Instigators - The Best of the Instigators

Instigators won Auckland’s Battle of the Bands in 1981 and released two seminal ska/punk singles on Ripper Records — Not Really Bad with producer Don McGlashan, and Hope She’s Alright with producer Steve Kennedy. Then they piled into a Bedford truck and toured all over NZ.

“In the cities we played to big crowds at rock venues where everyone was jumping up and down and connected with our anti-government message. The rural pubs were a different story, they didn’t want to hear our songs about real life, gang warfare, and a missing prostitute. In Blackball they tried to beat us up and chased us down the street!” — Sonya Waters

"The Instigators' two singles on Ripper have reached almost mythical status in 2024 and, aside from a track on Bigger Than Both of Us, have been unavailable in any form for 22 years, hence the prices they fetch. One of the reasons I bought Ripper from Bryan Staff was to see records like these classic 45s reissued and here they are, coupled with a side of live tracks that illustrate rather well why the band was so popular back in the day and why their legacy has lasted and grown. Extreme Ripper pride!" — Simon Grigg