Herbs will be unknown to roughly 99.99% of people reading this post - and yet here it is.
Living in New Zealand during the 70's and 80's I couldn't be divorced from the politics and protests going on at the time.
In 1979 Herbs formed, classed as a Pacific reggae band but carrying a strong political and social message through their music. Their first mini-album of 6 tracks, 'What's Be Happen?' was released in 1981 during the controversial anti-apartheid Springboks Rugby Tour and the cover featured an aerial photo of protests on Aucklands Bastion Point, scene of land occupation by the Ngāti Whātua in the late 70's .
The French had a long history of nuclear testing on Moruroa Atoll in French Polynesia which potentially affected the whole South Pacific region. Featuring multi-ethnic band members over the years - Tongans, Samoans, Cook Islanders, Maoris, Herbs was representative of peoples who were being affected by the proliferation of these tests in their own backyards.
By 1982 the anti-nuclear movement was strong and the Herbs song 'French Letter' came to be an anthem ...
"Do you know what makes the ocean glow
When unwelcome guests, are making nuclear tests"
Followed by songs on the same theme, 'No Nukes' and 'Nuclear Waste' which features on todays album, their continued crusade was obvious.
Unfortunately, despite the condemnation and protests, in 1985 things took a tragic turn. The Greenpeace ship 'Rainbow Warrior' was moored at Marsden Wharf in Auckland prior to leading a flotilla to Moruroa Atoll to protest yet another nuclear test.
Three agents of the French DGSE, the external intelligence agency, imported limpet mines which were collected by two more agents who then delivered them to a further pair of divers. These divers attached the mines to The Rainbow Warrior on 10 July 1985. The first mine detonated at 11.38pm and the second one ten minutes later. Unfortunately, between blasts, freelance photographer Fernando Pereira went back to get his camera equipment. He drowned in the flooding after the second blast.
Herbs continue to play with an almost ever-changing line-up, releasing their last album of new material in 1990 but they had 10 top twenty singles during their peak years. They also worked with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Taj Mahal, UB40 and George Benson. Their song 'Homegrown' was on the soundtrack to the 1994 movie 'Once Were Warriors'.
Herbs are a piece of history of a time and place. They are my memories, but worth sharing.
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