Hoi Polloi And P.D. Corp Reunited!

Party Like Its 1989! Hoi Polloi And P.D. Corp Reunited!

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 radioat best, virtually non-existEnt 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 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 U.S. to promote the 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.

In 1993 Hoi Polloi released their second album Spin Me, with the single ‘Angel’ hitting the number one spot on the U.S. national CCM radio chart. In 1994, David Ball and Jozsef Fityus returned to NZ and Scotty Pearson (ex-P.D. Corp drummer and later of Elemeno P) joined Horst and Gullen on drums, with American Troy Daughterty on lead guitar.

A third album Happy Ever After was 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 and alternative radio and MTV play.

In 1996, another line-up change saw American Matt McGuyer appointed to drums following Pearson’s return to NZ.

Showcase gigs in New York and new song demos generated ongoing interest from major labels, however serious family illnesses back home led Gullen and Horst to disband the group and return to NZ early 1997.

ENDS