“It was 30 years ago this month….”
The Chills, Dunedin musical icons, are pleased to announce a special one-off show in Dunedin on Saturday 27 November and a live album release to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band.
Nov 1980: Martin and a fledgling band are invited to play an unadvertised support slot for 2 other local bands: The Clean and Bored Games, in Maori Hill Dunedin. In what became a seminal moment, Martin Phillipps, Peter Gutteridge, Jane Dodd, and Alan Haig took to the stage (Rachel Phillipps was unable to play as the other bands didn’t have keyboards). The first Chills was on!
Up until this point the band had been called, The Same, and it was at this pivotal show that they announced, “This first one’s called, Motels and Cars, and we are probably going to call ourselves The Chills”.
With a career spanning three decades Martin Phillip’s and The Chills have pumped out numerous hits such as: ‘Heavenly pop hit’, ‘Pink frost’, ‘Come home, Doledrums and, ‘I love my leather jacket’. These hits maintained a cumulative 72 weeks in the NZ Top 40. Interest in the band quickly spread overseas. With a high caliber of musicianship and raw passion The Chills are regarded as one of the most well known New Zealand bands to date, particularly in the U.S.A, UK and Europe. The Chills have become a NZ institution with their songs being used on TV shows, commercials, and in movie soundtracks.
The rest, as they say, is history. . .
30 years later, The Chills are still playing live (with line up number 33) and have just successfully toured Australia as a five piece, recieving rapturous audiences and reviews. The current band are such a strong lineup that Martin decided to celebrate the November 1980 anniversary with a one off matinee show in the very hall where it all began –The Coronation Hall on Balmacewan Road, Dunedin.
Funnily enough, on inspecting the hall, little has changed (Dunedin is a lot like that). Martin recalls visiting the same hall as a young teenager and while his parents played badminton and perhaps the odd sherry, Martin and his friends would remain glued to the TV set in the halls meeting room watching cult shows such as Gerry Anderson’s UFO. Formative years for the future Chills bandleader, indeed.
So, the band and hall are set.
In keeping with the era the show is going to be an old-fashioned matinee event with just The Chills playing from 2.30pm in the afternoon, and there will be a very, very special surprise for those lucky enough to attend. Families are welcome and encouraged to attend and kids under 16 can come with their parents for free.
In addition, to celebrate the attaining of such an annerversarial achievment (30th is Pearl dontcha know), The Chills are releasing a special live album featuring the first 2 rudimentary recordings songs from the November 1980 gig (Motels and Cars/I Saw Your Silhouette), along with a selection of unreleased live tracks. This will be available for limited sale at the show and also available for download from…..
THE CHILLS – 30th Anniversary Show
Saturday 27 November
Coronation Hall
Balmacewan Road
Dunedin
New Zealand
Doors open 2.00pm
Band on stage 2.30pm - Sharp – Note: there is no support act!!!
Public: $25, Students and unwaged $20
R18 (minors may attend if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian)
Presale tickets available from www.undertheradar.co.nz
