Friday Fun and local gig round up

 As is the tradition on Barnet blogs, we start with a joke! 

"Why did Spartacus smile when the lion ate his wife?"

"He was Gladiator!"

Boom Boom!

There was some big local music news this week! Mill Hill Band, The False Dots released their brand new single and video. Check it out, it's called Big Hairy Spider and the video harks back to the Halcyon days of Scooby Doo!

And on to the weeks local gigs! Follow Barnet Music for all the latest updates!

Friday 20th

La Lluna Whetstone 6.30 - Jonathon Black Byrd (Solo Flamenco Guitar)

Butchers Arms 9pm – Midnight AWOL (Rock Covers)

Maddens 9pm – The Drivers

Barrington 8.30pm – midnight Neils Karaoke

Saturday 21st

East Barnet RB Legion 8.30pm – 11.30pm Dr Realgood (Covers)

Lord Kitchener 8.30 pm - late Karaoke with Johnno

Butchers Arms 9pm – 11.30pm Horizon (Rock covers and original)

Sunday 22nd

Kings Head 2pm – 4pm Jamie Whelligan (Solo artist - Free)

Ye Olde Monken Holt 7pm – 9pm Creekside (Americana)

Butchers 8.30 – 11.30pm Butchers Arms Jam Electric/Blues/Rock (Full backline available)

Monday 23rd

Ye Olde Mitre Inn, High Street 8pm – 11pm (stables room) Barnet Acoustics Session

Tuesday 24th

The Bull Theatre £5 Acapella & Accoustic Speakeasy 14+ further details from Nikki or Tim 07754067594 07956875758

Wednesday 25th

Ye Olde Monken Holt 8.30 – 11pm Open Mic Night

Thursday 26th

Ye Olde Monken Holt 8.30 – 10.30pm Irish Session

Friday 27th

Lord Kitch 8.30pm – late Ela

The Elephant Inn 9pm – 11.30pm Velvetronic (Covers 70`s to present)

Barrington Bar 8.30 pm - midnight Karaoke with Johnno

It seems that Elon Musk and X have decided that I am a Bot!

 Sometimes you just have to laugh. The world just becomes more ridiculous every day. When Elon Musk took Twitter over, many of my mates left. They decided that the new ultra libertarian ethos was not for them. It has seemed that all moderation has gone out of the window. Overt racism, Islamophobia and Misogyny is fine. I have thought several times about abandoning the platform. Before the Musk era, most of my tweets would get hundreds, if not thousands of views, now most get a couple of dozen. I rarely post, however I have taken the view that some readers of The Barnet Eye and some of my mates are still on it, so I persisted. I used to actively promote the platform, I did a feature every Sunday called "The tweets of the week in the London Borough of Barnet", which was a round up of the best tweets from local tweeters. I uncovered many gems and made a few friends as a result. It ended in October 2023, not because of any ideological fall out. It was simply because there was not enough interesting posts from local tweeters to make it worthwhile. The local tweeters had voted with their feet. Finding ten posts a week that were worth highlighting was almost impossible. 

Whereas I wasted half a year looking at Twitter pre Musk, now I rarely check it out, except when researching blogs or checking news stories. A cursory glance in the morning and a visit to post when I write a blog. There are still a couple of interesting posters, who I do try and keep up with, but it used to be dozens. In short, it is no longer something I have any real interest in, but while there are a few people on who are worth supporting, I would have stayed. However it seems Elon Musk had other ideas. Yesterday, I received this message from X.COM

It seems I am not an 'authentic poster', whatever that means. After 15 years on the platform, I have been deemed 'an imposter'. It states that I had been reported. I was bemused. Why? The only reasonable conclusion as to why this should come now, out of the blue, was as a result of the Guest blog I posted on Monday about the Edgware Redevelopment. I genuinely cannot think of, or see a reason why anything else would upset anyone enough to report my account, let alone make up a truly ridiculous complaint. However, there is a lot of money to be made by property developers from such schemes. They have paid media consultants, who are savvy with the art of drive by shootings on X.com of pesky bloggers. Now of course, it could be a disaffected ex girlfriend from 50 years ago, someone who hates my band or someone who disliked Country Joe McDonald (the things I've posted recently). There is a local convicted paedophile with a long standing grudge against me, after his activities were exposed, who may well have stuck his oar in. That would not surprise me either. I don't know. They don't give you any clues. 

