Rockers' play prison gig
Published 10 Feb 2012 10:00
A GROUP of rockers have played a cell-out gig at a High Security prison.
Dumbarton and Vale based band Holy Pistol Club agreed to perform in front of around 100 hardened cons at HM Prison Shotts.
"I've got a wee bit of nerves because we will be walking into the unknown and you don't know what to expect. It's a completely different set up to what we're used to," the group's singer James Cairns said.
"But if we can go into a prison and pull that off we should be able to play anywhere as there won't be much tougher than a jail gig," he added.
Guitarist Alan Jones probably summed up the reason for the gig.
He said: "This means a lot, I feel as if it wasn't for music who knows what would of happened, it would have been an easy road to go down so I feel as if I can relate.
"There's a lot of people in jail who deserve to be there, but just because you're in jail doesn't mean you're a bad person.
"This doesn't happen once a week, or once a month for these guys - this is a one off."
Bass player Ross Duffy added: "We have had people coming up saying these guys are in there for a reason but one prisoner actually said to us this is going to be the highlight of his year which puts it in perspective."
The gesture of playing in front of these hardened criminals - who had to pay £2 from their weekly jailhouse wage packet to see the show - is not lost though and when the show is finished a huge queue of criminals forms to shake the hands of the band members and congratulate them on a fantastic performance.
And after coming off the stage and meeting his army of new fans James said: "That was one of the best gigs I have ever played.
"It was mental, there was some atmosphere in the place and you could feel that everyone was buzzing off each other. It was hard to describe, you had to be there, but it was a great gig and we mingled with the prisoners after it.
"One of them summed it up when he said it was the best two quid he had ever spent.
"Another said he would pay us another two quid if we played it all again."
Once the dust had settled from their own gig the generous lads revealed that they managed to raise £120 for Nordoff Robbins - the UK's leading provider of music therapy services for vulnerable children and adults - and £120 for the Vale of Leven Autism Forum by performing behind bars.
This article appeared in Dumbarton & Vale of Leven Reporter 07 Feb 12
Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.
