The Knobz

ROCKHAPPENZ Public Collection

The Knobz  —  a Dunedin group from 1979-1981
Members over time have included Tim Powles, Warwick Keay, Bob Reid, Mark Stanton, Kevin Fogarty, Mark Stubbs, Steve Haggie, Peter MacManus and Carey Peterson

The Knobz were fairly typical of the New Zealand pop scene in the 1980s and they were described in an article of the time as XTC meets The Knack, however, several things set them apart from their contemporaries.  They were the first band to have a self-funded single hit the top 5 in New Zealand, released on Wellington independent label Bunk Records which was owned and run by Michael Alexander.  They also managed themselves and toured extensively following chart success with two further singles – Liverpool to America (an opportune song about John Lennon) and K.G.B. – later, they produced an album, Sudden Exposure.  The band toured New Zealand before leaving for Australia in 1980, where they played with other acts of the period such as Divinyls, Men at Work, Mi-Sex, Swanee and Moving Pictures.

The group disbanded at the end of 1982, with some of the members moving on to other projects.  They later reformed with songwriter Kevin Fogarty for one more trip around New Zealand and to promote the album Roads to Rome.  The new album had been written by former band members, but these were replaced with drummer Tim Powles and bassist Warwick Keay, both formerly of Flight X-7.  Carey Peterson from Auckland Walk and The Visitors also joined the band as vocalist to tour with the band in 1982.