Jordan Luck leaves Christchurch District Court after an earlier appearance. Photo / George Heard
Jordan Luck leaves Christchurch District Court after an earlier appearance. Photo / George Heard
The lead singer of legendary New Zealand rock band The Exponents has been granted a discharge without conviction after admitting a charge of drink driving.
Jordan Luck was stopped on Halswell Junction Rd in Christchurch on December 7 last year while above the legal drinking limit, the Herald can reveal.
He was recorded as having 740 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath, above the 400 micrograms limit.
The 63-year-old frontman appeared at Christchurch District Court for the first time in January and was granted interim name suppression.
At his second court appearance, his lawyer told the court he would seek permanent suppression.
Luck appeared this morning before Community Magistrate Kaye Davies who granted the discharge without conviction. Davies accepted that a conviction would have caused extensive financial difficulties to Luck and his band and team, as well as significant problems crossing foreign borders.
He has also been disqualified from driving for three months and ordered to make a $500 donation to the Little River volunteer fire brigade.
A remorseful Luck said he was “disgusted and horrified” with himself and intends to do a defensive driving course.
The Exponents singer Jordan Luck in Christchurch District Court today. Photo / George Heard
Luck was the frontman for The Exponents band whose 80s and 90s hits became enduring national pop anthems.
They formed as the Dance Exponents in Timaru and Christchurch in the early 80s and had a run of hit singles early in that decade and then another in the early 90s.
While the band never achieved stadium-filling status, songs like Why Does Love Do This To Me? have been sports stadium singalongs at rugby and cricket matches for decades.
Jordan Luck was deeply remorseful. Photo / Michael Cunningham
A residency at a Christchurch pub and Luck’s songwriting led them to be signed to Mushroom Records by Mike Chunn. Debut single Victoria was the first of many top-10 hits and led the band to become the biggest local band of the post-punk generation.
Eventually decamping to England, the band were unable to make a dent in the British music industry.
But Luck’s songwriting gave them a second wind upon their return home with hits like Who Loves Who the Most and Why Does Love Do This To Me?
Various members departed during the latter half of the 90s and the band officially called it a day in 1999, though reformed for a 30th reunion tour in 2011.
