Looking back at the quintessential 1980s picture of The Mockers, complete with big hair, gold lame and lots of bling, is a trip down memory lane for guitarist Brett Adams.
‘‘I have no idea where all that jewellery came from, or that hat, but that was my shirt,’’ Adams said laughing.
‘‘It was all great fun for me — I have very fond memories of being a very young man, leaving my job and going out on the road for three months with The Mockers,’’ he said.
The idea for The Mockers’ first New Zealand tour in 30 years arose after the band was invited to reform for the Great Kiwi Beer Fest in Christchurch in January.
‘‘As we were going to be relearning all of that material for the show, it made sense to add some more,’’ Adams said.
The result is a nine-show, 10-day, whistle stop New Zealand tour which will reach Dunedin’s Glenroy Auditorium on Friday, January 27.
Joining forces for the reunion tour are New Zealand-based Andrew Fagan (vocals) and Adams (guitar), London-based Geoff Hayden (bass) and Australia-based Tim Wedde (keyboards). Special guest drummer will be Chris O’Connor, of the Phoenix Foundation, sitting in for the late Steve Thorpe — who died in 1986.
The Mockers had three Top 10 albums and six hit singles, and played to huge crowds across the country in the 1980s.
The band plans to bring back the classics, such as Forever Tuesday Morning, Swear It’s Trust, One Black Friday and more for audiences on this tour.
Being scattered across the globe means the musicians will rehearse on their own up until they come together for a flurry of rehearsals before heading out on the road.
Adams is looking forward to reconnecting with his former band-mates, some of whom he hasn’t seen for 30 years, and is enjoying revisiting the old songs.
‘‘It is amazing how it comes back to you — those songs are still in my muscle memory, which is great,’’ he said.
‘‘I’m very much looking forward to playing as a band again after all these years.’’
Tickets for The Mockers’ Dunedin show are available via Ticketmaster.
