Dribbling Darts were originally a "bedroom" band. They didn't have a practice room or a drummer. The original line-up was Matthew Bannister on songwriting, guitar and vocals; Alice Bulmer, violin; and Alan Gregg bass. Alan comes from Palmerston North and was originally a keyboard player. Alice was classically trained but also plays bluegrass. Matthew first recorded in Sneaky Feelings. They made an EP Shoot that came out in 1990, and was mostly acoustic and drummerless. They combined it with their second EP Florid Dabblers Voting (an anagram of the group's name) for their first, eponymously titled CD. Florid Dabblers featured Richard Foulkes Junior on drums. He subsequently left the group.

Present Perfect the group's second CD (1993), was a departure for the band. Drummer Ross Burge (who also played with Sneaky Feelings) played on some tracks - by that time he was also playing with Alan Gregg in the Mutton Birds. But the main difference was that about half the album was recorded at home by Matthew Bannister, backed by his sequencer/sampler. This made for some unusual sounds and arrangements, although the songs are still accessible. The album sold poorly, which is unfortunate, as the composer feels it his best work.