It all started I suppose when, as a wee nipper, I used to rearrange the cushions on the sofa, nick a pair of my sister’s knitting needles and pretend I was playing the drums along to “Top Of The Pops”. It wasn’t until I’d actually left school though that my heart finally overuled my head and I took the plunge and bought a drum kit, much to the bewilderment and surprise of my family. “What are you going to do with that?”, was the general reaction as far as I can remember.  I must admit, looking back at it, a drum kit is hardly the ideal kind of musical instrument that lends itself to a harmonious family life within the close confines of a three bedroomed council house. The neighbours weren’t going to be too enamoured either.

However, as luck would have it, it soon found itself being transferred to a friend’s parents house – a large three storey detached house that was only being used as a doctor’s surgery. We’d get together once or twice a week as he was a keen piano player and was into writing songs. A set of drums and a grand piano weren’t, again, the best combination for making sweet music but at least we could play to our heart’s content without bothering anyone else. My friend had a friend who’d just begun University and was keen to start a band thus, “Hats Off To Larry” was born – the first band I was in as a drummer.