Biography

The Mutton Birds formed in 1991 in New Zealand. Main songwriter Don McGlashan, guitarist David Long and drummer Ross Burge had made quite a few albums between them in the anti-Darwinian environment that makes New Zealand so unique in the musical world. Bands like Blam Blam Blam, The Front Lawn, (Don) The Six Volts, (David) The Spines, Sneaky Feelings, and The Dribbling Darts (Ross) had provided a testing ground for their ideas about songs and and how to play them. When bassist Alan Gregg (also of The Dribbling Darts) joined in 1992, and they made their first, self-titled album - college radio picked it up with a vengeance, and mainstream radio in New Zealand was forced to follow suit.

Within 12 months, The album went platinum and EMI Australia picked up the tab for the second one, "Salty". This was recorded in late 1993, and was self-produced but mixed in Australia with American producer/engineer Tchad Blake (American Music Club, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, Crowded House). The first single, "The Heater", debuted at No 1 in New Zealand.

"Salty" also went Platinum at home and the single "Anchor Me" won Don NZ's top songwriting prize.

Perversely encouraged by a Virgin UK insider's dire warnings about the dangers of flying the coop, The Mutton Birds began making sorties to England in 1995. That year, they released "Nature"(Virgin Records), a 12 song compilation of "The Mutton Birds" and "Salty", with additional production courtesy of Neil Finn. The release won the band some firm friends:

".....Robust, sad melodies, folk harmonies and beautifully weighted arrangements" **** Q magazine

The vibe continued to build, with The Mutton Birds invited to play at Glastonbury, T in the Park, Womad and a large number of other European festivals. These, together with other large support tours, put the band in front of half a million people. They proved they were up for a fight, too - the band's anti-nuclear stance included playing impromptu, police-interrupted gigs outside London's French embassy.

In mid 1996, The Mutton Birds made their third studio album. (It was their first recording in the Northern Hemisphere, and the magnetic particles had to be taught to vibrate counterclockwise - otherwise, vampire-like, the band would have left no impression on the tape).

The album was produced by Hugh Jones (The Bluetones, Dodgy, Echo and the Bunnymen) at Rockfield Studios in Wales.

".....unpretentious ingenuity, freshly-baked-this-morning melodies and dark pensive lyrics" The Times

".....a no frills deliriously tuneful experience" The Sunday Times

".....a perfect example of what real songs sound like" Whats On

"The classic purity of the melodies you encounter on "Envy of Angles" is at times breathtaking" The Sunday Times.

"In the first five songs on this record, there's more melody and harmonic reverberation than on the last album by more or less anyone you'd care to name" David Hepworth, Mojo

"Envy Of Angels" brought the Mutton Birds to a world wide audience for the first time, with sales throughout Europe, South America and Canada. The already strong New Zealand and Australian support for the band increased, too (the Ockers' attitude was helped by the lads scoring a top twenty hit early in 1997 with a cover of The Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear The Reaper" - recorded for Peter Jackson's horror movie "The Frighteners").

Despite all this, despite the thrashing Alan Gregg's "Come Around" got on a lot of UK radio stations, and despite the sales figures of "Envy of Angels" tripling those of Nature, in Autumn 97 Virgin UK, didn't take up the option to release further albums.

Rather than cry into their own, or anyone else's Theakston's Old Peculiar, The Mutton Birds decided that performing live and building an audience around the UK was the way forward. In January/February of 1998 they played shows in the south of England and were proved right - all shows were well attended, many sold out, including a rapt and rowdy 1,600 punters at The Shepherds Bush Empire on January 31st.

A tour of packed outdoor arenas throughout New Zealand followed, then back to Blighty for sell-out shows in May and June of this year.

To celebrate not having a record company, the band released "Angle of Entry" in December 1997 on their own label "Gravy Train Records". Recorded live at a semi-unplugged show at The Twelve Bar Club in London, its fourteen songs show a band at the height of its powers, having come through the major-label tunnel unscathed, and strengthened.

In June this year "Too Hard Basket - B-Sides and Bastards", the band's first "rarities" album, was compiled and released, (also on Gravy Train) feeding the hunger of the growing cult of UK fans.

Both these titles are available only at the Mutton Birds shows and by mail order from The Mutton Birds P.O. Box 16936 London N2 9WH, or from here at the website (see the Shop page).

A new album is currently being recorded, for release early in 1999, and new songs have already had an airing on the first gigs of the band's current U.K. tour. (See the Tour Dates page)

The line-up has changed slightly over the last two years - guitarist Chris Sheehan replaces original member David Long, who returned to NZ at the end of 1996. And the first English Mutton Bird, Sheffield-raised, London-based Tony Fisher, replaced Alan Gregg on bass in mid 1998.

Join the people talking up the Mutton Birds:

"The Mutton Birds are an undervalued New Zealand jewel" Paul Sexton, The Times

"The Mutton Birds are a very important band" Colin Greenwood, Radiohead

"The Mutton Birds are my favourite band" Brian Ritchie, The Violent Femmes

The Mutton Birds are:

• Don McGlashan Vocals, Guitar, Euphonium,
• Tony Fisher Vocals, Bass Guitar, Keyboards
• Ross Burge Drums
• Chris Sheehan Lead Guitar

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL: STEVE HEDGES ON (0181) 444 2024