An Arrested Development gig was saved last week when volunteers from a local repair cafe stepped in to fix a sampler that had broken down during a soundcheck.
The incident took place down in Falmouth, Cornwall, UK, where the Grammy-winning conscious hip hoppers were due to perform at the Princess Pavilions. The piece of equipment failed when the band were soundchecking in the afternoon. Cue some frantic phone calls by the promoters before they alighted on the only people who could save the day: Falmouth Repair Cafe.
Simon Baker, chair of Falmouth Repair Cafe, told the BBC: "We've repaired a lot of things over the years, but saving a Grammy-winning band's historic equipment was definitely a first.”
"It just shows the power of community skills and generosity and the value of repairing rather than replacing."
The repair took a while – four hours of fiddling, twiddling and sweating, and had to be conducted while the support act took the stage. Luckily, it was completed just in time, much to the relief of all concerned.
The band posted on Instagram later that "The odds of this is nothing short of amazing!" Meanwhile JJ Boogie, the band's guitarist, said of the Repair Cafe: "They saved not only the day but the rest of the tour!"
You’re probably amazed that Arrested Development are still going, aren’t you? Well, the group – best known for their early '90s hits Tennessee and People Everyday – reformed in 2000 and have since released no less than 12 (yes, 12!) new albums, mostly through their own Vagabond label. The most recent one has the Ronseal-like title of Adult Contemporary Hip Hop.
The band – still led by rapper Speech – completed their UK tour with gigs in Leeds, Birmingham and Worthing. And the sampler, apparently, was fine for all those shows. The job, as they say, is a good ‘un.
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