# The Narcs

The Narcs are an award winning New Zealand band, that formed in 1980 in Christchurch, New Zealand, by bassist Tony Waine, drummer Bob Ogilvie and guitarist Garth Sinclair – departed/replaced by Australian guitarist/singer songwriter Andrew/Andy Dickson.
Christchurch remained the band's base with a series of resident club and pub gigs building their following. Touring had become a regular event for The Narcs by 1981, and the pressures of the road contributed to Bob Ogilvie leaving – being replaced by Steve Clarkson on drums in 1982. Keyboardist Liam Ryan became a full-time Narc in 1983.
The band pursued a management deal with Mike Chunn, and signed a record deal with CBS Records.
During a retreat at a commune the band wrote most of the songs for their debut album, Great Divide. The single, "Heart and Soul", peaked at No. 4 on the NZ charts. At the 1984 New Zealand Music Awards, the band won 3 awards and the album achieved gold disc status.
The band worked in both NZ and Australia, recording a total of four albums and playing alongside such acts as Midnight Oil, Split Enz, Elton John and Queen.
The band reformed in 2016 with ex-DD Smash drummer Peter Warren and Rikki Morris of The Crocodiles and have continued to play live and record music since then. In 2018, the band released new single 'Summerhill Stone'.

## Discography
### Albums

List of albums, with New Zealand chart positions :
| Title | Extended play details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Extended play details | NZ |
| Whistle While You Work (with Coconut Rough) | Released: November 1983 Label: CBS (SBP 237956) Formats: LP, Cassette | 17 |
| Great Divide | Released: November 1984 Label: CBS (SBP 238038) Formats: LP, Cassette | 14 |
| The Narcs | Released: November 1985 Label: CBS (SBP 8123) Formats: LP, Cassette | 27 |
| Push the Boat Out | Released: 1996 Label: Hark Records (HKC30) Formats: CD | - |
| Best of The Narcs | Released: 2002 Label: EMI (5406092) Formats: CD Note: Compilation album | - |

### Extended Plays

List of albums, with New Zealand chart positions :
| Title | Extended play details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Extended play details | NZ |
| The Narcs | Released: 1981 Label: XSF (XS 006) Formats: LP | - |
| No Turning Back | Released: May 1983 Label: CBS (BA 12040) Formats: LP, Cassette | 12 |

### Singles

List of singles with selected New Zealand positions :
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Title | Year | NZ | Album |
| 1982 | "Over My Head" | - | Whistle While You Work |
| 1983 | "Look the Other Way" | 38 | |
| 1984 | "You Took Me (Heart and Soul)" | 4 | Great Divide |
| 1984 | "Lazy Susan" | 35 | Great Divide |
| 1984 | "Missing in Action" | - | Great Divide |
| 1985 | "Diamonds On China" | 14 | The Narcs Album |
| 1985 | "Side By Side" | - | The Narcs Album |
| 1986 | "Abandoned By Love" | - | The Narcs Album |
| 1988 | "It's Got To Be Love" | 49 | |
| 1995 | "Back to the Deep" | - | Push the Boat Out |

## Awards and nominations
### Aotearoa Music Awards

The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously known as New Zealand Music Awards (NZMA)) are an annual awards night celebrating excellence in New Zealand music and have been presented annually since 1965.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 1982 | The Narcs | Group of the Year | Nominated |
| 1983 | The Narcs | Group of the Year | Nominated |
| 1984 | "You Took Me Heart and Soul" | Most Popular Song | Won |
| 1984 | "You Took Me Heart and Soul" | Single of the Year | Won |
| 1984 | Dave McArtney for "You Took Me Heart and Soul" by The Narcs | Producer of the Year | Won |
| 1984 | Graeme Mhyre for "You Took Me Heart and Soul" by The Narcs | Engineer of the Year | Won |
| Andy Dickson (The Narcs) | Male artist of the Year | Nominated | |
| 1985 | Fane Flaws for "Diamonds On China" by The Narcs | Video the Year | Won |