band history 1982-1984

Unfortunately by December 1982 Steve Taylor had fulfilled his ambition to be singer and frontman of a band and decided to leave, taking his vocal talents and combining this with acting in an amateur dramatics group.
Drummer Pete Knapton felt confident in being able to carry the vocal duties as well as drumming. Unusual but not unique in those days...remember Phil Collins in Genesis after Peter Gabriel left. The three piece Beware the Dog was born.

Not having Steve Taylors pop influence anymore this line-up developed a much heavier sound and within a few months the band produced a far rockier three song demo tape featuring three original songs......the title track Victim along with CrimeDoesn't Pay and the superb Lose Control which stood the test of time and featured much later on the Tiger Bay CD in 1995.

Halifax, Huddersfield, Leeds, Bradford and Hebden Bridge regularly had their collective ear drums excercised by this line-up. The highlight being a support slot to Hanoi Rocks in Bradford. We had learnt through previous experience that on such occasions it was the norm for the sound engineer to bypass several of the PA speakers when the support band was playing so as to make the headline band sound far better. Being wise to this we decided to cross the sound engineer's palm with a couple of notes in order to ensure we got the full PA sound during our set. The success was confirmed when next day when I saw a friend of mine who had been to the gig and his first comment was "you lot were F****** loud last night weren't you"!! ........Yeeeehah!

After a time and probably in the search for something new we tried once again to go with a second guitarist. Steve worked with an accomplished guitarist Dave Pinder who joined us. We worked a few things out and a few gigs ensued until on a Saturday night whilst setting up for a gig at the Royal Park in Leeds we were concerned about the non-appearance of our second guitarist. Just before we were due to start the pub recieved a phone call from the Huddersfield Police to inform us that Mr Pinder was detained there for the evening on suspicion of SHEEP RUSTLING!!!!! Cracks were beginning to show. Steve had increasing family commitments and to his credit he tried to recruit a replacement so as not to cause a break up of the band. However this did not work out. This left Pete and me with no more mates to complete the band so by mid 1984 Beware the Dog was no more.

band history 1980-1982

In spring of 1980 due to the demise of One Adult my attentions turned away from music and lead me try out as a rider for Heckmondwike Cycle Speedway club. This managed to combine my love of regular speedway racing and my childhood obsession of riding my push bike. I was succesful in gaining a place in the team as reserve and was promptly informed that at the weekend we had matches in both Edinburgh and Glasgow!! This resulted in three more seasons pedalling hell for leather and spawning several noteworthy incidents not music related so these will suface at another time.
The relevance being that in early 1981, after hearing about my band past, a fellow team member Steve Taylor told me he would like to sing for a band but had never done so. I didn't need much encouragement for the old bug to begin biting so we decided to start the ball rolling, despite the fact he had stated that his singing idol was Barry Manilow!!!!!!
Conveniently Steve's brother-in-law Pete Knapton played drums and was recruited. The obvious chice for bass was my old mate from Dirty Doris days, Steve Davies who still had his gear and was playing infrequently and not very seriously at the time. Unusually for me I decided we may benefit from a second guitar player. A work colleague (Asda strikes again) Nikki Gill seemed to fit the bill as his own band Glassroc had gone into meltdown.
The first rehearsal was in my rented one up one down in East Ardsley, not ideal but the neighbours were out, or at least they were by the end of the afternoon! However it soon became clear that Nick's heart wasn't in it so we pressed ahead as a four piece. (Nick will surface big style later!) We decided on the name BEWARE THE DOG
So the line up was me and,

• Steve Taylor - vocals ( center)
• Steve Davies - bass ( far left)
• Pete Knapton - drums and vocals ( far right)

We managed to write collectively many pacy pop rock type songs playing them mainly around the pubs in the Bradford area notably the now defunct Vaults Bar and the Crescent. The set was augmented by a few select covers....The shape of things to come by the Headboys and Teenarama by the Records spring to mind......In June 1981 we recorded a demo tape entitled Jack in the Box, featuring four songs.....the originals I Don't now, Cheating honey, Waiting Walking and the aforementioned Headboys cover. Through this we managed to create some interest from the local media having complimentary articles in both the Yorkshire Evening Post and the Telegraph and Argus, but most notably getting regular airplay on what was then Pennine radio in Bradford and on BBC Radio Leeds culminating in a live session broadcast on their evening local band show (very nerve racking as I remember). There then followed the second studio session producing three more original tracks....Psycho (yes another Ripper song), Lost in my own little world, and the dubious Car crash. Beware the Dog continued in this incarnation until December 1982.

not sport aid

Regrettably due to the Rugby League playoff final taking place next Saturday evening our scheduled gig at the New Inn Churwell has been postponed. It should be rescheduled for sometime in January. Details will be announced as soon as the date is confirmed.