Gig - The Koils

The Koils are a three-piece cover band from Lewes, making a much-appreciated return to their soul place the Lewes Arms. “It’s a great place to play,” says Mick, the drummer, “because it’s so small however many people turn up it always seems to be crowded. I ask Mick to introduce the band, and he obliges. "Jim Heley on lead guitar is the youngest of us,” he says. “He’s a bit of a music tart - he also plays with the Kondoms. He likes to pogo every now and again.” “Then there’s Fran on bass. We call him ‘Fran the musician’. He has a Rickenbacker he’s very proud of. We’ve kicked him out of the band a couple of times because he’s moaned about ‘family commitments’ but he’s always managed to wheedle his way back in somehow.”

“Then there’s Mick on drums. That’s me. I played in a soul band about 30 years ago, and then, a few years ago, my son bought a drum kit. I started playing on it and found I could still do it. So the others said ‘why don’t we form a band?’ and I said ‘don’t be so silly’ so we did. We found the songs had entered into our systems by osmosis. Substitute by the Who, Sunshine of Your Love by Cream. Old Beatles numbers. Now I have to keep an eye on my drumsticks because the groupies keep nicking them. Jim needs to keep an eye on his trousers. Fran just has to keep an eye on his weight.” AL