The Dabs began life in the dressing room of Auckland’s XS Cafe after an Ainsworths gig in June 1981. Each member had a pedigree: Rowan Shedden (ex Class Of 81 band The Killjoys) was playing guitar with The Ainsworths, Geoff Hayden was on bass in The Regulators and Steve Thorpe was drumming for Small Torque. Together in that pokey room they decided they'd each had enough of their own bands and wanted to do something a bit different.
Rowan Shedden had a day job with Air New Zealand. One of the perks was hugely discounted travel which made it almost a criminal offense not to fly to London, L.A. or New York and visit the clubs the rest of us could only read about - The Marquee, The Whiskey A GoGo and CBGBs. On one such foray to New York he purchased a 1959 Rickenbacker and Marshall amp. This would be his signature guitar in The Dabs. It came with a pedigree: it once belonged to Richard Lloyd of New York band Television.
Rowan used some of his UK visits to supply The Screaming Meemees with shoes.
Steve Thorpe is one of the extras in the Dance Exponents video for Airways Spies.
Rowan Shedden - vocals, guitar
Geoff Hayden - vocals, bass
Steve Thorpe - drums, vocals