David Bradwell [Bradwell - In the Frame

L IKE most young boys, Danny Churchill had always been fascinated by cars, but he never thought hed be involved in making them. He had big plans to be famous by the time he was twenty. The job at Sunderlands Nissan car plant would give him security for the next two years .

He had it all planned out. Songs written, album titles decided. Hed even designed a progression of labels that would appear on the centre of the vinyl, changing colour and theme as the bands logo evolved. Hed prepared what hed say in interviews, and envisaged every major TV appearance, from Saturday Superstore to Juke Box Jury and beyond .

The concept was simple but he knew it would work. At sixth form, hed persuaded his friend Chris to come on board. Danny would do all the music, Chris all the singing. Danny would stand looking all moody and mysterious, behind a bank of ever-more-impressive keyboards, while Chris would be the engaging front man. The bands name was Flag Day, and Danny planned to bedeck the stage with flags of various colours, adding vibrancy and movement and a clear visual identity. He was pretty sure he had it made .

The Nissan job gave him the money he needed to buy the equipment. Every new synthesiser, sequencer or drum machine would help move Flag Day ever closer to their ultimate destiny .

The summer of 1987 was filled with great optimism. Dannys girlfriend, Kate, helped to arrange gigs in pubs and live music venues throughout the north east. They played the Riverside in Newcastle on a battle of the bands night, although their synth-heavy electronica was not quite what the audience was used to. By the autumn they were rehearsing hard, and Danny booked a studio for two days to record four tracks for a demo tape. It was expensive but he was sure it would be worth it .

And thats when it all went wrong .

The studio days were long and demanding, and the band overran its allotted hours, before having the chance to make a final mixdown. Faced with the choice of a bigger bill or a demo that didnt do them justice, Danny opted for the former, even though it would mean selling one of his most valuable keyboards to fund it. It was a high price to pay, and made higher still the following day when Chris announced he was leaving to join a more conventional rock band. He took Kate with him .

It was a depressing situation, but there was no time to mope. Danny had two weeks to pay the studio, so advertised the synthesiser for sale in his local newspaper. A man called and said hed buy it, and made arrangements for collection later that day. He didnt turn up. He rang to apologise, explaining that hed been involved in a minor car crash and wouldnt now be able to proceed with the purchase .

Sorry, mate, he said, but I can do you a favour. My day job is the manager of Rock World in Newcastle. Do you know it ?

Of course. I bought a drum machine from you, said Danny .

Excellent. Well if it helps I can put the keyboard in the shop for you, and when we sell it, well give you whatever it goes for. No commission .

Grateful for the second chance, and with no other buyers on the horizon, Danny took the keyboard to the shop and was given a receipt. He called a couple of days later and was told thered been a lot of interest and he should ring back after the weekend. On the Monday, Rock World went out of business. The keyboard was nowhere to be seen. But because hed been given a shop receipt, Danny had unwittingly relinquished any claim against the manager and was instead an unsecured creditor of a failed business with masses of debt. Hed get nothing .