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The Mutton Birds were formed in 1991 as an Auckland pub rock band. The initial band consisted of Don McGlashan (guitar, bass, vocals and euphonium), Andrew Long (guitar and vocals) and Ross Burge (drums). Soon after, Alan Gregg was added to the bass. All members were experienced New Zealand musicians who had previously played in well-known local bands. -
In 1992, they released their debut self-titled album, The Mutton Birds. The album peaked at No.2 in the NZ album charts and remained there for over a year (Doole, 2013). That same year, the band released a cover of The Fourmyula's 1969 song Nature which revived New Zealand's interest in classic NZ pop. Complete with a compelling music video directed by Fane Flaws, this cover was a very successful move by the band (Nature | Music Video | NZ on Screen, 2025). -
Their debut album, The Mutton Birds, won Album of the Year at the 1993 New Zealand Music Awards. This success spurred much interest from record companies, with them finally signing on with EMI Australia later that year (Doole, 2013). -
Following their first album's success, they pedantically set about recording and releasing their second album, Salty, their first international release. Salty, selling platinum, peaked at No. 3 on the New Zealand album charts. This included the single 'The Heater', which reached No.1 on the charts, and the singles 'In my Room', 'Ngaire', and 'Anchor Me', which all made it to the Top 20 (Doole, 2013). -
The Mutton Birds attempted to break into the UK music industry, relocating to London (Taste, 2014). However, this is where their internal relationships declined. Long stated, "Everyone in the band just wanted to be away from each other, but I feel we were still playing really well. Onstage everything was gelling" (Doole, 2013).
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Their third album, Envy of Angels, was released in 1996 under the USA record company Virgin (The Mutton Birds, 2025). They recorded this in the rural Wales studio Rockfield, which was used by some very affluent and influential musicians such as Queen. Before this album release, the group toured England and the UK, however, the album did not perform as Virgin had anticipated, leading them to drop the group (Doole, 2013). -
David Long left the band and returned to New Zealand, due to management decisions and the break-up of his marriage, a decision that McGlashan said he felt coming (Doole, 2013). Alan Gregg also left the band in mid-1998 and was replaced by Tony Fisher, a British musician. Gregg remained in London recording under the name Marshmallow (Doole, 2013).
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The Mutton Bird released their final official album, Rain, Steam Speed, under their manager, Steve Hedges, on the label Shhhh! However, being independent after losing Virgin meant it was produced with a much smaller budget (Doole, 2013). -
The Mutton Birds had their final UK tour at the Shepherd's Bush Empire (Doole, 2013). -
In 2002, the band returned to New Zealand, where they played a couple of final NZ gigs, one on a barge in the middle of the Viaduct basin alongside Dave Dobbyn and Stellar for the arrival of the Volvo Cup. They then officially disbanded later that year after over 10 years of creating a pop-rock band for grown-ups, something that New Zealand had been missing for some time (Baillie, 2002). -
In 2012, they reunited to tour New Zealand and the UK (The Mutton Birds from Live Music Sessions | RNZ, 2025). They also recorded a live album they took to England called Free Range - the Mutton Birds Live 2012. David Long reflected on the band's career, saying, "I think it is odd we did as well as we did, really. We were a slightly heady band, never the hip band. That meant it didn't feel dated when we went out again." (Doole, 2013).