The Spares Family Tree -
Spare Pair

Spare Pair -formed by Keith Forster and Richard Knox in the late 70's.

A two piece band in the style of John Ottway and Wild Willy Barrett. They came into being during the "New Wave" era but other influences, such as - Status Quo and Alex Harvey (from Keith) and Steve Hillage and Lindisfarne (from Richard) shone through to create a unique style.

They started out supporting Heavy Metal bands such as Raven and Black Diamond, but were also regular guests of Arthur 2 Stroke.

Their regular Tuesday night gig with Black Diamond allowed them to develop their distinct style into what became known as "Theatrical New Wave".

They didn't take themselves too seriously and the narrative style of songs such as "Kick Sand in my Face" and "I Don't Like Lager" blended in well with more musical offerings such as "When I Feel Lonely" and "Let me be the One".

The theatrical side of things came from the "radio style" plays which became a very popular part of the night. Episodes from self penned melodramas such as "The Perils of Daphne" and "Superman the Play" were played out each week by the Pair, sometimes with help from the audience, and of course, each episode would have the obligatory cliff-hanger ending.

Spare Pair built up quite a following, from both Heavy Metal and New Wave fans, but their rise to stardom was cut short when Keith was involved in a motorcycle accident.

Luckily, he wasn't too seriously injured, and the plaster cast on his leg became incorporated into the act. However, a further (lengthy) stay in hospital became necessary and Spare Pair were temporarily, then permanently, disbanded. Spare Pair were no more - but the sequence of events which would result in the creation of The Spares was set in motion…...