PRESS RELEASE

TWO LATE-80s KIWI INDIE BANDS RE-FORM FOR

A SPECIAL SHOW AT AUCKLAND’S JUICE BAR…
NEW ZEALAND, 1989 – THINGS WERE VERY DIFFERENT FOR ORIGINAL BANDS. STUDIO RECORDING WAS
EXPENSIVE, HOME STUDIOS CONSISTED OF FOUR TRACK CASSETTE DECKS, RADIO PLAY WAS CONFINED TO
STUDENT RADIO AT BEST, VIRTUALLY NON-EXISTANT VIDEO AND RECORDING FUNDING, NO INTERNET,
LIMITED MEDIA COVERAGE FOR ESTABLISHED AND UP-AND-COMING BANDS…
Still, many bands flourished, making home-recorded demos and quick-fire studio recordings, releasing
cassettes and selling them at gigs, organising their own live shows, press coverage and ultimately chasing
the ideal of being ‘signed to a label’ and one day releasing a fully fledged album. HOI POLLOI and
P. D. CORP were two of these bands and for the first time since 1989 they will play a show together
with original line-ups from the era. Hoi Polloi are reforming for the Parachute Music Festival the week
before whilst P. D. Corp are reforming especially for the February 5th show with singer Jono Jack flying in
from Europe.

HOI POLLOI
ORIGINALLY KNOWN AS JAMBOREE AND RELEASING A CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED 12” EP ‘INDEPENDENCE DAY’
IN 1986, THE BAND CHANGED IT’S NAME TO HOI POLLOI IN 1988 WHEN JENNY GULLEN REPLACED ORIGINAL
VOCALIST BRENT TASKER, JOINING FOUNDING MEMBERS DAVID BALL (GUITAR), JOZSEF FITYUS (DRUMS)
AND ANDREW HORST (BASS).

In the late ‘80s, Hoi Polloi became one of New

Zealand’s most progressive bands, rapidly building a
name for itself on the live circuit. The NZ Herald
called Hoi Polloi “one of NZ’s more talented
mainstream (sic) bands”.

After seeing the band perform live in NZ in 1990,

Chicago-based Rez Band invited Hoi Polloi to
perform at the Cornerstone Music Festival in the U.S.
The performance, to a crowd of 2,000, was deemed
the “hit” of the festival, and set off an underground
buzz among rock aficionados and a signing frenzy
among record companies. Although the band had
begun pursuing a record deal in New Zealand, they
were attracted to the idea of accessing the growing
“alternative Christian” market in the States.

In 1991, Hoi Polloi signed with crossover label

Reunion Records, becoming the first NZ band to
sign such a deal and breaking new ground for
New Zealand artists.
Hoi Polloi released their self-titled debut album in
1992 to an international audience, with BMG also
releasing the album across the U.S.
An intended six-month stint in the US to promote
their album became a five year stay, with a rigorous
touring schedule of over 200 shows per year.
Gigs ranged from legendary small clubs like CBGB’s
to large festivals and audiences of up to 50,000
people. Former Jamboree guitarist Dave Steunebrink
assumed managerial duties.
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In 1993 Hoi Polloi released their second album In 1996, another line-up change saw American Matt
Spin Me, with the single ‘Angel’ hitting the number McGuyer appointed to drums following Pearson’s
one spot on the U.S. national CCM radio chart. return to NZ.
In 1994, David Ball and Jozsef Fityus returned to NZ
and Scotty Pearson (ex-P.D. Corp drummer and later Showcase gigs in New York and new song demos
of Elemeno P) joined Horst and Gullen on drums, generated ongoing interest from major mainstream
with American Troy Daughterty on lead guitar. labels, however serious family illnesses back home
led Gullen and Horst to disband the group and
Hoi Polloi’s third album Happy Ever After was return to NZ early 1997.
released in 1995 on Via Records, with the single
‘Tiptoe’ spending eight weeks at the top of the CCM
rock charts and making the Top 10 on College Radio
in a number of U.S. cities. Crossover success followed
with commercial-alternative radio and MTV play.

P. D. CORP
OFTEN OVERSHADOWED BY COVERAGE OF ARTISTS FROM THE MAIN CITIES AND MORE ESTABLISHED
RECORD LABELS, BANDS FROM THE PROVENCES IN 1980s NEW ZEALAND FLOURISHED IN A STRANGE
PARALLEL UNIVERSE. ORIGINATING FROM ROTORUA, P.D. CORP WERE ONE SUCH BAND.

