A recollection from Steve

One of my favourite gigs was Bellingham Town Hall. It seemed such an adventure to go so far and as a non driver it was always something of a mystery, out in the wilds of Northumberland. Our agent Ivan Birchall always issued a contract for each gig stating the fee, arrival time, playing time and any other relevant stuff. The Bellingham gig had a special clause. Maybe they had been stung by a non arrival in the past so it read - "Groups must telephone at 6pm to confirm that they are on their way"

In our case (and perhaps others) this had a slightly negative effect. By 6 pm we were indeed on our way and coincidentally were always passing Hexham railway station where, conveniently, on one side of the road there was a public phone booth and on the other side, even more conveniently, there was a pub. We made hasty use of the first convenience and a somewhat more leisurely and liquid use of the latter. This ensured that we always arrived in Bellingham "ready to rock!" - and believe you me; we did! (rock)

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