Hello, Keith Barret here, I run Toon Travel, which is a sort of unofficial travel club for Newcastle United supporters, coaches and planes to every game wherever they play in Europe, including a pre match drink wherever we go. Over the twelve years I’ve been doing this all sorts of music has been played through the sound systems of planes, coaches and trains that have had the good fortune to ferry us around Europe, born out of this is a sort of cult following amongst the Toon Travellers for Mungo Jerry, seventies good time band if you are old enough to remember, I have put them on a few times and we even made a record with them for Newcastle United’s cup final appearance in 1998. Last week I had 700 people travelling to Liverpool for the recent F A cup tie and a pre match pub booked for everyone, a good opportunity I thought for some pre match entertainment, a phone call to Ray Dorset found him gigging in Sweden for the week, That’s that I thought. Who else I wondered could provide the lads and lasses with some pre match entertainment, then it dawned on me, The Happy Cats! I had recently seen them at The Blacksmiths Gosforth, Tap & Spile Hexham and The Causey Arch, Beamish, my wife having previously ranted on about how good they were when she was making a fool of herself dancing around to their music at other previous gigs. I obviously remembered Marty from his Lindisfarne days. A phone call to Marion at The Causey Arch gave me Marty’s number and I asked him if the lad’s fancied a trip down to Liverpool to entertain the Toon Army troops, a daunting task which to be honest, I was expecting a negative response to, ‘sounds a good idea’ said Marty,' I'll ask the lads’. A couple of hours later the gig was on. We arrived at the Winslow at about noon to find the lads setting up, with about two hours to spare before the scheduled start, the Toon Travellers were boisterous as usual and the alcohol was kicking in, I was a little nervous as there were all age groups on the trip and I did not know if the younger ones would appreciate what was to come, especially before a football match. A couple of pints with the lads and we noticed people were starting to drift away to other pubs and to the other bars in The Winslow, then one of the ‘young un’s’ wandered on stage and started twanging on one of the guitars and singing into the mike, Marty was not pleased, I think the instrument was worth a few bob. Ten minutes later the same ‘young un’ was back on the mike singing, I dragged him off which resulted in a heated debate, which was quickly sorted. I was thinking ‘great start’ nearly a punch up before a note was sung, the Cats will be thinking ‘Typical; football fans what have we let ourselves in for’. ‘Do you think you should start?’ I asked. The Happy Cat’s took to the stage and we were off, I cannot remember what the first song was, the second was a Dylan number and then good thinking by the lads, into some Lindisfarne oldies, the travellers were up and into it clapping and singing along, Marty had them in his hand, within about twenty minutes the room was chocker, all ages, all types transfixed on the band before them, during some song breaks football chants broke out, Marty handled this with his patter, and I thought Brian was brilliant they way he automatically joined in on the keyboards with the chant or song. Amazing to me, probably run of the mill to him.  We were entertained for about an hour and a quarter and then into the break, except there was not really a break as big Russell, my mate, and known to the band from previous gigs decided to stumble towards the stage in his drunken state and unintentionally kick the equipment, bang, flash, that was it I was informed. Everything's knackered.                                                                          Twenty minutes later we were up and running again, the Cats had missed their break. I took it upon myself, in my drunken state, to announce on the mike that we had three class musicians on stage, so could everyone take a step back and calm down a little, I then proceeded, unintentionally, to drop my pint on the equipment, I felt a prat, the lads laughed it off and away we went again. The room was buzzing and everyone was enjoying themselves, Marty announced that the next song,' the verse is for us and the chorus is for you’ straight into "Wise Man Say Only Fools Rush In" ( I can’t remember the proper title), only to be met by a resounding room full of booing, the Cat’s looked astonished, they obviously didn't realise that this is a song sung by our nearest and dearest ‘The Makems’ at their matches, quick thinking again and into ‘Fog on the Tyne’, problem solved. The Happy Cats had played for around two hours, I made a trip to the bar and returned with three pints, a cheeky request for an extra half our from the lads which was quickly agreed and we're having the time of our life, my mate Frankie Law went on stage to join in with "Meet Me on the Corner" he was allowed to take the vocal, nice touch it made his day. Marty’s sax playing, phenomenal, Brian's accordion unbelievable and Les’s guitar fantastic, what a sound, what a laugh and what a great bunch of people! Marty announced ‘you’ve got us knackered’ - a Stone's song to finish, ( I think) and that was it. Everyone that travels with me are die-hard Newcastle United fans, I've lost count of the people that have said they enjoyed the gig more than the game, that’s some compliment coming from them. I can imagine it was a bit of a pressure gig for The Happy Cats, what with the clientele, not bad people, just drunken, boisterous and rowdy, they handled it brilliantly. We certainly enjoyed it, I really hope the band did, and I hope we can do it again sometime soon. Move over Mungo, the Cat’s are in Toon! Regards Keith Barrett