Do I care? Not really. It has sort of made a decision for me. However, if my suspicions are true, then it is something that needs dealing with. I have appealed. Any vaguely sentient being would see that my account is not a Bot and is authentic. 

Anyway, if you are a Twitter friend and have had a look at the blog as I've not posted, here is the reason why. 

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Creative Opps presents Co:Lab with Arts Against Knives

A Collective Exhibition on Inclusion, Creativity & Community Power

Date: 20.03.2025

Time: 6:30–9:00 PM

Location: Arts Against Knives, 162 High Rd, London N2 9AS

Creative Opps is proud to present Co:Lab, a new exhibition created in partnership with Arts Against Knives and developed by young creatives from the Creative Opps Membership Programme. Bringing together nine emerging artists from across the UK, Co:Lab explores what inclusion means in today’s creative landscape — and how creativity can challenge the barriers shaping access to the arts.

Co:Lab is both an artistic and activist project. Through visual art, film, sound, writing, installation, participatory works, and interactive digital experiences, these early-career artists — many showing work publicly for the first time — offer deeply personal and politically engaged reflections on belonging, identity, community, and creative empowerment.

About Co:Lab

Co:Lab emerged from the Creative Opps Membership Programme, of which they are a part of, where young people from underrepresented and marginalised backgrounds explored their creative practices while building community, confidence and leadership. The exhibition is a culmination of this shared work: a space where disabled, neurodivergent, racialised, working-class and otherwise excluded voices are centred, nurtured and made visible.

In Partnership with Arts Against Knives

Co:Lab is delivered in collaboration with Arts Against Knives (AAK), who are providing exhibition space and supporting the involvement of young people from their community programmes. AAK’s participants will gain hands-on experience across curation, installation, production and marketing, ensuring that the exhibition creates opportunities beyond the exhibiting artists themselves.

Exhibited Work

Co:Lab will feature nine artists working across disciplines, including:

● Interactive digital installations exploring hybrid identity

● Moving-image pieces rooted in lived experience and archive transformation

● Sound and composition projects with collaborative and accessible elements

● Sculpture, mixed media and visual art examining belonging and cultural heritage

● A collective zine featuring submissions from Creative Opps and AAK communities

→ Support the Exhibition

This exhibition is made possible in part through funding from FundAction, whose support enables Co:Lab to be delivered with care, accessibility and integrity. Additional contributions will help us further resource:

● Production and material costs

● Travel and accessibility provision

● Youth training, skills development and community involvement

● Exhibition documentation

● Future Exhibitions

Your support ensures that young people can create, exhibit and lead on their own terms.

→ Attend Co:Lab

Sign up to be notified when tickets go live.

Register interest: Click here docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGEMsgGp8gSGO_k2x2FpnrHo5U7LVK3gTiNIvpvtsElTILow/viewform

→ Partner With Us

We welcome collaborations with organisations committed to youth voice, access and social impact.

About Creative Opps

Creative Opps CIO was established in 2020 to give young people who have faced socio-economic disadvantage access to the tools, networks and experience needed to independently achieve their ambitions. We deliver user-led programmes from mentoring to work placements and leadership opportunities.

Values: Inclusivity, Diversity, Youth Leadership, Reflection, Innovation, Social Impact

Find Out More creativeopps.org/event/colab-a-collective-exhibition-on-inclusion/

About Arts Against Knives

Arts Against Knives creates safe, creative spaces that support young people most at risk of violence, abuse and exploitation. Through tailored creative training and holistic support, AAK empowers young people to design hopeful futures and influence real systems change.

Art Against Knives was the Barneteye Charity of the year in 2015 and we still support their work!