Formed in mid-1988 for a one-off gig to back song-

writer/guitarist Jono Jack, the name P.D. Corp was a
tongue-in-cheek reference to the state of New Zealand
politics in the late 1980s; State-owned assets were
being sold-off and privatized. ‘P.D. Corp’ might have
been a name for a privatized prison service (P.D.
standing for ‘periodic detention’). The name stuck
and P.D. Corp became more than a one-off gig band.

In early 1989 Myke Dowson joined on second guitar

and Scotty Pearson replaced original drummer
Malcolm Lofroth, joining original members Jono Jack
and bassist Andrew White. With Myke’s electric
12-string complimenting Jono’s guitar the band
developed a strong set of original, melodic songs,
healthily influence by the likes of R.E.M., Guadalcanal
Diary, Hunters & Collectors and other like-minded
indie bands of the day.

P.D. Corp established themselves as a hard-working
live band playing several gigs a week up and down
New Zealand in venues as diverse as bikie gang parties
(no chicken wire required), pubs, on the backs of
trucks, from school halls to the Christchurch Town
Hall, Wellington’s Car Park venue, 80s Auckland
venues the Gluepot, Powerstation and The Venue,
dodgy TV shows, University Orientations and music
festivals including gigs with The Bats, The Six Volts,
Hoi Polloi, The Revs, Rez Band and Book of Martyrs.
Although many of the songs penned by Jono and
Myke featured heavy social and political themes
(vivisection and the Mafia amongst them) P.D. Corp
also knew how to poke fun at themselves and break
out into self-gratuitous rock moments. Take this live
review from Nexus Magazine of P.D. Corp’s Waikato
University Orientation show, in March 1990:
“(P.D. Corp) Impressive band that have sounds of punk,
new wave, R&B, and just about everything else.
A song penned by skinhead (sic) Myke called ‘Oh Baby
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Baby’ was described as “romantic bullshit” but have first for ‘most enjoyable live band’, right alongside
you ever heard a band that sounds like the Clash at Hoi Polloi (although it was Hoi Polloi who went
their hardest?” 8/10. on to get the record deals!)

In late 1989 P.D. Corp recorded a four song cassette-
only EP entitled Piece of Plastic at Hamilton’s Tandy’s
Studio. The self-released EP was recorded by Zed
Brookes in a day and featured on of the band’s most
popular song ‘Make It Reel’ which also gained a small
amount of traction on student radio. The band were
confident the EP would get their music into the right
hands and help pave the way for a full-length album.
One of the band’s many live highlights was playing
to several thousand people at the inaugural Shelterbelt
Festival on New Years Eve 1989, playing straight after
the headline act, Chicago’s Rez Band on the main
stage. A mini-poll at the festival placed P.D. Corp
In mid-1990 Myke and Scotty left the band and
Jono and Andrew continued on with a new lineup
including Chris Paki (later of Mobile Stud Unit)
until disbanding in late 1991.
Jono released a solo album Vein Labour in 1990.
Scotty later joined Hoi Polloi on drums in the U.S.
and then Elemeno P back in NZ; Jono relocated to
Europe where he still performs, Myke played in several
bands including Blister and ran Christchurch’s Jet Set
Lounge venue; Andrew continues to work in the
music business.

The February 5th Juice Bar show will feature Hoi Polloi’s and P.D. Corp’s line-ups from 1989.
The two bands last played together at Auckland’s Gluepot on December 28th 1989 and Shelterbelt Festival two
nights later. This will be a chance for the bands and their old fans to re-live those good times again.
Party like it’s 1989!

HOI POLLOI: P.D. CORP:

JENNY GULLEN – VOCALS/GUITAR JONO JACK – VOCALS/GUITAR
DAVID BALL – GUITAR MYKE DOWSON – GUITAR/VOCALS
ANDREW HORST – BASS/VOCALS ANDREW B. WHITE – BASS/VOCALS
JOZSEF FITYUS – DRUMS SCOTTY PEARSON – DRUMS/VOCALS

LIVE FRIDAY FEBRUARY 5th

PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS

JUICE BAR AT THE WINDSOR CASTLE

PARNELL RISE, AUCKLAND
$10.00 DOOR SALES

For all media enquires contact Andrew B. White: andrew@andrewbwhite.co.nz / 021-767 260
www.myspace.com/hoipolloi1 (fan site)
www.myspace.com/pdcorpband
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