Headless Chickens Essentials

Unlike other bands signed to Flying Nun in the late 1980s, Auckland’s Headless Chickens largely eschewed jangly guitars in favor of drum machines, synths, and samplers. Yet, there was alt-rock at play too, with Chris Matthews and Johnny Pierce bringing along certain volatile elements from their former band, Children’s Hour. Observe that forward-thinking interplay on their brooding 1989 single “Expecting to Fly.” Two years later, the band tapped keyboardist and vocalist Fiona McDonald to guest on their single “Cruise Control,” teasing a smoother, more radio-friendly sound and anchoring Headless Chickens’ breakthrough 1991 album Body Blow. The track did so well that McDonald joined the lineup for the next few years, and a 1994 remix topped the NZ charts—a first for any Flying Nun act—when it was paired with the angsty earworm “George.” The band dissolved before the ’90s concluded, but later released a 2002 retrospective that featured both their most prominent songs and an armload of remixes that spun that same source material off in playful new directions.