18th October - Scala and a new found lack of respect for the police

After leaving the Scala and subsequently breaking down on the A40 due to a snapped accelerator cable, we sit tight in the van trying to maintain body temperature. The recovery people said they'll be with us in about an hour and it's pretty cold outside. We're parked half on the kerb (there is no hard shoulder) and within a few minutes of waiting, we hear a crunch from the back of the van. A speeding car has come a little too close to the van, taken out its own wing mirror and sped off without stopping, which is fine by the seven of us - we don't particularly have anything to say to them. Close call though - could have been much worse. Kimba and Stu get out to push the van a little bit more on to the kerb to be safer.

A police car pulls up and asks us what we're doing, and happy that we were awaiting recovery, leave us be. Within another 15 minutes, another one pulls up and does the same. Obviously, Thursday night in West London really doesn't have much going on tonight. This is confirmed another few minutes later at around 3.30am, when three police cars with flashing lights engaged pitch up behind us. A fourth turns up later to see what all the fuss is about. In all likelihood, this is the entire active police force at that time in the morning in that area.

It's not getting any warmer outside and they proceed with a full stop and search of the vehicle and our persons, on the vague premise that some police force somewhere in the country, at some point in time has had some suspicion that this vehicle might have had some tenuous connection to drugs. On being pressed, they didn't really give much more of a reason than that. They stopped short of cavity searches, but all the same, I feel violated in terms of civil rights. A pointless waste of time in which the met police force found nothing and achieved nothing, and given the time, the number of police officers and vehicles during the exercise, and administration costs, - probably cost taxpayers somewhere approaching a thousand pounds.

There were a couple of great entertaining moments, such as Neil being told to stop moving, when he was shaking and shivering - and one of the police seemed to take a liking to James.

"What have you been doing tonight? You clearly haven't just been drinking. You sound dull, what's wrong with you? What are these? Cable ties? What are they for? (Followed by the only real possible answer) Don't get smart with me!"



Thanks so much to everyone that came down to support us early, it made a real difference and the promoter was impressed enough to line us up for a show at Koko in 2008 with The Bays. Hexstatic put on a great show in this venue, a surreal experience feeling like you were in a cinema, where half the people were watching and half the people were dancing. All in all, another gig that we'll never forget and a cracking start to this upcoming season of shows. Hopefully they won't be all as eventful as this one.