Guest Blog - Mill Hill's Railway Cottages - By Chris The MillHillian

Older residents of Mill Hill will recall Station Road in Mill Hill, before the M1 was built. There were buildings on both sides of the road and where the M1 is now, there were what were Midland Railway Cottages, These old railway cottages were built by the Midland Railway Company to house staff. They were demolished to make way for the M1 Motorway. They were inhabited by railway workers up until they demolished around 1964. The Mill Hill Historical society tweeted these pictures.

Some images of Midland Cottages. once on Station Road, Mill Hill where the M1 is now. They were built to house workers on the London Midland and Scottish Railway line which came to Mill Hill in 1868. pic.twitter.com/vuatEzQOoY

— Mill Hill Hist Soc (@MHHistSoc) January 25, 2019

A glimpse can be found in old pictures as well as a 60’s film called Hand in Hand. I was fascinated to discover these plan drawings of the cottages. I thought Mill Hillians may be interested to see them! 

These old drawings were held in the storage of the planning offices in Barnet when I discovered them. whilst searching for another old property in the same road.  I took a picture to show my Dad. I had forgotten about them until I recently discovered my old photos. The road has changed beyond all recognition. After the drawings got put on microfiche most were destroyed but some still exist in the London Metropolitan Archives including drawings of the Railway Hotel in Edgware.

If anyone has a picture of the station entrance by the bus terminus in Station Road it would be great to see it. I recall walking from our house in Langley Park through the station under the old subway and into station Road to catch the 240 bus to St Vincent’s School. The subway was a wet brick tunnel with poor lighting and when the express passed over it rumbled like an earthquake it was bricked up when a new one was built so it’s lying there like a time warp. We would occasionally bump into old Paddy the porter who was a grumpy old thing who seemed to think the subway was only there for the convenience of the rail passengers.
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Guest Blogs are always welcome at The Barnet Eye.

Guest Blog - The One Promise Barnet Council Won’t Make About Edgware’s Transport Hub - by Anuta Zack

 

The One Promise Barnet Council Won’t Make About Edgware’s Transport Hub

Barnet Council says safety is a priority.

So residents asked for a very simple reassurance.

Before demolishing Edgware’s transport hub — the bus station, the garage, the interchange used by thousands of passengers every day — confirm that the replacement infrastructure can actually be built safely. Not eventually. Not theoretically. Actually. It sounds like the easiest promise in the world to make. And yet Barnet Labour Council refuses to make it.

Planning Is Complicated. This Question Isn’t.

Planning debates are usually complicated.  People argue about density, housing numbers, transport capacity, retail space, sunlight, wind, viability and a hundred other things. The Broadwalk redevelopment proposal has triggered all of those debates. Reasonable people can disagree about them. But sometimes a planning question is extremely simple. Before demolishing Edgware’s transport hub, can the council demonstrate that the replacement they are proposing can actually be built safely? Not after demolition. Not “once the details are worked out”. Before. And yet that simple reassurance has not been given.

One Sentence Could Settle This

In meetings and conversations councillors and officers say what you would expect. Safety matters. Standards will be high. Nothing unsafe would ever be built. All comforting words. But words cost nothing. If safety really is the priority, the obvious step would be to put the principle into writing as a planning safeguard: 

Nothing is demolished until regulators confirm the replacement transport infrastructure can be built safely. One sentence. Thirty seconds of drafting. Problem solved. So why hasn’t it happened?

A Project With No Real Precedent

The replacement being proposed is extraordinary. It involves placing roughly 200 electric buses in a large underground depot, with high-density residential towers directly above it. Supporters call this innovation. Another word might be experiment. Electric bus depots exist, of course. But they are generally surface-level facilities serving operational sites. They are not large subterranean garages with thousands of residents living directly above them.

In the UK there are no clear precedents for dense housing built above a major underground electric bus depot. Internationally, the picture does not look much different. Electric bus depots can be found, but they are overwhelmingly ground-level facilities, not dense residential developments constructed over large subterranean fleets of electric buses. There are reasons why developments like this are rare. Large concentrations of electric vehicles introduce a known risk: lithium-ion battery fires and thermal runaway.

These incidents are uncommon, but when they occur they behave very differently from conventional fires. They burn hotter, they can reignite and they are notoriously difficult to control in enclosed spaces.  None of this proves the project cannot be engineered safely. But it does raise an obvious question.

