Jon Dunstan on Th’ Dudes, Citizen Band, and a young Russ le Roq

I hear all the time that New Zealand music really took off in the '80s. 

I think it depends when you grew up, but I was lucky to have been around in the late '70s and through the '80s to catch some of the great Kiwi bands and performers.

Some of my favourites; Dragon at the Gluepot (even on a cold winter night, with a big crowd, the walls would be dripping wet) Citizen Band were great there too, their song Julia is still one of the Kiwi greats. Th' Dudes would light up a crowd wherever they played and they were loud.

The loudest band I ever heard were Hello Sailor. I heard them playing one night at the Windsor Castle in Parnell. At the time I was at The Alex, half a kilometre up the road listening to another band in the garden bar. Th' Dudes would ring out all over Parnell when they played The Castle too.

The Crocodiles were less loud but Jenny Morris could belt out great rock and roll when they played The Station. Also caught Coupe Detat with Jan Preston at The Station in the Harbour Lights room, and they were brilliant musos.

There were often great acts at Mainstreet and I once caught John Rowles at the Mon (he was in another league for professionalism). I saw Rob Geust,  Kim Hart, Billy T, Tina Cross, John Stevens, Mark Williams and others at venues around the country.

I was way under age when I worked as a DJ in central Auckland and heard one night there was a young kid working as a DJ in the club across the road, King Creoles – run by Tom Sharplin.

I took a look and there was a young kid (dressed up to look a bit older) DJing. Turned out he did a bit of singing as well and called himself Russ le Roq (later known as Russell Crowe).