Wayward Sons: Duncan 'the voice' Jones and Nick Potts

Nick Potts

A very interesting update from ex-Wayward Sons fiddle player Nick Potts about his recent work with the Australian band Jabura.

Nick: "I met Rodger and Rene in Cowes Week, 1998, they were busking in the street and we ended up talking. The music at that time was mainly tribal percussion and 'didg'. We did a gig in the Three Crowns that just went off.

Its worth it for them to do a busking tour, they have both got dual European passports. They orginally came over with Nelson, the flute player, and a bag of flutes, but he was sent back after four days.

They invited me along for the last few weeks of the tour. We busked in places like Bournemouth, Cheltenham, Brighton and Oxford. We won a 'Best Entertainment' competition at Weymouth Regatta, which was like Cowes Firework night. We seemed to turn up everywhere on firework nights."

Within six weeks of meeting Rodger and Rene, Nick was invited to go to Australia. He spent five months there in the winter of 1998/99, and appears as a guest artist on the third Tribal Trance album Minjahra.

Nick: "Minjahra was recorded in Noora, Queensland. I went to the Woodford Festival, whcih is a week long festival that runs from Boxing Day to January 1st. Forty degrees of heat, then three days of rain, like Glastonbury."

Nick has just returned from a second Australian visit.

Nick: "Rodger and Rene wanted to record an album for release this summer and I got some sponsorship for my air fare. The album is being recorded as a separate project under the name of Jabaru, which I've had a lot more involvement in. I was there for three months. I left in the middle of mixing to come home.

Noosa is north of Brisbane, on the east coast of Australia. It's a town about the size of Newport. It's famous as a holiday resort. Everyone surfs. They all stop work to go down the beach. They consider that they live in a lucky country."

Nick also explained that how in that part of Australia markets are real cultural centres for arts and crafts of all descriptions, in which music plays a part.

Nick: "On my first visit I went down to Byron Bay, on the most easterly tip of Australia. It's the first place in Australia to see the moon. It's a bit of a creative, artistic town. It's a five hour drive, but you would see people that you saw the day before."

The Minjahra album brought Tribal Trance local recognition.

Nick: "The first track of the Minjahra album got an award as best alternative rock tune. It was like the Queensland Grammies"

Now Nick is awaiting for Rodger and Rene to arrive in Britain again.

Nick: "They get here on May 16th and are staying to August. We are going to start off in Cornwall, just get in the van and go. I'm hoping to go to Spain too."

Finally, while in Australia Nick caught up with our old friend Penelope Swales.

Nick: "I saw her at the Woodford Festival, both times with her band Totally Gourdacious. She has a stall selling musical instruments, like bouzoukis, made out of gourds."

Nick also gave me a CD of a very good Australian band, The Waifs, who are looking for a British Agency to represent them. Their address is: Waifs, PO Box 5062, Albany, Western Australia 6332. Phone 015995282. Email thewaifs@fullcomp.com.au

Vic King

Nick Potts, Rodger and Rene did visit the Island during August and played during Cowes Week. Russ 'Dingle' Byrne tells us they picked up another award for one of their albums again in Australia . . .