If this really is pioneering infrastructure, shouldn’t the safety case be proven before demolishing the infrastructure that already exists?

After Grenfell, That Should Not Need Explaining

Britain has already learned what happens when safety assumptions run ahead of certainty. The Grenfell Tower fire showed what can happen when risks are treated as details that will somehow be resolved later. Edgware residents are not asking for impossible guarantees. They are asking for something much simpler. Before dismantling a transport hub that thousands of people rely on every day, confirm that the replacement can actually be built safely. That should be the starting point of any responsible planning decision.

Transparency Has Been Equally Enlightening

The same pattern appears when residents ask for basic transparency. Barnet has already sent documents to the Mayor of London as part of the Stage 2 planning process. Those documents underpin a decision that could permanently reshape Edgware’s transport infrastructure. Residents asked to inspect them. The council replied that it will consider the request in 20 days. The Mayor has 14 days to decide. In other words, the decision may be taken before residents are allowed to see the documents that informed it. If that sounds like transparency, it is a rather unusual version of it.

The Point of No Return

Large redevelopment projects rely on a simple fact. Once existing infrastructure is demolished, the pressure to complete whatever replaces it becomes overwhelming. At that point there is no going back. The town has already lost what it had. Which is exactly why the safeguard residents asked for matters so much. If the replacement infrastructure really can be built safely, confirming that before demolition should be straightforward. If it cannot yet be demonstrated, demolishing the transport hub first would leave Edgware taking a very large gamble indeed.

A Very Simple Question

Planning arguments about density and design will continue. But this issue is not complicated. Before demolishing infrastructure used by thousands of people every day, demonstrate that the infrastructure promised in its place can actually be built safely. At present that has not been done.  The London Fire Brigade has already raised concerns. There are currently no established building regulations for a development of this type.

Yet demolition of the existing transport hub is still on the table. Residents asked for one simple safeguard: do not demolish the hub until a safe, approved replacement is actually possible. It should have been the easiest promise in the world to make. The fact that Barnet Council still refuses to make it should worry anyone who assumes that common sense still plays some role in planning decisions. And it raises one final, uncomfortable question. If the replacement cannot yet be shown to be safely buildable, why is destroying the existing transport hub even being discussed?

Please sign the petition to stop it being demolished.

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-edgware-s-bus-station-and-bus-garage-from-being-demolished

The FALSE DOTS ARE PROUD TO RELEASE OUR NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO - BIG HAIRY SPIDER - WHERE SKA MEETS SCOOBY DOO MEETS HAMMER HORROR MEETS BENNY HILL!

 Today is a massive day for The False Dots. We release our brand new single and video - Big Hairy Spider

We have made an amazing video to accompany the launch. The single tells the story of a terrible nightmare I had, many years ago, about a lovely girl who lived up my road. The song sat in my lyrics tin for over 46 years, because my former songwriting partner deemed it "stupid". However, the time is ripe for the world to hear it. I have always loved cartoons and so we decided to animate the video. The product is a mash up of Scooby Doo style animation, a Hammer Horror story with a splash of Benny Hill thrown in to an up beat Ska / punk tune. We think you will love it! Have a look.

The False Dots are on a mission to entertain and have fun. If we can put a smile on your face, we will. 

The band are officially launching the single today at London's finest grassroots music venue (Sunday 15th March), the Dublin Castle. Why not come along - Full Details Here. 

You can hear the single on Spotify here.

Please support artists and musicians. If you like this, tell your friends about it!

The Saturday List #378 - The eight moments when my life changed forever

 In everyone's life there are key moments when your life changes forever. Nothing is ever the same again. This week has been a difficult and stressful one for me. It has made me reflect on my life and the key moments when it changed. I thought that warranted a list. 

