The Knobz - Culture
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The Knobz were a New Zealand pop band, originally based in Dunedin, but not considered part of that city's main wave of "Dunedin Sound" bands. They became famous in 1980 with their political song "Culture?" criticising Robert Muldoon, who was Prime Minister at the time and had stated that New Zealand's pop music was not culture. Muldoon had made the remarks in the context of refusing to lift a 40% tax on sales of music.
The Knobz were fairly typical of the New Zealand pop scene in the 1980s; 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 Wellngton Independent Label Bunk Records 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." - and, later, an album, Sudden Exposure. They were considered to be an accomplished live act.
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 Knobz dispersed at the end of 1981, with some of the members moving on to other projects; most notably, drummer Bob Reid went on to play for the powerhouse Sydney band The Sharks.
The Knobz 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.
In their heyday, The Knobz can be said to have epitomised the early 80s period when punk still held a slender audience and New Romantic music was starting to make an impact.
Band Members:
Kevin Fogarty
Tim Powles
Warwick Keay
Bob Reid
Steve Haggie
Пікірлер: 120
LOL - listening this for the 1st time in 2023, and it's still just as good and relevant today! Kia kaha Knobz!
My form 1 teacher was mates with these guys and made arrangements for the band to visit our classroom back in 1981. It was a real treat, like rock n roll royalty had arrived! I remember they pulled up in a big black classic car of some sort and stepped out wearing sunnies and dressed in all black - cool mofos. They talked about their musical history, answered questions, handed out 45's of the Culture single (I think, or it may have been one copy for the class) and band stickers which we absolutely loved. Me and a couple of classmates had been right into KISS for a few years up until that point but ditched them as our favourite rock band for the Knobz after that visit. A few weeks later things returned to normal and we resumed our pledge of allegiance to the KISS army. Great memories, a tad foggy, but great.
@ruupac8238
2 жыл бұрын
one of my reliever teachers at my school is literally the lead singer lmao
@KappaDaKappa
3 ай бұрын
Awesome!
Muldoon attended a Mi-Sex gig at Wellington Town Hall in 1980, I was there, it was classic. He was up on the mezzanine at the back with his flunkies, the crowd were pretty respectful all things considered!
I remember wagging school to go see the Knobs back in the 80s in Napier at one of the local record shops before catching the bus to get home.
We nearly ran old Rob over in our MKII Zephyr back in the 1970's. We came over a rise at Hatsfield Beach where he had a bach and he was walking on the wrong side of the state highway.
@deankay8894
7 жыл бұрын
pity you didnt!
@sunnygxracer
7 жыл бұрын
Haha !
@stumcleod8262
Жыл бұрын
Classic memory ! Im in South Korea and a NZ born Aussie is telling me jokes about him. I remember this song though clearly when i was about 11 years old. The best vid on RTR it was
@stevepercival4774
Жыл бұрын
Pity you missed ,country still suffering from National’s policies
@driffter1976
Жыл бұрын
@@stevepercival4774 piss off, blame Lange.
Around 79 and 80 I recall following Rocky Lox around various pubs in Dunedin and they played some great covers of B52"s, XTC etc and got me interested in many of the English bands they covered. I've got this vague recollection that Bob Reid made his own drum kit.
@brendanmorey4308
3 жыл бұрын
@BluePrint your reaction when you asked if he had heard of the song, no but I've heard of the word. Still my favorite NZ song
It's so nice to see NZL in the 70's
Ah, Mr Fogarty. Great teacher.
Love Muldoon but I'll still jam to this.
I didn’t know the term “we don’t give a toss” was used back then. Haha sweetAz👍🏽
Love that old Bedford truck at 1:40 !
@Cheeky Kent, This was a political satire song about the then government of NZ and a top song as well, In the 70's and the 80's NZ music was as good as anything else! and it's not forgotten.
@naytch2003
4 жыл бұрын
And even better..none of this political correctness shit nz seems to love nowadays
Great song, new to me. Great summary too. My first thought on watching the vid instead of just listening: MIKE: ...I'm depressed! It's Nine Below Zero! RICK: He's blummin' right, you know!
Re-release this and 'No Depression in New Zealand' for the next election!!
@spencerarnold7448
Жыл бұрын
or the election in 2023 even?
