Hi Friend

It’s taken me a bit of a while to get this to you.? I've been a bit busy lately.? I think that the Pile of Logs wav file is a bit long.? One the whole I am a bit unsure about it, as I have used some sounds that I can't remember the origin of.

Hey, last Saturday I played with The People Band at an arts centre somewhere near St. Pancras.? The gig?? It was called the King’s Place or something or other I can’t remember for sure.? Needless to say there’s a bit of a tale to tell.? Do you remember my friend Mel Davis (piano) well Mel told me that his friend Mike Figgis (guitar and stuff) was organising everything and that Mike had said anybody who was still free, just turn up with your instrument.

Mel went on a bit more and he said turn up with your Joe and your instruments, but don’t bring any djembes.? Of course I just said, Great Mel where’s the gig?? Mel replied, “Your Joe will know where it is.? It's an Arts Centre near St Pancras."

To cut the long story short.

It was only when six of us got off the tube at Kings Cross that our Joe said, “Where now dad?”? We all had a good laugh about it and started asking passers-by in order to try to find, An Arts Centre near St. Pancras'? That none of us knew the name of.? What’s more we were surrounded by London visitors who had just gotten off the trains like we just did.? No problem ha ha!

Yes obviously we found it in the end but we got there after the first set had started.? I kid you not.? It was the poshest place you could imagine, it was veerry corporate, guards on the door the whole lot.? None of us, five students and a drummer had any money and it looked like we were expected to pay.? As the father figure, I figured it was my job to sort the problem out.? I rocked-up to a guard and explained myself.? Told the guard how come we were late and that I am not on the guest list because I am in the band and these are my guests on my guest list.? The guard looked skeptical but seemed semi-convinced because it all sounded so unfeasible.

Just as I was starting to get a bit more worried though, clearly I needed and extra bit of confirmation.? Not just the story that I had travelled down from Preston (237.8 miles) and our Joe and his mates had come from all over London to play with and watch our Dad's old Best mate Mel Davis in his old band from the 60's.? The guard asked, OK if you are in the band what do you play and where's your instrument?? I felt relieved she had asked and I shook my hold-all which rattled nicely.? What is it?

Pots and pans, I said and opened the zip and I showed the guard my bag of pots and pans.? This seemed to fuel the guards doubt more than anything and I started to ask,? Well why else? would I . . . . . . etc. ?? Guess what?? She didn’t seem that convinced but she let us pile in pile in and just at that very moment none other than the amazing vocalist Maggie Nichols happened to be walking past.? Wow what a stroke of luck!? Maggie wasn't going on till the second half she saw us and said Hello John, Is this your son and his mates?? It's Okay, Maggie said to the guard, He's with us.

It was The People Band alright what a fantastic noise was happening already as we sneaked into the back row.

A few hundred people sitting in rows facing a stage seemed to look round and go SHshshhhh…… there was even somebody drawing on a flip-chart at the front.? I had to think quick I didn’t want to let Joe and his mates down so I walked straight to the front grabbed Mel who was singing and said hello.? Mel said, “Ah great, Hello John, join us for the next set.”? I went back to the back of the theatre where I was told I was blocking the door!

I sat down, I was next to one of those people who laugh and nod as if they know what’s coming next.? ? You know the ones.? Our Joe said they are common at Shakespeare gigs.? I think this bloke thought that the Acme bird-call was a reference to Charlie Parker, maybe he was right but it is only funny once.

Anyway I am just trying to give you an idea of how I was feeling after being lost, late, skint, tired, dazed and confused with a touch of vertigo not wanting to let my son and his mates down at the same time as being completely immersed in the most incredible sounds that can be made by twenty or so people blowing, striking, scraping and plucking stuff.

I was hugely relieved when a couple of the people seemed pleased to see me as well as Mel.? Julia said come and join us John and George helped me up onto the stage with my five quid Peroni in a little plastic cup!? You don’t want to spill that at those prices George said to me and I think he liked my current set-up of five stainless steel curry dishes and a couple of washing machine pulleys with elastic bands wooden spoons balloons and knitting needles.

I joined in for the second set and I absolutely loved it.? So did Joe and his mates.? The sort of sounds that The People Band make causes you to hear things differently for a couple of days afterwards.

The biggest relief to me was that I had a friendly conversation with the amazing Terry Day.? I think that I have accidentally upset him in the past but I expect that most people have.? My mistake? I turned up unexpectedly with the wrong instruments to a do at The Peoples Theatre in Hackney once.? But that was in the past, I am actually a big Terry Day fan and was delighted that he was happy to have my pots and pans amongst the Steinways, Gretches, Gibsons, Korgs and LP's

We left fairly soon after the gig and Joe and his mates took the old boy for a pint of London's finest just up the road in a proper pub and i had the time of my life with my son and his pals.

Anyway dear friend as you can see? I am still buzzing and enclosing you the cd with the wav as promised.? Unfortunately I didn’t record any of last Saturday, which might be just as well given my penchant for upsetting people but somebody will have done.? Might be worth a search on the internet, if you are interested any further? ? See you soon pal.