1970 - My Mum diagnosed with stomach cancer. Up until that moment, everything had been fine and dandy. Then it wasn't. I've written about this before, but everything changed. I had been working as a child model/actor. I was frequently on telly and I didn't have to go to school when the shoots were taking place. Mum told me she was too ill to continue and that was that. She eventually recovered, but I believe I suffered PTSD watching her struggle. Dad had been told she would live no more than three years. He broke down and told me this. I was eight. Seeing her looking half dead, on a drip in hospital is the most traumatic moment of my life. Most of the pictures of me before that had me smiling. After that, most don't.

1977 - Seeing The Ramones at The Roundhouse. I was fourteen and truly lost. Then my sister took me to see the Ramones. I realised what I wanted to do in my life. I wanted to make the same noise the Ramones made. I found my tribe. The idea of what my life would have been like without that moment is unthinkable.

1980 - The False Dots first gig. It took us a year and a half to get it together. Our singer didn't turn up. We rented a Church Hall and got two other bands to play with us. Until that point I knew what I wanted, but I had no idea if it was feasable. Playing that gig made me realise that anything is possible, if you really want it and work hard. But most of all, I learned that you need people in your life you can rely on.

1983 - SPL International. I was stone broke, I had been working as a painter and decorator, but the work had dried up. I had a girlfriend and I wanted to live with her. I realised that I needed a steady job, where there was regular money, until the band got a record deal and we all became rich. I did a government sponsored TOPS course in Computer Operations. It was a ten week course, and I was told there was a guarantee of a job at the end. The course operators, Compucentres promised that they would fix us all up with three interviews as part of the deal. The first two interviews were a disaster. The first one was at an insurance company and it was horrible. The second was for an oil company and the manager was someone I was at FCHS with who hated me (what are the chances). I had almost given up, when I was sent for the third one. It was at one of Britains top software companies. They sent the two cleverest people with me. I was third up. I just assumed I'd fail. The manager I had to see looked and sounded like King George V. He seemed flustered. I had been told to not talk about my music or travel. I sat down and he seemed like the whole thing was a terrible chore. I just assumed that I had already failed. I noticed a poster for Svenska Handelsbanken (A Swedish bank) on his wall. I asked why and he said "We supply them with software". I said "That's funny I have an account with them". He was intrigued, as they didn't operate in the UK. I explained that I'd lived in Stockholm for six months. He asked why, I explained I had a Swedish girlfriend and my band had played there. I realised that I'd broken the golden rule and spoken about music and travel. The boss then relaxed and we chatted for about 30 minutes about life, the universe and everything. I thought "What a nice bloke, humouring me". Eventually I went back to Compucentres, expecting to be told I was a useless failure. Haf and hour after I arrived, Iw as summoned to the office. They said "They want you start this Friday". I was gobsmacked. The money was great, the job was great. I'd done everything wrong, but somehow got the job. I became friends with the boss, the wonderful Peter Sutherby. He told me that the other guys had no personality. He said that anyone with the get up and go to move to Stockholm to be with a girl when they were 18 is just the sort of person he wanted in the company. I worked in various roles, mostly freelance, in IT, on and off until 2017. 

1985. Meeting Clare. The False Dots did an Xmas gig at the Three Hammers Pub  in Mill Hill. There was a very attractive young lady there, who I fancied the pants off. We got together and have been together ever since (apart from a break of a year in 1992, when we realised that life was better together). We have three kids and two dogs and life is good.

1987. My Dad died. He died suddenly, aged 69. I had assumed he was invincible and immortal. Three months before he died, he told me something that I had completely discounted. He said that when he was being shot down in 1944 over Romania, his plane was on fire and he realised it was going to crash. He told me he'd said a prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary and asked for his allotted "three score and ten years". He bailed out and survived. He told me that he was now in his three score and tenth year. He told me that he believed his candle had burned down. He was shortly to go to Florida and he told me he was going to have a real crack, as it may be his last holiday. I told him not to be ridiculous. I never saw him again. The shock still lives with me. I feel him with me in difficult times. Sometimes, I ask him for advice, a voice pops into my head, usually with some outrageous advice such as "Well I'd smack him in the face". It always makes me laugh. God bless you Dad.

1995. Kids. My eldest daughter was born in 1995. My kids are the best thing in my life (although they say they believe the dogs are). I am proud of all of them. I really am a lousy parent, but they seem to like me. As I mentioned in my 1980 lesson. Have good people you can trust around you. I have. 

