The Mutton Birds

Don McGlashan, already esteemed across New Zealand for his earlier role in the post-punk outfit Blam Blam Blam, fronted the local pop band the Mutton Birds as singer and guitarist. Ex-Six Volts guitarist David Long and drummer Ross Burge completed the initial roster. Late in 1991 the trio began laying down tracks for their first album; once those sessions ended, former Dribbling Darts bassist Alan Gregg joined to complete the lineup. The resulting self-titled debut, issued on the band’s own Bag Records imprint in 1992 and preceded by the single “Dominion Road,” offered melodic pop shaped by 1960s influences. It yielded the hit “Nature” and climbed to within one position of the top of the New Zealand album chart. Mid-1993 brought another success with the single “Your Window,” after which the group signed to Virgin and delivered its second album, Salty. In 1995 Virgin issued Nature, a compilation drawn from the first two records and aimed at international listeners; the band’s third studio set, Envy of Angels, appeared the following year. After Angle of Entry in 1997, Gregg departed and Tony Fisher took his place for the 1999 release Rain, Steam & Speed.