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.