2011. Cancer. My constant friend and companion, the devil on my shoulder. It took me a long time to recognise this, but for me, cancer has become a positive force in my life. It devastated me and still does. However, I refuse to give in to negativity. I took a positive decision to accept that my life would change. It made me re-evaluate everything. It made me appreciate what I have, work harder for what I want and do the things today that I would have put off until tomorrow. You simply never know in life. I hadn't appreciated this. It has made me love and embrace life. I am lucky, my cancer was diagnosed early. I have had the opportunity to deal with it. Not everyone has the opportunity to get something positive from the experience. That is why I am a passionate advocate of getting tested if you have a family history of breast or prostate cancer in the family. 

I must add, I believe that God gave me certain gifts. I believe I have to put them to work in a positive way. I am not advocating religion or a system of belief. I am simply stating that for me, I have come to realise that my gifts are that I can write a blog which people read, I play in a band that people enjoy and I can keep calm and cool when other people lose their minds. I believe that I use my gifts for good. A band won't change or save your life, but it might just put a smile on your face. If we can make someone happy for just a little while, that is enough. As for my blog. If people enjoy it, that is great. If they learn something that makes their life even better. If they have a test for prostate cancer and it saves their life, that is just perfect. I can do no more. I realised that all of the above moments have shaped and moulded me. I am an optimist. I believe the best is to come. Stay calm. The choppy waters we are going through in the world will pass and sanity will resume. In the meantime, why not come along watch The False Dots tomorrow, at The Dublin Castle, for our Matinee Show. It will be a great laugh and you may just forget your troubles for a few minutes. We are all entitled to some fun in our lives!

One other little thing. I was interviewed by The Camden New Journal this week, talking about the 50th anniversary of the founding of Rock Against Racism - You can read the article here -  Camden New Journal  - Forward to page 18.

Friday Fun & this weeks local gigs Friday 13th March - Also some news to warm the cockles of your heart!

Lets start with some great news, something to cheer you up! Did you know today is the first day of the year when the Sun sets after 6pm!

• Yesterday's Sunset (March 12): 17:59 (5:59 PM)
• Today's Sunset (March 13): 18:01 (6:01 PM) 

Spring is coming!

And to get you in the weekend mood, here is a Friday joke, courtesy of our good Twitter mate Robert Wilkinson

I'm at the hospital with my mate Terry. He thinks he's a chocolate orange.

I think he's going to be sectioned.

— Robert Wilkinson (@robertwlk) February 19, 2026

And on to gigs! To keep up to date follow Barnet Music Facebook page

And we'll start with the weekends big event (for me at least!). The False Dots are back at The Dublin Castle for a Sunday Matinee show (Details here). Support from local legends Those Naughty Lumps. More details here. Here is our promo video for the gig. We are launching our new single "Big Hairy Spider"

And here are the rest of the weeks gigs in the Borough of Barnet

Friday 13th

Butchers Arms 9pm – 11.30pm Groove Rats (Rock/blues)

Barrington 8.30pm – midnight Neils Karaoke

Cavalier 7.30pm – late Karaoke inc DJ Iain H

Saturday 14th 

Butcher Arms 8.30pm – 11.30pm Just Kiddin (Covers 50s – present)

The Arkley Club 8.30pm – 11.30pm £5 cash on door Jukebox (rock & roll 60-70s)

Toolans 9pm –11.30pm await details

Sunday 15th

Kings Head 2pm – 4pm Nic Bennett

Butchers 8.30 – 11.30pm Butchers Arms Jam Electric/Blues/Rock (Full backline available

Toolans 8.30pm – 11pm Kieran White

Ye Olde Mitre Inn, High Street 8pm – 11pm Home Cookin (Jazz) 3rd Sunday

Monday 16th

Ye Olde Mitre Inn, High Street 8pm – 11pm (stables room) Barnet Acoustics Session

