“Watch out young love!”. Even in black and white, Alastair Riddell’s pouting David Bowie riff brought a shock of rock'n'roll verve to the ‘New Faces’ talent section of Studio One — a popular TV show more used to singing families and novelty acts. The judges were mostly bemused by the glam rock onslaught and only grudgingly allowed Alastair Riddell's band to get through to the finals (where they buried them). But rock fans took notice of the x-factor and EMI quickly signed the band. Within weeks 'Out on the Street' had become the first local chart topper in three years.

Mi-Sex moved further into the futuristic sci-fi world signalled by their hit single ‘Computer Games’ with the release of their chart topping second album Space Race in 1980. The lead-off single ‘People’ emerged at a time when the world was still coming to grips with cloning, genetic engineering and test tube babies. The video showcases the band’s well honed combination of techno-pop and the more straight ahead rock’n’roll beloved of Australian pub audiences — with some visual special effects reserved for the future shock of the spoken segment.

Hammond Gamble’s Street Talk were a star attraction in the late 70s Auckland pub scene. Their debut album had a heavyweight producer in LA scenester (and Runaways svengali) Kim Fowley. This TVNZ video uses an alleyway set to reflect the band’s “street music” rock’n’roll (with a dash of Springsteen-style bruised romanticism). The band might look new wave, but the rootsier Gamble is after a more conventional look. Whether any self-respecting bluesman would keep his guitar in a rubbish bin is another matter altogether. 

One minute and 57 seconds of fast, furious and fully fledged rock n roll behavior - a video clip that beautifully represents The D4's mission statement. Frenetic editing, testosterone pumped performances and gritty lighting push the song forward at a frantic pace, while Alex Mench's subtle inclusions like a boot to the camera and askew framing place the viewer centre front of the mosh pit.

'Saturday Night' is a glorious anthem from these Auckland punk pioneers, and a classic piece of NZ rock’n’roll. An improbable ode to the joys of having “one free night a week”, it was penned by Buster Stiggs and produced by ex-Split Enzer Phil Judd (on guitar). The video, made by TVNZ, was remarkably sympathetic and, apart from lurid lighting, avoided cheap effects in favour of capturing the band’s essence. Judd and Stiggs later formed The Swingers, while this performance won singer Zero a role in the Gary Glitter stage production of Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The music video for this 1987 Satellite Spies single is a straight down the line performance piece, focusing on vocalist/songwriter Mark Loveys. After scoring a hit single in 1985 – 'Destiny in Motion' – Satellite Spies won Most Promising Band and Most Promising Male Vocalist at that year’s NZ Music Awards. This single was recorded for their second album, which would finally be released in 2011 as Us Against the World. The album was made without guitarist Deane Sutherland, who left the group in 1986 — and later launched a band of the same name in Australia. Rock’n'roll!

A polar explorer might seem an odd subject for one of NZ’s leading mid-80s bands to tackle – but, for all the make-up and rock'n'roll finery, Andrew Fagan was no ordinary pop star. This ode to Ernest Shackleton, from The Mockers' second album, was a pointer to Andrew Fagan the accomplished ocean going, solo yachtsman. Such subject matter would have sorely tested TVNZ's resources for making low budget clips. This compromise sees the band on a studio set dressed with suitably nautical looking nets, intercut with archival footage of a Shackleton expedition.

One of the great rock'n'roll songs about Auckland is the work of a Christchurch band. 'Auckland Tonight' is The Androidss' claim to fame - and yet it was the b-side of their only single. The work of a band that was never scared of a good time, it extols the virtues of a night on the town with special mention of Proud Scum and Toy Love playing at the Windsor Castle. The TVNZ video careers around rain soaked streets (with a shot of the long-gone Harbour Bridge toll booths) and offers telling glimpses of The Androidss' bête noir - the central police station.

With a super-simple yet thrillingly impressive concept, Gareth Edwards makes a rock'n'roll dream come to life in this technicolour smash up. Impressive editing and lighting, and gung-ho performances combine to embellish a terrific punk-pop song.  

‘Heart and Soul’ — sometimes called 'You Took Me (Heart and Soul)' — was the biggest hit for rockers The Narcs. It peaked at number four on the NZ charts and took away two gongs at the 1984 NZ Music Awards. A spare, brooding rumination on love, it represented a departure from the more full on rock’n’roll that marked the band’s sound when they emerged on the Christchurch pub scene in the early 80s. Shot on a blacked out set, the video has all the hallmarks of a test run for a new digital effects suite — although that doesn’t explain the red pyramid at the centre of proceedings.