The Bridewell Taxis - Early Years

Early Years

The group came together in Leeds during 1987 and were originally called Morality Play. Their first public performances were at an Unemployed Music project in Leeds that also helped launch contemporaries Nightmares on Wax, ((George Evelyn/John Halnon)). Mick Roberts at that time had been working on song lyrics ( Unlimited Days, Just Good Friends, In God We Trust) and ideas with childhood friend John Halnon (NOW) and Marcus Waite (Violet Hour).After singer Mick Roberts joined, the band changed its name to The Bridewell Taxis, a nickname for the police vans that delivered drunks and criminals to the town's police station, or Bridewell, situated under the Leeds Town Hall. A number of the band were familiar with this form of transport. Rehearsals were often intense fractious occasions above the Market District Boys Club.

From their very first gig in 1988 at the Royal Park, with support Pale Saints, it was apparent that the band were offering a different sound and sensibility to their immediate Leeds peers such as The Wedding Present, Cud and the Pale Saints. Whilst the band members all hailed from east Leeds, unlike their former student rivals (although Mick Roberts was originally from Wales), they had more in common with the growing northern music scene in Lancashire featuring Liverpool-based bands such as The Las, The Real People and The Farm and the early Inspiral Carpets, The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays from Manchester. The Taxis had a unique selling point with the arrival of Chris Walton on trombone which only served to emphasise the hard, fast, Northern Soul beat they often used whilst all around were slipping into the funky drummer, baggy beat.

The Taxis' place in the scheme of things was cemented by a prestigious support slot at The Happy Monday's first Leeds gig on 28 February 1989 at The Warehouse. Both bands ended up having internal fights on stage that night, keyboardist Gary Wilson attacking guitarist Sean McElhone after the latter's instrument malfunctioned. Over the next six months regular gigging including support slots with The Farm and Cud consolidated the band's position as up and coming band with a large local following.

The band's first release was a blue flexi-disc, "Lies" c/w "Just Good Friends" given away free with a Wakefield fanzine which cost 20p. The pressing soon sold out and a few years later, at the height of their popularity, the flexi-disc was changing hands for over £20. London-based publishers, Empire Music, part of China Records, offered the band a publishing deal in late 1989.