Wednesday 18th

Toolans 5pm – 8pm Glenn Flynn

Ye Olde Monken Holt 8.30 – 11pm Open Mic Night

Thursday 19th

Ye Olde Monken Holt 8.30 – 10.30pm Irish Session

Sebright Arms Barnet 7pm – 11pm Open Mic Night

Rock and Roll Stories #60 - "Never point a gun at a mans head, blow his balls off, then people will know what happens when they cross you"

One of the dark secrets of the music business is that there are some very dodgy people on the fringes, who are not necessarily in the business for the love of art! I've come across one or two on my journey. For a short period of time, a band was rehearsing at my studios and being managed by Charlie Kray. One of my friends was the drummer. Charlie was well connected within the business. The lead singer of the band had allegedly 'done time' with him. The band dissolved when the singer robbed an off licence in Edgware, supposedly getting beers for the band. He made the mistake of taking off his mask as he left the off licence and looking directly at the CCTV camera. By all accounts, Charlie was none to pleased. Before the incident, he had reached out to me and offered to 'put some money into the studios'. He was keen into get back into the music business, and told me that with some 'investment' we could do 'great things'. For me, it was a dilemma. I was assured it was all honest and legal. On the face of it, it looked like a good move, as he did have great contacts, but I wasn't really sure I wanted the studio to go in that direction. When the band ended, the interest ended as well. I was actually rather relieved as I couldn't think of a polite way to refuse, without rubbing him up the wrong way. We had a beer at the Three Hammers to discuss it, and he seemed like a nice bloke, full of stories about shenanigans in the music industry. He'd actually managed Deep Purple in the 1970's and so knew a hell of a lot about the industry. It was quite funny, because there were a few local villains at the pub, who recognised him and became a tad uneasy. One came down to 'have a word" a couple of days later. I explained that we were just having a beer as a band he was managing were using the studio. He seemed quite relieved. 

There was another figure, who we'll call "Dave" who came actually managed The False Dots for a short while. He was pretty well known locally. He had a reputation as a man not to mess with. He'd survived being both stabbed and shot, and allegedly taken a terrible revenge. He'd worked for my Dad for a while when he was in his 20's as a panel beater at MacMetals, but had moved on to greater things. He sort of appointed himself as the manager of the band at one stage. He promised gigs, fame and money. As I recall, he got us one gig at Edgware Services club, playing with a girl from Hills Angels (Benny Hills dancers). It wasn't really my thing and that iteration of the band was not one I have fond memories of. Fortunately, him and the singer had insisted on a new name, so it is expunged from the history of The False Dots. His cunning plan was for us to play covers and gig every night. I was having a beer with him after one gig and he pulled out a gun and put it on the table. He explained that this was his insurance policy. He added "Never point a gun at a man's head. That will just kill him and six months later everyone will have forgotten all about them. Shoot their balls off, they will spend the next twenty years telling everyone what happens when they cross you. And the police won't do you for murder, as you can say it went off by accident and you were pointing it down". One of my band mates suggested that it was a replica and it was all bravado. They didn't really know him, I didn't learn guitar and join a band to play with guns. Like many such characters, you see the everywhere, then they disappear. Dave passed away about 25 years ago. He would often appear at the studio with "his new band", they'd have a few rehearsals, do a few gigs then disappear forever. 

Another character we came across was a small time cocaine dealer, who ran a music venue in South London. He rather liked our band. He'd pay us well over the top and the gigs were always busy. He offered to manage us back in 1982. We were quite young and naïve and were impressed by the fact that we got good money, free beers and food. He organised a proper photo shoot of the band and many promises were made. Then we heard nothing. I went down to the pub, where he had been putting the nights on, they said he'd been arrested for dealing. I realised that the club was a front for his business and he was laundering his proceeds through the business. We turned up and did what we were paid to do, and entertained a packed pub. 

One other very iffy character I recall used to frequent our gigs. He'd insist on buying the band drinks and tell us he was "working on something and it was going to be really good". Then he disappeared. About six months later, I got a telephone call from the Police. Who was I and how did I know the said individual. I explained that he'd hang about at the gigs and was always promising great things that never materialised. The Copper said "You were lucky mate", he then gave me his number and said "If he turns up, give me a bell. If you know where he is and you don't tell me, you will be in serious trouble". I asked what he'd done and was told that I didn't need to know. I never found out.

