FOR someone who has played such legendary venues as Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Gardens in New York, you might think the Colchester Arts Centre is a bit of a step down.

Not a bit of it for drummer Paul Francis who cannot wait to play the Church Street venue when his band make a welcome return there this weekend.

Paul says: "It's a place I've loved for so many years. The first time I performed there was as part of a drum clinic with Terry Chimes, who was the Clash's original drummer. That was back in the Eighties but I've been back several times since.

"When we did the gig last year, we weren't exactly sure what the response would be but despite the weather outside we had a really good turnout. Everyone who worked at the venue was brilliant and we had such a great night we thought we would do it all over again."

Although The Paul Francis Band has only been going a few years, the various members of the band have years and years of experience both on the local and not so local scenes.

Paul, who is based in Great Horkesley, has been playing in bands since the early Sixties, first with the former bassist and singer with Sixties’ group the Searchers. Tony Jackson, and his band, the Vibrations, with which Paul appeared on Top of the Pops and Ready Steady Go.

Paul adds: “I managed to get the job with him and the next minute I was on Top of The Pops with a record in the Top 30.”

As an in demand session musician he has also played with Scottish rock singer Maggie Bell, Britain’s answer to Janis Jopplin, and Cockney Rebel frontman Steve Harley. He also played with The End/Tucky Buzzard, managed by Bill Wyman, and toured America, Canada and Europe with Tranquility.

Back in 2011 Paul wrote a book called Drumming Up Vibrations which included his experiences of playing with Rolling Stones’ bassist Bill Wyman, partying with Led Zeppelin, performing at such venues as Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Gardens, and perhaps most bizarrely meeting Salvador Dali.

Locally Paul is perhaps best remembered as being the founder of The Soul Detectives, a nine-piece group that ran for 13 years playing in and around the Colchester area.

But's it's not just Paul who has an esteemed musical pedigree.

There's also keyboardist Win Bernard, a former local policeman whose mother's cousin is Desmond Dekker and whose , distant relative is Harry Belafonte, and bass player Mick Nottage who first started performing with songwriter Morgan Jones, who wrote songs for Cliff Richard, before appearing with the likes of the Swinging Blue Jeans, The Nashville Teens and Dave Berry.

Making-up the five-piece are guitarists Chris Hall and Trevor Cushing, who are perhaps best known as the local duo Harlequin. Together they released three albums, all of which were produced by the musical director of The New Seekers, John Franklin.

While Chris went on to play with Abbey Road, Trevor sang with Steve Kaye in Jacobs Ladder and then took a more rockier direction with Vinyl Blare.

In fact it was Trevor who got the ball rolling when it came to The Paul Francis Band.

"I was riding around on my motorbike," he begins, "and I thought 'let's go and see my old mate Paul' so I drove to his house and parked up, all dressed in my leathers. I must have been quite a sight walking up his drive. Then when we were having tea Paul asked what I thought about joining a band. At that time I was just doing stuff on my own so I said yes."

"We've all known each other for such a long time," Paul adds, "that when we started rehearsing it came together really quickly. We spent a couple of months kicking out numbers from the likes of Jackson Brown to Don Henley and Bruce Springsteen as well as more modern stuff form the likes of Snow Patrol. Then in the end we all decided it would be a shame not to take the group out somewhere, so we did."

That first gig was at the smaller Headgate Theatre back in 2014.

"It sold out really quickly," Paul continues, "and the staff there said we could have done two nights easily, so we went back and did two nights and that sold out as well.

"Then last year we decided to give the arts centre a go and we did pretty well there as well so now we're back."

Trevor adds: "I think because of the history we all have playing in the town with the likes of The Soul Detectives and Harlequin there's quite a few people out there who know us from back in the day but it's always a buzz to get a good crowd in."

The Paul Francis Band

Colchester Arts Centre,

Church Street, Colchester.

Saturday, November 12. Doors 7.30pm, show 8pm.

£10. 01206 500900.

www.colchesterartscentre.com

When Paul Met Dali - from Drumming Up Vibrations

"On one of our trips to Spain with The End, Dave Brown (bass player with the band) and I decided we needed a hair cut. The man did a good job on our hair and in conversation asked what we were doing in Barcelona. As soon as he heard that we were musicians he asked if we would like to go to a party for Salvador Dali that evening at the Hotel Ritz.

"Dave and I turned up that evening and made our way upstairs to a large suite. Dali had a huge entourage of people around him. He looked over to where Dave and I were standing and came straight over for a chat. He asked us what we did and we told him about the gig. Dali said we were all artists, and to our surprise, said he would come to the gig saying 'Dali will come'.

"The next day we told the others what had happened. We really did not expect him to turn up, but blow me down he was good to his word and there he was. Dave had a better view from the stage as I was at the back on the drums. He said as Dali walked in, the audience parted to let him through. It was great for all of us."