The Swingers


The Swingers were a New Zealand rock band who were together from 1979 to 1982 and whose biggest single was the song "Counting the Beat".

Background

Formed out of the remnants of the Suburban Reptiles, the founding members were Phil Judd, Wayne Stevens , and Mark Hough . Formed in 1979, the band released the single "One Good Reason" which was a top 20 hit in New Zealand. They also appeared on the Ripper Records sampler AK79 and established a large live following after a residency at Auckland's Liberty Stage club.
In 1980 the band moved to Australia and signed for Mushroom Records for that country, although their New Zealand releases remained on Ripper.

Success

After some band dissension, Ian Gilroy of the Crocodiles replaced Hough on drums. The band released the single "Counting the Beat" which became a No. 1 hit in Australia and New Zealand. A second single released in 1981, "It Ain't What You Dance, It's the Way That You Dance It", was also a Top 5 hit in New Zealand but only a minor hit in Australia. An album, Practical Jokers, produced by David Tickle, was released. The band also performed songs in the film Starstruck.

Breakup

The band underwent a couple more line-up changes, including the addition of Pop Mechanix and Coconut Rough vocalist Andrew Snoid, before it split up in March 1982.

Discography

Albums

Singles