Picture this… 1988, David Lange is Prime Minister, Commercial TV goes 7 days a week (except Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Christmas Day!), Dave Dobbyn wins Best Album and Male Vocalist at the NZ Music Awards (not too difficult to picture), Nintendo release the Game Boy, and in Wellington, Jon Toogood and Tom Larkin are busily creating a heavy rock band…. A monstrous band that would end up becoming one of New Zealand’s most loved, respected and successful exports.…. KIA ORA SHIHAD!
Fast forward to 2018… Jon, Tom, lead guitarist Phil Knight (who they found through a music shop notice board ad in 1989) and bass player Karl Kippenberger, who joined the band in 1993, (from being a fan) have released nine studio albums (five of which went to #1 in NZ). They survived a name change propelled by Jihad becoming a staple negative reference in the global vernacular thanks to 9/11 (Shihad became Pacifier, and returned to Shihad), personal triumphs and tragedies, travelled all over the world with endless tours, selling out headline shows and sharing stages at major local and international festivals, and touring with musical heroes like Motorhead, Metallica, Faith No More and AC/DC to name a few! In 2010 they were inducted into the New Zealand Music’s Hall Of Fame. And just like Neil Finn, Russell Crowe and every other successful person or idea to come out of NZ…. Australia quickly adopted them as their own, showering them with ARIA nominations, adoration and ownership of their global success.
To celebrate 30 years, Shihad will be undertaking a national tour, and releasing their classic LP The General Electric, also celebrating twenty years since its release, on vinyl for the first time. The General Electric was the LP that re-established their position as sonic giants of the music industry, with hit singles ‘My Mind’s Sedate’, ‘The General Electric’, ‘Pacifier’.
