SuperGroove

Emerging from the remnants of the Low Down Dirty Blues Band, a high school outfit fronted by singer-songwriter Karl Steven and bassist Joe Lonie that concentrated on horn-heavy rock alongside covers drawn from The Blues Brothers, the New Zealand collective became Supergroove in 1993. Immediate traction followed when the debut single ‘Here Comes The Supergroove’ launched a string of chart hits. Their first album, Traction, presented a rich, assured fusion of blues, funk, soul and metal that earned further critical praise. Public response proved equally robust, as sales of 65,000 copies attained quadruple platinum status in New Zealand. While touring in 1995 the group decided to move toward conventional rock, which precipitated the departures of singer/rapper Che Fu—who went on to solo success—and trumpeter Tim Stewart. Consequently the brass section was largely dissolved once saxophonist Nick Atkinson switched to keyboards. Backspacer represented a deliberate push to reach worldwide listeners. Now guided by manager Ted Gardener, a veteran of PiL, Echo And The Bunnymen and New Order, the band devised plans aimed at South-East Asia, where enthusiasm ran especially high in Indonesia, together with Europe and the USA.