Auckland band Blam Blam Blam soared in the early 80s with classic songs such as Don't Fight It Marsha and There Is No Depression in New Zealand - which became the anti-Springbok tour anthem - until a van crash nearly killed bass player Tim Mahon on May 30, 1982, mid-national tour. That was the end of that.

Mahon went on to work in South Auckland community music projects, singer-guitarist Don McGlashan eventually flew off with the Muttonbirds and Mark Bell hooked up with Greg Johnson. They reformed briefly in 1984 to record a live album but not a note has been heard since.

But on May 30, Blam Blam Blam will be back on stage in Auckland, at the St James, as part of the touring True Colours Music Festival. The Blams are one-third of what's been dubbed "The Class of 82", with the Newmatics and the Chills - who've never really gone away - also doing a comeback for the occasion. And good news, too, for fans of the late 70s Auckland band Waves, who've not played since 1979. That lineup - Kevin Wildman, Graham Gash, Dave Marshall and Michael Mason - will perform as part of the Auckland leg of the festival on June 1 with Chris Knox and Anika Moa.

True Colours follows on from last year's inaugural festival, set up as a grand finale to NZ Music Month.

The core acts playing in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland are Salmonella Dub, Blindspott, P-Money, betchadupa, the Blams, Fat Freddy's Drop, Shapeshifter, the Chills and the 'Matics. City-specific acts will join the lineup as True Colours moves north, starting in Christchurch on May 23 and ending in Auckland on June 1.

D4 get loose:

Kiwi rock'n'roll band the D4 have started making inroads into America. Their album 6Twenty, released in the States on March 25, charted at 163 on the Billboard Top 200 in its first week and is rumoured to have shipped 100,000 copies.

The band have been on tour throughout America and Canada for the past few weeks since they moved to LA last year. They have already appeared on Late Night with David Letterman and have gained, among their growing legion of fans, a high-profile admirer in BBC Radio journalist John Peel.

That's our boy:

Speaking of Peel, New Zealand DJ Zane Lowe will be warming the seat for the inestimable broadcaster at BBC Radio 1 from July. Lowe is set to host Britain's highest-rating radio show, the Beeb's 8-10pm new music slot from Tuesday to Thursday each week. Mr Peel works the same nights from 10pm till midnight. Lowe used to front a show here on Max TV in the olden days, when we had a music channel, and has been working in London as a DJ and MTV presenter. Let's hope he gives plenty of time to all those Kiwi bands who will suddenly be his new best friends.

And our girl:

New Zealand-born actor Lisa Chappell is in contention for Aussie television's premier award, capping a meteoric rise for the star of outback drama McLeod's Daughters.