All of these characters were hanging around in our bands first incarnation, between 1979 and 1990. We were young and oblivious. Such characters turn up at the studio now, often on the coat tails of young artists. They are not so interested in The False Dots and our geriatric mates. What I now realise is that few of them really understand how the music industry works. Perhaps the funniest thing is that of all of these characters I met, the only one who really had a clue was Charlie Kray. He knew people and had managed proper acts. He told me that when he managed Deep Purple, for once his name worked against him. People were terrified to book the band. I always feel a little bit sorry for bands that are young and put their faith in dodgy chancers, who waste their time. I always advise bands that someone who knows what they are doing, will make sure the band has great demos and good pictures as a first step. In truth, if you've not got a good musical product, then you won't get anywhere, and if you have, it will become pretty clear, pretty quickly whether someone really does 'have the right connections'.

I am quite pleased that we are at a stage in our career, where we can put our own music out and are not too worried about 'making it'. Doing fun gigs and recording music we like is as good as life gets in my opinion.  The False Dots next gig is on Sunday at The Dublin Castle (Click here for full details) from 1.30pm, see you there. Here is our trailer! 

Rog T's Cancer Blog - What the Doctor tells you Vs what you actually hear!

 So in the last episode of this sorry saga, I detailed how the anticipation of test results was possibly the worst aspect of your cancer Journey. I wrote that under the assumption that I'd have another encouraging result from my forthcoming PSA test. On Thursday I received this message.

Dear Mr Tichborne,

Your PSA has risen to 0.04 from 0.01. Please let us know if you have any symptoms of concern though it looks from your letters that you will be having follow up with your private urologist.

Best wishes

***** Medical Practice

I was a tad shocked to see this. It was not what I was expecting and most certainly not what I wanted to hear.  I contacted my consultant, who replied

Mr Tichborne

Yes, we are due to discuss this next Monday, but your PSA remains well within the acceptable range of 0-0.2 ng/ml.

Best wishes

So where I'd been expecting a brisk two minutes, I realised it would be more nuanced (shall we say). On Monday, with a mild sense of dread, I joined the call ( consults are done on line these days for such follow ups). And so it transpired. Professor Eden explained that there a number of reasons that such a result can occur, and a recurrance of the cancer is not the most likely. However, it is a change and recommed that we increase the frequency of my follow up PSA tests from eveyr 6 months to every three months and chat again in June. He explained the more likely scenarios in some detail. Briefly some vessels can regenerate or partially regenerate, leading to a non cancer related PSA increase. But of course, it could also be cancer. It is at a very early stage if it is and whatever happens, there is no reason to panic.

Rather annoyingly, it coincided with one of my three non drinking days of the week. Of course Professer Eden is right. There is no reason to be concerned right now. It is afifth of the level where it is an issue. But.....

This journey has gone on for me since November 2011. I had hoped that surgery would have addressed the issue. Maybe it has, but I am now back in the swirling whirlpool of uncertainty. PSA tests every threee months, after a rise, means more anxiety. I will approach the next test, knowing that it has sharply increased, albeit to nowhere near a level of concern. I had been in a good frame of mind and now I am not. Much as I'd love to get off this particular carousel, it is not an option. I just have to wait and see. It occurred to me that Professor Eden's message of "don't panic" dropped the word "don't" as me brain processed it. There is absolutely nothing I can do except wait. In May, I'll have my next test. I can't say I'm looking forward to it. But.......

There is one aspect that, although it doesn't really make me feel full of joy right now, is worth noting. Just suppose that the worst case scenario is occurring. I know about it and it can be dealt with relatively early. Should that happen, I am sure it will not be pleasant, but I will still be in a better position than I would have been, if I'd not been diagnosed in 2011 and had the two rounds of treatment I've had.

So to sum up, I've been re-assurred by one of the best prostate cancer surgeons on the planet that there is nothing to worry about right now. Since then, all I have done is worried

If you're a bloke of a certain age and you haven't get yourself tested, especially if you are in a high risk category.

.