Soundtrack to your studies - 1982

Orientation had a run of great bands with Topp Twins at the Maidment Theatre and Herbs playing for free in the Quad. Herbs were at the forefront of a run of movement of local reggae bands that had sprouted up in the years since Bob Marley’s concert at Western Springs in 1979.

There was also a show by two of Auckland’s best post-punk bands, Blam Blam Blam and the Newmatics in the Uni Cafe. Don McGlashan was the lead singer of the Blams and he had just graduated from The University of Auckland the year before (and was later named a “distinguished alumni” in 2012). 

An even bigger gig - the Rock Circus - was then held in the Auckland Town Hall, which was only $2 for those with an “orientation card.”

Sweetwaters music festival ran for a third time that year with Meatloaf and Ultravox as the headliners, while Elton John returned to play Western Springs for a second time. The biggest international album of the year was Business As Usual by Australian new wave group, Men At Work. Its success was driven by the monster hit ‘Down Under.’

What was on the turntable while you were on campus? Suggest songs to add to our 1980s playlist, and you could win $100 Flying Out voucher.