The Handsome Beasts

Playing in and around their home town Birmingham, the beasts, fronted by singer Garry Dalloway (nick-named "the original fat bastard" by the Kerrang! direktory of heavy metal), quickly became local heroes. consequently Paul Birch, who rated the band very highly, tried to get them a record deal asking numerous major labels if they would be interested. They weren't, so he founded his own label to put out the first handsome beasts single "all riot now" / "the mark of the beast" in early 1980. Later in the same year heavy metal issued the "breaker" ep which used the digital spiral technique - it played "crazy" or "one in a crowd" depending on where you put the record needle at the beginning - a gimmick later used by Kiss.

Dalloway, bassist Steve Hough, guitarist Phil Aston and drummer Pete Malbasa played further gigs in the midlands area before recording their debut lp "Beastiality" in 1981 (by which time Aston had been replaced by Paul Robins). With an outrageous but humorous cover, the album showed that musically the beasts still incorporated massive blues influences into their meaty metal sound. It was a pity, though, that the album featured only four new songs ("david's song" / "another day" / "tearing me apart" / "high speed") as the rest of the material was already known from their three singles ( the latest being "sweeties" and the ballad-like "you're on your own" b side). When the n.w.o.b.h.m. lost it's momentum towards the middle of the 80's they split up.

Garry reformed the band in 1990 with guitarist Maz Matrenko, Ray Richman on drums and released The Beasts Within album. Another album was recorded during the 90's entitled Little Sister but was never released.

In 2004 the band released the 04 album, with a new line-up of Garry (vocals), Ray Richman (drums), Alan Nyland (guitar), Mark Boreland (guitar) and Sean Brennan (bass).
In 2005 Ray Richman left and was replaced on drums by Mick Roobottom

Garry unfortunately passed away in aug 2005 of a heart attack, shortly after recording another album. The rest of the band were then unsure what to do, untill they remembered that 18 months earlier, Garry had said while watching the front man (Simon Hall) of (Beholder) a local covers band "when i peg it, thats the guy you want".

Shortly after Garry's death the band approached Simon to ask if he would stand in for some gigs held in Garry's memory. The dates went so well that the band decided that Garry was right, he was the guy they wanted and so asked Simon to join on a permanent basis.

Simon Hall has big shoes to fill (and even bigger trousers) replacing the recently departed front man, but his belligerant bellow and beer-swigging, rabble-rousing showmanship work a treat and it's this that's currently winning them a legion of new fans to chant alongside the faithful....