In 2005 we supported a well known 80s band at the City Hall. This band had several number one hits and following what I can only presume as the singer getting a particularly big gas bill, they decided to reform and tour the UK.

We got the gig through our then manager, a larger than life (in every sense of the word) chap who had the gist of the gab and a capacity for blagging that was without compare in the city.

So, we ended up third on the bill behind two 80s behemoths, at the second biggest venue in the city. Now all we had to do was sell the tickets... we were able to claim back £5 from each of the £12 tickets we sold, but not those sold direct from the box office: the headliners got them.

The first sign of trouble arrived when we got to the venue, as requested, at 4pm for a soundcheck. Gear was dutifully loaded into the venue and we waited... and waited.. and waited...

Eventually the headline band rolled in, exhibiting a diva like attitude unbecoming of their current level of chart success. Still, they began to set up their gear and we dutifully watched their soundcheck.

The alarm bells should have rung when we were asked by the tour manager where our sound engineer was. Sound engineer? We'd never supplied one before, the kind of gigs we played came with their own. Luckily the manager made a deal with their sound guys and got us out of that mess. On to the soundcheck...

Or not, as the venue started filling with people as the doors opened at 7.30, two minutes after the headliners finished going over and over and over and over till they got the sound they wanted.

Needless to say our performance was sketchy at best, but the experience of playing with a well known band in front of so many people was without compare.

In fact, the highlight of the evening was when the watching masses began to trickle away and it became apparent that we had sold more tickets than the starts of the 80s!

But the music scene and the unwashed masses are fickle, and after we played the local toilet venue the following month to just the bar staff, it was only a matter of time before the band went our separate ways.