THROB

THROB was formed in 1974 by singer/frontman Dave Marshall and guitarist Dennis Temple both of whom are in the current line-up. Other members in the early days were Chris Watcham and Peter North (drums) and Jonny Andrews and Dave Evans (bass) but Dave Marshall has been the one constant member through the years of the bands existence.

The early to late 1970's was a great time for local bands and whilst we all had a spell playing in local rock and roll bands the arrival of Glam Rock was a major factor in us all coming of age.
Dennis and drummer Kenny Rivett together with bassist Dave Lawther played together in local Rock Band CHILDE during this period while Dave Marshall began as a drummer for THE HOT and CHASER.
There was very much a sense of rivalry between bands at that time and many a gig was compared and discussed late on Saturday nights at any City centre Indian restaurant that could hold all the band members of the local scene…….. which in those days was a huge gathering.

THROB was formed in early 1974 and caused a stir with their up to date Glam material and dress code plus their lighting rig which was all part of the Glam explosion. The band was very well supported locally and in those days there were numerous venues at which to perform including the EL PIANA CLUB which was on Timber Hill (see an early photo of THROB from this venue in the Gallery).
The name THROB was actually the suggestion of Dave's then girlfriend and now wife Lesley…….quite how she came up with this no one is sure!

In those early years the main factor regarding the band was its focus on its supporters and this has never changed. Dave has always ensured that the songs were picked with the audience in mind……..what do they want to hear ?........what gets them going ?
Whilst THROB was and always has been extremely capable musically it was never the songs that the band wanted to perform from a musical point of view but those that THROB knew would work for their audience that made it onto the set lists. THROB in the mid 70's enjoyed a large local following and gigged in Norfolk and Suffolk very frequently during that period.

There was a gap during the 1980's where all the band members moved on to other projects including Summer season work which we all needed to do to pay the bills !

In 1989 Dave and guitarist Dale Hudson had just finished playing in local pop/rock band 20/20 Vision and together with Kenny Rivett on drums decided to have a jam in a village hall just for something to do rather than vegetating in front of the TV. The result of this was the rebirth of THROB which by the time we started gigging at the Angel Gardens in early 1990 included bass player Jonny Andrews who was originally with the band in the 1970's.
Due to work commitments Jonny was replaced by Dave Lawther after only a few months.

THROB then proceeded to perform more frequently and gained a good local following. Line-up changes occurred during the mid 90's with Dale leaving and being replaced by Jasper Smith on guitar. This lineup carried on through the rest of the nineties up to 2004 and became renowned for it's brand of "Fun Rock" which included tracks by bands including Sweet, Queen, AC/DC, Nazareth, Bon Jovi and Slade……..the Slade song "We'll Bring The House Down" soon became the accepted THROB anthem.
During this period Dave Lawther left the band and was replaced on bass by Arthur Watts who with Kenny dated back to the Cawston Brass Band of the late 60's.

During the mid 1990's and up to 2004 THROB were flying in top gear and playing to packed houses including the Brickmakers in Norwich. They were always concerned with how to keep their amazingly loyal supporters entertained and wondering what would happen next. They always dressed up in glam gear and always strived to be different and non-conformist. This included recruiting Paul Fulcher (the singing lighting engineer) and even 2 girl dancers !

During this time three sell-out gigs were staged at the Airport Hotel together with top local function band Agent Orange and THROB also played most of the RAF bases in East Anglia.
In 2004 the Band decided to call it a day with Jasper a professional guitar player needing to devote more time to his Jazz music and Arthur deciding to hang up his bass.

This however was not the end as Dave and Kenny just could not let go and decided they were not going to retire just yet ! After many phone calls Dale and new bass player Gary Rix were cajoled into having a few jams at Norwich's Earth Studios and even though it seemed like every other band we saw there looked 60 years younger than us the band was rehearsed up to gig standard.
In May 2007 THROB performed a charity gig at Sutton Staithe Hotel in aid of the Big C Appeal together with local rock and roll band Big Black Cadillac and were amazed to see all their old mates turn out for a packed Gig. Many even had their old THROB scarves with them and those who did not waved the cheaper version known locally as toilet roll.
The gig raised over £600 for the Big C APPEAL.

After this amazing night Dale decided to leave the band due to work commitments and at this point Dennis Temple the band's first guitar player in the 1970's stepped up to fill the void producing THROB as it is today. Interestingly all the current and former band members have been mates from the 1970's until this day.

THROB have had an amazing run through the last 35 years and have no plans to stop yet in fact they have just announced that the 2008 XMAS BASH is to be held at Frettenham Village Hall on 28th and 29th Nov (see gigs link).
THROB are looking forward to seeing all their supporters for what will be a great couple of nights.

Please check our Gigs page for more info.