WE'RE THE BAND PART 7: Love and other misdemeanours

Hayworth

The first girl that I was interested in was Kaye; she was easily the best looking girl at Highbury Hill Girls School, which was a short stroll from my all boys’ school. She was like a young Rita Hayworth with her red hair and voluptuous curves; in fact this was long before Cristina Hendricks of Mad men fame, but I think she probably looked like her at the same age. Kaye, I think, knew that she had something of a hold on us boys and wasn’t shy of a little bit of manipulation. Not with me though, we got on well and my many fumblings with other girls were triggered by my libido being aroused by her. Problem was that we were friends and at that point I didn’t have the bottle to take it further.

Hendricks

I was a bit like a rabbit in the headlights when I contemplated making the move that would change friendship into something else. I don’t think that in those days a day went past when I didn’t think about her. I would often be in her company as there were a group of us that went to The Champion pub on Upper Street and The Tiberton Arms on Essex Road. Our group of friends also were regular attendees of gigs by a local band called the Makers who would, after ditching the bass player, go on to be Spandau Ballet.

Ultimately friendship was the deal with Kaye and it taught me a valuable lesson; lay your cards down early. This reaped benefits with young women and gave me some interesting experiences. Then I met my first ‘serious’ girlfriend (you know commitment and all that) ironically her name was Kay (without the E). She was a blonde Debbie Harry-esque bombshell; a singer from sunny Portsmouth and therefore quite different from the London girls I had been knocking about with.

Looking back I was one of the first in our group to have a proper relationship and yet I still lived pretty much a single life. So it was that being smitten with Kaye became being in love with Kay (with some shenanigans in between).

Harry

It was during this relationship that I began my DJing career and it was a serendipitous arrangement as Kay owned a PA system that I was able to use on the mobile disco circuit. What I think I learned from these two girls with the same name was to stand me in good stead for the future. A future that was soon, after a rather wild period, to involve marriage.

To be continued…

The Makers 1978- Gil Davies