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.