18 July 2014 - 0 Comments

There are few figures in New Zealand music history that can be described as genuinely influential but two such figures are award-winning new-wave act Mi-Sex and seminal Split Enz keyboardist Eddie Rayner. They’re joining forces for a winter three-date ‘mini-tour’ of the country, playing their (many) accumulated hits from the 70s, 80s and beyond.

After decades of smash pop hits and sell-out shows, and following the untimely death of original vocalist Steve Gilpin, Mi-Sex are returning for a very special three-tour show where it all began so long ago: New Zealand. They’re joining forces with the Eddie Rayner Project who defined the sound of Split Enz by way of his brilliant and eccentric keyboards and arrangements. 

The tour features a compelling production of sound, light and song that will transport sell-out crowds back to when pub venues were king and bands stopped at nothing to provide a sensory spectacle.

ERP (the Eddie Rayner Project) brings you the music of Split Enz, plus music definitive of the Split Enz era. 

Eddie Rayner was the “sound” of Split Enz. His keyboards were the framework around the Finn brothers iconic songs and his arrangement and production skills helped transform the band from local heroes to international stars. His subsequent huge body of work has ranged from Crowded House and Paul McCartney through to NZ Idol. 

Eddie’s band, ERP, features some of NZ’s top musicians: 

APRA Silver Scroll winner and 80s pop smash Rikki Morris on guitar and vocals; 

X-factor NZ’s musical director and multi-award-winning composer and session musician Jim Hall on guitar and vocals; 

Top session drummer and percussionist Pat Kuhtze on drums, spoons and vocals

Auckland's very talented and multi-instrumentalist Eddie Gaiger on bass and vocals. 

Mi-Sex

Mi-Sex were New Zealand’s quintessential ‘new wave’ band, topping charts and filling theatres across NZ, Australia, the US and Canada. Mi-Sex were internationally renown for their chart-topping singles Computer Games, Blue Day, People and But You Don’t Care, and played sell-out shows in Australasia and the US.

Mi-Sex are true icons of New Zealand music, with a huge legacy in their wake. 

They’ve seen dark times -- singer Steve Gilpin who eventually died following a car accident that left him in a coma, but now with singer Steve Balbi, who has been with them for their acclaimed recent Australian shows, the band are back in the light to pay tribute to their incredible pop career in full force, at the place where it all began, and where it means the most - New Zealand. 

Mi-Sex Biography

Formed in New Zealand in 1977, cabaret singer Steve Gilpin met art-rock Bass player Don Martin, drummer Richard Hodgkinson, guitarist/song-writer Kevin Stanton and funk/dance keyboardist Murray Burns. Burns and Stanton soon forged a strong writing partnership. Drawing influence from the new wave/electronic style of British bands Ultravox and The Stranglers (the name ‘Mi-Sex’ originated from an Ultravox track), Mi-Sex established a pop-manic, energised sound of their own under the guidance of one of Australasia's most esteemed record producers, the late Peter Dawkins.  

From chart-topping singles Blue Day, Graffiti Crimes and Computer Games to international sell-out shows in Australasia and the US, Mi-Sex are true heroes of New Zealand music, with a huge legacy in their wake. 

Mi-Sex have appeared alongside such acts as Talking Heads, Cheap Trick, Iggy Pop and The Ramones, and have done their own groundbreaking tours of Australasia, the USA & Canada and have headlined at LA’s famous Whisky. 

In 1984 Mi-Sex took an extended break to pursue solo careers but at the end of the 80s, the guys began writing and demoing fresh material before tragically losing Steve Gilpin in a car crash.  

In 2013, Mi-Sex re-formed and were back in action, playing shows in Australia to rave reviews.  After a successful Australian tour and a return to the studio we can’t wait to see them back home. 

Mi-Sex and Eddie Rayner Project:

Thursday 28th of August
The Studio, Auckland
$48.00 presale online at Eventfinda.

Friday 29th of August
Bar Bodega, Wellington
$44.00 presale online at Eventfinda.

Friday 30th August
Sammys, Dunedin.
$42.00 presale online at Eventfinda.

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