Old rockers never die... and here’s The Evidence
Last updated 11:44, Tuesday, 05 August 2008
Five members of Cumbrian band The Evidence are in their mid-50s, and all six have busy careers and family lives, so when they formed two years ago they had few ambitions other than playing for fun. The Evidence were formed after Alex, Mike Cunningham, Barry, and Mike Telford bumped into each other at a headteachers’ conference. They had known each other for years – Alex, Mike Cunningham and Barry all attended Workington Grammar School, though were in different years – and had all played on the local circuit before they embarked on their busy careers. But none of them had lost their interest in music.
But thanks to drummer Dave McDonald they have just enjoyed a bigger gig than they ever dreamed of, playing to thousands and sharing the same stage as Chuck Berry.
And only now are their feet starting to touch the ground.
The Evidence are trio of headteachers; Mike Cunningham, lead vocalist and guitarist; Barry Dickinson, who plays keyboards and sings; and Alex Wilkinson, who plays guitar, sax and sings, are headteachers.
Dave Mason, who plays guitar and sings, and Mike Telford, who plays bass, are school improvement officers, while drummer Dave McDonald is an ambulance driver.
The band normally play local charity events and weddings. But back in February drummer Dave, 37, entered them into a battle of the bands competition, where the winner would open the Maryport Blues Festival.
He said: “A colleague asked me if we were going to enter so I said to the lads we should give it a go. We were gobsmacked to get through the heat, and then just amazed to win it.” And he joked: “When the lads found out Chuck Berry was on the bill at Maryport they were chuffed to bits – there was someone playing who was actually older than them!”
At the end of July the much-anticipated night arrived and they played the main stage (everyone that is except member Mike Telford, who was at a family wedding and was replaced on the night by Mike Thompson).
Barry, 57, head of Richmond Hill School in Aspatria, said: “It was absolutely wonderful. The best night we’ve ever had. Everyone at the festival looked after us. The hospitality was superb, and before our performance the sound engineer spent about three quarters of an hour doing the sound system, so that the overall effect was fantastic. It was the best we’ve ever sounded. It gave us an insight into what professional guys have all the time.”
Any last minute nerves disappeared as soon as they were on stage. “We had the crowd with us from the start. We started with a blues song then did our usual Killers and Snow Patrol numbers.”
Alex, 54, head of Fairfield Junior School in Cockermouth, added: “It was fabulous in Maryport, we had an absolute ball. “We’d been looking forward to it since March, but it still exceeded our expectations. We’d never played such a big stage, it really was fantastic.
“The other musicians backstage, Little Jenny and Alvin Youngblood Hart, were really friendly. Chuck Berry kept himself to himself. He had a huge entourage who took care of his requirements. But I loved his performance. He’s a legend and hasn’t lost any of his magic. On the Saturday I enjoyed meeting Chris Farlowe, who I’d been a fan of since I was young.”
The band’s performance was a proud moment for their families too. Alex’s wife Lis and two children, Amelia and Guy, were in the audience. Amelia, 14, said: “It was really, really good! It was nice to see my dad playing. We saw him standing before he started and when he saw us he got excited. My favourite song they did was Mustang Sally.”
Dave McDonald, married to Sue for 15 years, joked: “I think she’s been holding on to me because she could see that glimmer of hope, and now she’s pleased she married a superstar!”
“We said it would be a nice thing to do and got together one Saturday afternoon,” explained Alex. “We were quite surprised we sounded so good and said to each other, you know, we’ve got something going on here.”
They drafted in ambulance driver Dave McDonald, who knew Mike Cunningham, and Dave Mason, another school improvement officer.
“We started doing blues standards,” said Alex, “but soon moved onto modern songs. Even though we’re quite long in the tooth, we do all have up to date tastes!”
The band cite a wide range of influences, including Elvis Costello, Nick Drake, Damien Rice, John Martyn, Miles Davis, Moby, Cocteau Twins, Massive Attack, Big Country, Manic Street Preachers, and the Beatles, to name but a few.
“We don’t stick to a particular genre,” said Mike Cunningham, head of Flimby Primary.
“We just like playing good music, which ranges from Snow Patrol and the Stereophonics to older bands like the Small Faces, or songs like Mustang Sally from the film The Commitments.”
The band started playing locally, becoming a popular choice for local events, but they didn’t expect to be play a gig to thousands.
So has their brush with fame changed their outlook?
“At the festival we got lots of compliments from people, not just the audience but the stage staff and sound engineer who said we’d done a really good job,”
Alex said. “We have got one or two gigs lined up, and might do some recording in the autumn.
“We do enjoy it. For me it’s so different to being a headteacher. You can really let you hair down.
“But we’re in it for the fun. We’re not trying to make money out of it and are all tied up in our jobs, which come first.”
To contact the band, email the_evidence@live.co.uk
