| The Vigilantes | |
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There is no doubt that the Church Dance Scene in the early 60s was the development and proving ground for most of the budding bands of the era, and The Vigilantes were no exception whatsoever to that rule. They, like so many of their peers, were part of the Church Dance catchment, and the first ever shot of the band to the left shows The Vigilantes original line-up (left to right) of Bob Wilcock (Saxophone), Lin Holstein (Drums), Derek Withers (Bass Guitar), Brian Thomas (Lead Guitar) Larry McKay (Rhythm Guitar), and Dixon McIvor (Vocals), on stage at an early Church Dance (venue unfortunately unknown). It is remarkable that most of these guys have remained friends over the years, still hankering to play with each other whenever possible - still crowd pleasers ... |
| Having won their spurs on the Youth Club and Church Dance circuits of the early 1960s, wedding dances and 21st shindigs widened their repertoire and drip-fed their appetite for increasingly expensive gear, but the boys "grew up" professionally when they began to score spots at top venues like The Dolphin Lounge, The Plainsman, and Spencer Street. Their biggest break came in 1965 with a residency, as understudies to The Detours at the Laredo Nitespot, followed a year or so later by top billing at the Pride of Place in Chancery Lane. Two singles were released on the Robbins label - a remake of The Beatles' "And I Love Her" b/w The Searchers' "Everybody Come And Clap Your Hands", and their very successful remake of the Manfred Mann hit "Come Tomorrow" b/w "The Cruel Sea" (The Dakotas' original which was also recorded by The Invaders on the Zodiac label in 1965). They backed popular Christchurch vocal quartet, The Southerners on "Don't It Make You Feel Good" b/w "South Wind" and "Endlessly" b/w "Unchained Melody". In their six-year life-span, the Vigilantes developed a strong following, but the pressure of day jobs finally saw them split up in the late 1960s. Several members did go on to nationwide success in other groups. This publicity shot shows the five Laredo-era Vigilantes (top to bottom, and left to right) - Larry McKay (Rhythm Guitar), Dixon McIvor (Vocals), Tony Mason (Drums), Bob Wilcock (Saxophone), Derek Withers (Bass Guitar), and Brian Thomas (Lead Guitar). |  |
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The Vigilantes reunited in September 2006 - (Friday 29th and Saturday 30th) - for the very special Spencer Street Revisited concerts which were performed in the splendour of Christchurch Cathedral. On this occasion the original "core" of the group (Larry McKay, Brian Thomas and Dixon McIvor) were joined by Murray Wood, Wayne Allen, Trevor Wright, and also Brian Thomas's son Marcus Thomas for one number. The image to the left and those following were captured from a video recording of the Friday concert. The "new-look" Vigilantes in concert were, (left to right) Murray Wood (Keyboardist), Trevor Wright (Bass Guitarist), Larry McKay (Rhythm Guitarist), Brian Thomas (Lead Guitarist), Dixon McIvor (Vocalist), Wayne Allen (Drummer). The Vigilantes appeared at the 2007 ROCKONZ Concert in the Christchurch Town Hall, and the group was inducted into the ROCKONZ Hall of Fame in 2008. The revived group is back rehearsing regularly and more appearances are planned. |
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And once again the Vigilantes were re-united for the inaugural ROCKONZ Concert (ChCh Town Hall) March 2007 |
| The Vigilantes (from left) Bob Wilcox Trevor Wright Wayne Allen Dixon McIvor Murray Wood Larry McKay Brian Thomas |
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 Larry McKay, Murray Wood, Trevor Wright, Lorraine McKay, Wendy Morrison, Wayne Allen, Dixon McIvor, Brian Thomas |
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| Christchurch Star write-up and advertisements from Wednesday, 13th February, 2008 | |
 The Laredo-era Vigilantes were inducted into the ROCKONZ Hall of Fame at the Annual Awards Dinner held on Friday February 29th, 2008 |
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| Return to Johnny Campbell and The Detours |
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