If you were a student during the late 1980s there's no way you could have missed seeing one of NZ's most iconic bands - The Bats. They were a regular at campus parties and at live music venues throughout the country. Their brooding, melancholic brand of sound always attracted a full crowd of moshing, black jersey clad scarfies. Although many of their tracks suffered from being a bit samey, 'North by North' can be considered a true kiwi classic. Displaying heaps of melody and a real driving surge of sound, it was released in 1987. Later, it was to become the title theme for the ABC political satire 'The Hollowmen' (well worth a watch in its own right!).
