Mi-Sex formed in 1977, led by Steve Gilpin (vocals), Kevin Stanton (guitar), Don Martin (bass), and Murray Burns (keys/synth), and Richard Hodgkinson (drums). Within months of releasing the debut single, ‘Straight Laddie’ (1978); an early punk parody that pays homage to Ian Dury, with a snatch of The Stranglers on keys; Mi-Sex were smashing house records right across their native New Zealand. Chasing new horizons, Mi-Sex jumped the ditch to bring their new-found sound, and highly energized theatrical shows, to Australian audiences.

Exploding upon the Sydney live music scene, Mi-Sex quickly caught the eye of record producer Peter Dawkins, who signed the group to CBS. The relationship proved to be a masterstroke, with the release of the group’s debut LP, Graffiti Crimes, and subsequent singles, ‘But You Don’t Care’ and ‘Computer Games’ racing to the top of the charts in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Austria and South Africa. The LP became the catalyst for an entirely new era in music and fashion – new wave.

ABC’s Double J embraced new wave and Mi-Sex became regular guests on Countdown, which saw the group shoot to #1 with ‘Computer Games’, before Mi-Sex rounding-out the decade with its landmark performance at the Sydney Opera House – revered by those of the era as the ‘Concert of the Decade’. Early the following year, Mi-Sex Graffiti Crimes scooped the 1979 TV WEEK / COUNTDOWN MUSIC AWARDS with 4 gongs: Best New Single (Computer Games), Most Popular Single/Album (Computer Games/Graffiti Crimes), Best New Talent (Mi-Sex), and Best Production (Peter Dawkins/Graffiti Crimes).