Saw them in Nelson in January 81 at the DB Nelson, snuck in there as a underaged 17 year old, while on a roadie with 3 mates. A great act to watch, listen and get drunk to
Remember going to the Globe in Auckland just after this song came out and there were two great pieces of graffiti. One was referring to the Springboks tour and said 'Rob Muldoon loves Laura'n'Order and Robert Muldoon = Troubled Moron. Classic, those were the days
The best tune on 3ZM at the time!
@barryphillips7327
4 жыл бұрын
And if it was still playing it would be by far THE BEST TUNE on 3ZM!!!! Instead of MODERN CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I remember them when they were Roxy Lox, the yellow sticker on the back of the old blue Volkswagen stood out......
Great song! Signed, an American .
Just awesome to see this posted. Been a long time. Thanks.
Brilliant! Thanks for the great memories....still got that 45 single here somewhere!
why is this song not on spotify????
Saw these guys live - the did a great cover of the B52's Planet Claire
Another Kiwi classic from the 80's
If i was going to nominate any 80,s song as the BEST this is most definitely IT!!!! AWESOME song!!!! So much better than ANY modern crappy poxy music! I can stand modern music such as Bruno Mars Adele etc, that Shit makes want to have a good chunder and CLEAR all out! For people overseas; 0.02sec is Rob Muldoon, in the 70,s?? he was New Zealands prime minister some loved some hated him, his idea was called 'think big' he planned to save NZ by creating jobs big projects, it did not workout for one reason or another anyway Enjoy a GREAT song!!!! I think Rob Muldoon adds a little to the video, ( some loved him some hated him ) music from this era is a million times better than ALL Modern CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have even had university students tell me they hate modern music, and would sooner listen to the Beatles. 👍👍👍👍🙂🙂
what a cool truck where have all those j2 bedfords gone
Good Muldoon voice... sounds just like him..
Were The Knobz a homage to the Knack? There is remarkable similarities with the song tune to 'My Sharona!' Both bands also shared a Beatles-style image!
@neptuniasolverevincla5050
10 ай бұрын
No.
Great song. Youthful days. Whoever calls kiwi music s#% t needs their head read. Small country with one of the best music scenes ever. Often ahead of its time back in the day. Benefit of having to fugure it out on your own I guess
@grahamgallagher1443
3 жыл бұрын
Nonsense - If it has 1 of the best music scenes ever then why do barely any nz artists crack it on a global scale compared to say the US, UK, or Aussie? NZ does not have the club scene or talent to launch any artist from nz into the rock stratosphere. Possibly one of the lowest performing Western countries on the music scales.
@33freddyt
2 жыл бұрын
@@grahamgallagher1443 wow. You must be fun at parties
@grahamgallagher1443
2 жыл бұрын
@@33freddyt I am! I play decent music, not shit-dribble that everyone pretends to like just because it comes from their country!
@33freddyt
2 жыл бұрын
@@grahamgallagher1443 get a life you sad man. This is a great song no matter what country it is from. Troll
@sphinxsmoke273
Жыл бұрын
Who
New Zealand's answer to The Knack. (great Keys btw, and how many drummers wear a watch!)
@mozdickson
4 жыл бұрын
@R4- P17 Possibly so..have to say though no one I knew took them even remotely seriously (them or The Dudes) - it ws all The Steroids, The Androids and Toy Love
@JeremyPCresswell
3 жыл бұрын
They had as many hit songs as The knack
Great chorus.
great power pop gem
This is the best version jimmy .......
He nearly ran me over as I skated over the pedestrian crossing on Molesworth, as you turn on to SH1 - May Street I think it's called now. He was probably pissed - driving a blue Triumph, as I recall.
a great classic
"I've heard of the word... "
Great song
Still good lads 👌 Got one of your buttons stashed away
I remember somebody stuck a whole lot of posters up around Dunedin in the early 80's with the line, "The Knobz wank dogs" and pictures of the band members at the bottom of the words. I never did hear who did it and why. Quite a lot of effort (colour printing) to run down a band. Why bother?
@philbarber3020
7 жыл бұрын
Maybe it was the Tall Dwarfs :)
So kool.
Gold.
R.I.p piggy
Happy to say I lived through the Muldoon years ☑️
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
At least Piggy had heard of the word
@JeremyPCresswell
3 жыл бұрын
kzread.info/dash/bejne/dGaCkqeeebmYkbQ.html
Rock and Fucking Roll
< dances across the room
This song takes me back soo far ! ❤ you guys , but if we had stuck with Rob Muldoons Think Big projects , we would probably be the richest country in the world now !
