The Headless Chickens were formed in 1985, and were originally known as the International Headless Chickens, as a special project to perform at the multi-media event ‘The Nitpickers Picnic’. Their first release was a track on the 1986 student radio compilation album Outnumbered By Sheep.
In 1987 The Headless Chickens won the Rheineck Rock Award. In the 1995 NZ Music Awards they were voted ‘Top International Performer’ and vocalist for some of their songs, Fiona McDonald won the ‘Top Female Vocalist’ category.
Cruise Control reached #8 in the New Zealand singles chart. It was a trailer for Body Blow, the momentous album that followed.
Body Blow sold to platinum, George hit #1 and the Eskimos and Egypt remix of Cruise Control reached #17 in Australia, where the Chickens have toured ten times.
The group’s most famous lineup – vocalist Fiona MacDonald, Chris, Grant, Michael and Bevan also toured the UK on the back of a club-hit remix of Fiona’s song Juice, but there were quite a few other Chickens over the years.
Among them, Rupert E. Taylor and Anthony Nevison left behind distinctive contributions – Stunt Clown’s winsome Fish Song and Body Blow‘s ribald Donde Esta La Pollo respectively. Producer Rex Visible and engineer Angus McNaughton, both occasional members, and reliable tour buddies MC OJ & Slave, Stinky Jim and DJ Roger Perry also deserve special mention.
The group’s last major incarnation coalesced around the third album, Greedy: Chris, Angus, Bevan Larsen, Flex, Rachel Wallace and a chap called Roger.
There were always a lot of people around, and the band was always a collaboration, in the way that making film is a collaboration. Body Blow could have been half a dozen bands at once; any one song could be both sweet and sour. They looked like a rock band but Grant ran dance parties and they toured with house DJ’s and hip-hop acts.
Friday 28 November 2008 saw a special reunion of the Headless Chickens’ classic line-up from the hit-making era of their Body Blow album – and a welcome return of the Chickens’ unrivalled brew of dastardly electronics, danceable beats and sharp pop songs.
The Headless Chickens are:
Chris Matthews (guitar, vocals)
Bevan Sweeney (drums)
Grant Fell (guitar)
and others…
