The Troggs are heading to New Zealand as part of the 50th Anniversary of Wild Thing, which will see them perform six shows around the country. 

With those immortal words “Wild thing … you make my heart sing.” The Troggs hit bigger than Jupiter. ‘Wild Thing’ is the ultimate party song and with it The Troggs wrote themselves into the history books with a song that due to its timelessness and simplicity, every garage band has tried their hand at. Such was its appeal at the time that even Hendrix covered it with a legendary performance at Monterey in 1967.

 Guitarist Chris Britton remarked “It’s so simple anyone can play it and remember the words.”

Their follow up to Wild Thing,  With A Girl Like You, shot  to number one in New Zealand with its infectious and melodic "Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba's ". The Ba's are later rejigged and used on the more primal I Can't Control Myself  that starts with the unholy "Oh nooooo"  and the memorable line "Your slacks are low and your hips are showing". In the mid sixties The Troggs worked their formula to chart gold across the world. 

Love Is All Around was a shameless smash ballad in 1967  and would be resurrected nearly 30 years later by Wet Wet Wet for  the movie Four Weddings And A Funeral in 1994. Jump to 2003  and the romantic comedy Love Actually has rock and roll legend  Billy Mack (played by Bill Nighy)   on his comeback,  adapting the song for the movie's  majestic yuletide hit  Christmas Is All Around. 

Wild Thing took the hicks from Andover England to the world stage and beyond. Their simple approach, and sometimes down right primitive execution, with guitarist Chris Britton mastering  the knack of using as fewer chords as possible caught the ears of the world.  Led by the inimitable, and one time bricklayer, Reg Presley,  his gritty style and lascivious song writing took The Troggs from smash hits to perennial and sometimes risque favourites including  I Can’t Control Myself (banned at the time in Australia), Give It To Me, 66-5-4-3-2-1, Lover, Come Now, Strange Movies,  Evil Woman and the Black Sabbath sounding Feels Like A Woman. One  infamous B-side I Want You “had a great heavy sound” says Chris, and Detroit’s sonic reductionists The MC5 felt strongly enough about it not only to record on their first album in 1969, but to appropriate the writing credit.

The Troggs

Tuesday 29th November: Bodega, Wellington

Wednesday 30th November: The Cabana, Napier

Thursday 1st December: Totora Street, Tauranga

Friday 2nd December: Altitude, Hamilton

Saturday 3rd December: Kings Arms, Auckland

Sunday 4th December: Churchills, Christchurch

Tickets via Tombowler.com