Way back in ’81, my flatmate Rachel made an interesting remark An art student and painter of nudes, she had no real interest in music. But, one day, she admitted overhearing the rest of us describe how much we liked a particular song. “When I heard what you said, the only thing I could compare […]
You never forget your first gig. That was certainly true for me. The year was 1977, the venue was St Joseph’s church hall, just outside Bradford town centre, which was also where the band rehearsed. (At that time, local churches were an unlikely benefactor of the UK’s grassroots rock scene.) Named ‘The Dark Town Strutters’ […]
At the tender age of 16, life was simple: buy albums, go to rock gigs and find a girl to come along. The only drawbacks were studies and a grim Saturday job that funded everything. But it was worth it – especially for the Steve Hillage Band. Steve was highly regarded as part of the […]
King Crimson line-up with David Cross second from left. Sometimes, you look back on life and realise that a certain moment was pivotal This one involved an email requesting help with writing a song – in collaboration with a musical legend. Having not written any music in over a decade, let’s say confidence wasn’t high. […]
My last gig was over two decades ago – third on the bill at a small outer London venue. Just me and a cheap Spanish guitar. The band was gone. The record deal was gone. And all the great musicians I’d played with down the years – all gone. But someone else was gone too. […]