I remember this along time ago. It was in 1980 song I believe?
History. Where is all our political music today?
@two-toneblue7455
6 жыл бұрын
The corporations that own the record companies want everyone safely (for *them*) anaesthetised by the likes of... Katy Perry, rather than rioting in the streets, which is where we should be. When was the last time you heard a *band* on MTV... or contemporary radio, for that matter? Bands consist of *musicians*, who actually have opinions about music and who will fight some producer for creative control of the record. Bands are subversive. Can't have that. Yeah, once in a while a protest song will slip under the suits' radar. Pink's "Mr President" record, the Dixie Chicks tune... but while Green Day have been doing a decent job carrying the torch, Springsteen would *still* have to be considered the *conscience* of contemporary music. It's not as if there's nothing to protest. But protest doesn't serve corporate interests.
@mozdickson
4 жыл бұрын
Haha GOOD QUESTION --- because Leftism is the new dominant consensus culture (which also eats its children), the people we hated are now history and we all bow down to the Leftist Poster Girl and her Pink Haired (wow RADICAL!!) luvvie,, and even the Wellington public servants give a nod to the most fringe of Maori activists (whilst doing zero to advance their righteous cause, apart from saying Kia ora relentlessly) the "poltical music" is undoubtedly the lunatic fringe much hated Christian music - made by pro-life people like Brooke Fraser (Grammy winner - not that that matters to her) and street troubadours like Mark Laurent, Steve Apirana and Cindy Ruakere (NZ's hardest rocking chick). Conservatism (and it's sometimes cousin Christianity) folks is the counter-culture now. Take the pill!
@anyoutubeaccount
2 жыл бұрын
It's still around, and its still mostly left-wing. You'll have to do a bit of digging for it though because it won't be promoted through today's megacorporation-dominated market!!
Classic cheeky song
Nifty little guitar solo too ...
Time capsule.
Never heard of this band or song and am digging this immensely!
@monke.2191
Жыл бұрын
It is an imimpossibility to think I'd like to think instead of a cultristic joyride of liking to see you do your job .
He taxed the hell out of vinyl
@anyoutubeaccount
Жыл бұрын
as someone who wasn't around at the time, how bad was it??
The guy at 0.06 looks like a river boy from home and away
I loved this group
I think Tim Powles ended up playing in The Church
awwww porrrrr piggggyyy
I love Piggy
@markpav9906
5 күн бұрын
He was honest
Simple songs for simple.times.
@Cheeky Kent doesn't get a knob
Muldoon was for me the HERO, had some great meetings with him and he explained to me what MONEY was about!!!
@oskartheme5233
2 жыл бұрын
Can I guess: Buying votes?
Rob was a knob that for sure
I didn't know until recently that Led Zeppelin once performed a show as The Nobs.
get this song on spotify please
@oskartheme5233
2 жыл бұрын
But are they fully vaxxed?
Awesome I still got a record I love the song
Jacinda Ardern stand aside for a little Muldoonism Oh the good old day under the Nats NOT ... LoL
I loved Rob Muldoon, if we had stuck with his Think Big policy, we would be one of the richest countries in the world! But, totally got you guys too ❤! The best debater of all time , was Rob ! Never Muldoon
Alot of people thought muldoon was a dictator in the late 70s/early 80s but when you fast forward 40 years he seems pretty tame compared with our current PM
@him12672
3 жыл бұрын
Hahahaha, you sure mate? I don't recall Jacinda kicking someone out of a press conference simply because she didn't like them, that was piggy.
This is real music!
@sphinxsmoke273
Жыл бұрын
Mid opinion
@33freddyt
Жыл бұрын
Can you play better?
There is no one in the world that could hold a candle to Rob Muldoon in a debate ! He was an incredible brain , and an inspiration to anyone that has the guts to follow in his footsteps ! ❤
Rob Muldoon was a conservative socialist, David Lange was a liberal capitalist.
I’m not hearing ya rob
hell no he has NONE
This one for chrissy boy luxton and his circus 🤡 clowns the Nats.
@33freddyt
7 ай бұрын
You be eating humble pie now lol
Apart from the drummer the rest of the band were wannabee's
Dis song sucks 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