 3 | 6 | — | — | — | — | Space Race |
| "Space Race" | 19 | 28 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "It Only Hurts When I'm Laughing" | — | 84 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981 | "Shanghaied!" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Shanghaied |
| "Falling In and Out" | 48 | 20 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Missing Person" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982 | "Castaway" | — | 20 | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| "Down the Line (Makin' Love on the Telephone)" | — | 37 | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Lost Time" | — | 57 | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| 1983 | "Only Thinking" | — | 48 | — | — | — | — | Where Do They Go? |
| "Blue Day" | 36 | 24 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "5 O'Clock (In the Morning)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 McFarlane, 'Mi-Sex' entry. Archived from the original on 7 August 2004. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
- 1 2 3
- Mi-Sex, part 1: Nimmervoll, Ed. "Mi-Sex". Howlspace – The Living History of Our Music. White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd (Ed Nimmervoll). Archived from the original on 28 March 2001. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
- Mi-Sex, part 2: Nimmervoll, Ed. "Mi-Sex (Part 2)". Howlspace – The Living History of Our Music. White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd (Ed Nimmervoll). Archived from the original on 28 March 2001. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
- ↑ Eggleton, D. (2003) Ready to fly: The story of New Zealand rock music. Nelson, NZ: Craig Potton Publishing. p. 85. ISBN 1-877333-06-9.
- ↑ http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/1905-1972
- 1 2 Sergent, Bruce. "Mi-Sex". New Zealand Music of the 60's and 70's. Bruce Sergent. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
- ↑ Dix, J. (1988) Stranded in paradise: New Zealand rock'n'roll 1955-1988. Wellington: Paradise Publications. ISBN 0-473-00639-1. p.233-234.
- 1 2 3 4 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
- 1 2 3 4 "DISCOGRAPHY MI-SEX". Charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
- 1 2 Feliu, Luis (24 August 1979). "Power not Lost in Transfer". The Canberra Times 53 (16,040): 29. Retrieved 7 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- 1 2 Vicki Anderson (March 25, 2014). "When Muldoon met Mi-Sex". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
- ↑ Dix, J. (1988) Stranded in paradise: New Zealand rock'n'roll 1955-1988. Wellington: Paradise Publications. ISBN 0-473-00639-1. p.237.
- ↑ "Top 40 TV". Televisionau.com. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
- ↑ "Countdown Show no.:235 Date: 19/4/1980". Countdown Archives. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
- ↑ Nicolette | Artists at muzic.net.nz
- ↑ Ryan (bulion), Gary (16 July 2008). "ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Chart Positions Pre 1989". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Retrieved 7 May 2016.
- ↑ "MI-SEX - COMPUTER GAMES". Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
- ↑ "MI-SEX - COMPUTER GAMES". Dutch Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
External links
- Misex Official Website
- Steve Gilpin
- Mi-Sex discography at Discogs
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