ADAM Masterson

Arrived back in London it was raining. The first thing I noticed was I had holes in my boots. (Why do I notice things like this in London and never in New York?). I was in Acton and I was early, navigating my way through the rain, with my guitar and bag of tricks… Stopped in a Moroccan bakery to kill a little time and had a mint tea… decided I’d make my way, try and find my destination and be one of the early ones.

I had a vague recollection of where I was going but as I approached the industrial centre I drew a blank. I went to ask in a nearby studio for a clue, and saw Sharleen Spiteri of Texas at the counter. I knew we were going to the same place so I said ‘Jones Productions?’ She said ‘Yeah!’ and we went off in search. ‘I’m Sharleen’ she said putting her hand out. ‘I’m Adam’ I replied and we made our way into the matrix of the Acton business centre.

Strange little place. a real labyrinth of moroccan bakeries, catering units, and rooms with bands thrashing away with loud guitars. Each one of these we’d pass, stop and put our ears to the door and say ‘do you think it’s this one?’ listen for a bit and go ‘naahh’,

I’d been here once before round the time Mick was producing Babyshambles, he said I should check it out as a rehearsal space, but for the life of me now I couldn’t retrace my steps.

I kept saying ‘You go up a bit, then a bit more, then you turn right, then you’re there’ but this wasn’t helping. Every time we followed my instructions we came to two padlocked doors with steel shutters and not a sign of life inside.

We peeped inside one of these bakery catering places and found a stout little man with a moustache and a chef hat! He’d have given his right hand to help us out.

‘Yes I know it!’ he said ‘it’s just around the corner!’ (but there were many corners and we’d tried each one) I think he was an Italian, a real stromboli. When Sharleen asked if he knew Mick? with a guitar? he waved his arms around like an excited little windmill ‘Yes I know guitar… Mick… yes! just around the corner! right, then left then zig-zag… I’m sure!’ But I wasn’t so sure. his instructions were more confused than mine. He followed after us bless him, he was persistent. at one point I thought he’d drop his rolling pin, run back inside, and fetch a map.

We begun dialing our phones but no one was picking up.

At a loss we made our way back into the rain. Sharleen recognised a chap in a blue blazer called Jamie, they seemed to know each other and when I saw he had a guitar I knew we had another ally.

He seemed to have a better idea and pointed to another Moroccan cafe with people smoking Hookah’s on a veranda. We went inside and found Mick’s missus Miranda, her friend Tiggy and Primal Screams Bobby Gillespie.

Kisses and hello’s and the troupe made it’s way round the back to the very same padlocks and steel shutters I’d found myself at earlier but this time they were open. I’d been right all along. Happy my intuitions were still intact we went in side. Being a good time keepers a noble quality but not always necessary in a musician.