Herbs Receive 'Independent Music NZ Classic Record' Award

Independent Music New Zealand has announced that the Herbs' album What's Be Happen? is this year's recipient of the Independent Music NZ Classic Record award. The award aims to acknowledge local albums that have helped define and inspire New Zealand music over the years. The 1981 debut record from the politically-driven group was held up as a landmark for Pacific reggae, says judge Peter McLennan. "Dropping in the dark days of the 1981 Springbok Tour, the mini album showed the band pulling together a strong set of six originals ­– they knew they were doing something right when people started asking them about a song off the EP, ‘Dragons And Demons’, wanting to know which Bob Marley album it was from. It's still a crucial recording, to this day,” he said.

When told of the win bandmember Dilworth Karaka commented: "It was our first bunch of songs that we’d ever recorded and was a strong indicator for the political material we would carry on to do – the memory has carried on, and it’s still our most popular record." The award will be presented by Moana Maniapoto at the Taits Music Prize ceremony on Wednesday, 15th April in Auckland.

Here is 'Dragons and Demons'...

Image via Audio Culture