The Axemen

Biography

A well-known, yet thoroughly underground troop that often swelled in numbers (sometimes up to as many as 10 members in the mid 1980’s). The group have been known for their artistic endeavours as well as their music – with drummer Stuart Page (aka Stu Kawowski) a renowned film-maker and photographer.

Barely out of Cashmere High School, Steve McCabe played alongside Bob Cardy (aka Bob Brannigan – later to form the legendary Shaft up in Auckland) in a variety of pre-cursor bands, before Page jumped on stage at one of their shows. This was the birth of The Axemen, and the core line-up of all the groups earliest recordings.

The group released three albums on Flying Nun Records in the mid to late 1980’s – with guitarist Dragan Stojanovic joining the line-up in 1986 to solidify the core group. Several releases on their own Sleek Bott imprint followed – following a very make-shift, punk approach to recording, their albums were often of-the-moment pieces…

The story of [Big Cheap Motel] is: Bob and myself went down to check out the Christchurch botanic gardens, the scene of the local council/”Big M” milk drink-sponsored “Summertime” concert-in-the-park series of free outdoor events, only to find the park plastered with billboard-sized posters of skimpily-clad young ladies advertising the sponsors wares.

We immediately proceeded home and wrote the enclosed set of ‘protest’ songs about the travesty, which were performed at the event, to the mild annoyance of the council & the sponsors.

Mayday: The Little Stevie McCabe / Axemen / Sleek Bott webpage

Little Stevie McCabe (aka Stephen Carr) passed away in Mid-September 2023; he was 57.

Members

• Stephen Carr (aka Little Stevie McCabe, The Axemen, Garam Masala, The Gorillas, guitar / keyboards / vocals, 1983 – )
• Bob Brannigan (aka Robert Cardy, Raith Rovers, The Axemen, Garam Masala, They Spunks, Shaft, Smoothy, guitar / vocals, 1983 – 2011)
• Stuart Page (aka Stu Kowalski, Above Ground, The Axemen, Buildermash, Builders, Shaft, The Rainy Days, drums / vocals / trumpet, 1983 – )
• Dragan Stojanovic (The Axemen, Doodle Bugs, guitar / vocals / mandolin / bass, 1986 -)
• William Daymond (Terror Of The Deep, The Flying Sorcerers, The Axemen, The Pickups, The Sweethearts, The Winebox Inquiry, Cougar Cougar Cougar, bass / guitar / keyboards / drums, 2011 -)
• Mick Elborado (Drowning Is Easy, Scorched Earth Policy, The Shallows, Ritchie Venus and the Blue Beetles, The Terminals, Alien, The After Dinner Mints, Space Dust, Brother Love, Cease to Exist, Minus 2, Gas, The Palace Of Wisdom, Projekt Mauve, Trillionaires, Negative Nancies, guitar / bass / vocals)
• Paul Lee (saxophone / vocals)
• Pete Rees (The Gorillas, vocals)
• Phil Ascott (aka Shorty Hamilton, The Axel Grinders, The Connoisseurs, bass)
• John Markie (aka John Segovia / Rent Hamilton, Boxcar Guitars, Don McGlashan and The Seven Sisters, Indians, Shaft, The Chance, The Renderers, The Connoisseurs, guitar)
• Doug Hamilton (The Connoisseurs)
• Patrick Faigin (aka Duane Zarakov, Say Yes to Apes, Space Dust, King Loser, Axel Grinders, Brother Love, Cease to Exist, The Hi-tone Destroyers, The International Telepaths, Wolfskull, drums)
• Gordon Baird (White Noize, bass)
• B.B. Ryan (White Noize, bass / guitar / vocals)
• Gary Scott (horns)
• Richard Sedger (aka Arthur Sheep, The And Band, The Spies, saxophone)
• Alan Wright (Nux Vomica, The National Sex Grid, saxophone)
• Peter Hall-Jones (Perfect Strangers, trumpet)
• Joanne Billesdon (The Thunderbirds, Demolition, Snort, Dark Matter, The Stepford 5, Thee Strapons, Outsiders, The Renderers, Lo liners, guitar)
• Sharon Billesdon (The Stepford 5, Snort, Outsiders, Lo liners, bass / drums)
• Bev E. Rage – guitarist and singer, The Thunderbirds
• Brent Hayward (aka Fats White, Shoes This High, The Amps, Smelly Feet, The Kiwi Animal, guitar)
• Jessica Walker (The Clean, Shoes This High, Fishschool, viola)
• Lisa Preston (Nux Vomica, The Portage, Snort, Thee Hellfire Club, The Luvin’ 44’s, The Ginger Group, The Tryhards, Space Dust, Lo liners, Cuticles, organ / vocals)
• Angela Dawson (Scab Union, vocals)
• Reta le Quesne (The Axel Grinders, The Stepford 5, Snort, The Hell City Slickers, The Long Collars, Flamejob, Five Car Pile Up, Thee Royal Family, The Wrong Doings, Levitating Churches, guitar)
• Haydn Jones (The Renderers, The After Dinner Mints, Cease to Exist, Revolution 10, drums)
• Lissa Bruce (vocals / keyboard)
• George Henderson (The Puddle, Mink, The GDH Smoke Machine, The New Existentialists, The Spies, keyboards / vocals)
• Chris Knox (The Enemy, Tall Dwarfs, Chris Knox and the Nothing, Knoxious, Right Left And Centre, The Jessels, vocals)
• Peter Gutteridge (The Clean, The Cameras, The Chills, The Cartilage Family, The Puddle, Mr. Big Nose, The Great Unwashed, Alpaca Brothers, The Puddle, Snapper, keyboards)
• Richard Cotton (EOE)
• Billy Naylor (EOE)
• David Graham (The Psycho Daizies, Gestalt, The Rainy Days, WWIV, Conduits Of Konsumption, guitar)
• Gaylene (The Pukes, Gaylene and the Undertakers, percussion)
• Richard Whall (aka Rich Mixture, The D4, The Rainy Days, The Rock And Roll Machine, Space Dust, Voom, guitar)
• Matt Middleton (Crude, The Aesthetics, Space Dust, sax / keyboards)
• Russell Covini (aka Rustle Covini, Oh Mental Hospitals, Lo liners, The Aesthetics, Beautiful Losers, zerO, drums)

Discography

• Big Cheap Motel (1983, Sleek Bott)
• Three Virgins Three Versions Three Visions (1986, Flying Nun Records Records, FN049)
• Derry Legends (1987, Flying Nun Records Records, FN120)
• Ak87 (W/ The Shit Pop Boyz 1987, Sleek Bott)
• Scary! (W/ The Sleek Bott Gang 1989, Sleek Bott)
• Peter Wang Pud (1991, Flying Nun Records Fn204)
• Dirty Den Sessions (1991, Sleek Bott)
• Recliner Rocker (1992, Sleek Bott #921)
• Three Rooms (An Elton John Tribute Album) (1992, Sleek Bott)
• Across The Universe In 27879 Days Ep (1992, Sleek Bott)
• The Axemen Singles Collection (Compilation 1998, Sleek Bott)
• Nutsack 7″ Single (2011, Sleek Bott)
• Sac Tap Nut Jam (2013, Spacecase Records, SCR006)

Links

• Discogs Entry
• Wikipedia Entry