My Wednesday evening started off with a Mental As Anything gig at Customs House, Circular Quay in Sydney. We had a great view from the stage and the audience just had the band to look at.
It was a private party and before we started the organiser comes up to us and says “are you going to be playing all your hits tonight?” One of our guys replied with a straight face “We’re going to play a jam in E for an hour”. It went right over the organisers head, they had no idea what we were talking about.
There was also some great food on offer.
After the Mentals gig I legged it down to The Basement, which was near by, as Hank Marvin was playing in his Gypsy Jazz mode. I made it for their second set. All I can say is that they sounded great! Excellent arrangements and they sounded like a ‘real’ band should.
Hank was a huge influence on me to start playing the guitar. When I heard The Shadows play “The Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt” that was the sound I wanted to make. Interestingly, Mentals often play “Flingel Bunt” as a encore song.
Afterwards I got to hang out with Hank & Gary Taylor. Good times.
