It’s written in the stars

Last night I saw what happens when you throw yourself into with passion into Rock & Roll.

We begin way back in 1977. I’m talking about the last century, in the heydays of punk/new wave rock and when The Jam played at the Portsmouth Guildhall. One City Boys educated teenager called David Fletcher, was crushed right at the front at the Main Stage, transfixed. Hot sweaty, vibrant and mesmerised, Dave was transformed as Paul Weller blasted his Rickenbacker Guitar into the hearts and minds of a thousand Pompey teenagers.

Something changed in Dave right there and he knew what he wanted to do, form a band. So he did. During the following years Dave formed a number of Bands and started playing raw gigs in the many pubs and clubs of Pompey’s vibrant rock scene. And didn’t they have a nice time. The most successful of those bands was ‘Mr Clean’ formed in 2013. Years went by and Dave worked hard as a sales person in a number of music and photography shops. And although both were his hobbies, the work was dreary, long hours, weekends and difficult customers.

Dave wanted out, and yearned back to those days of sweat, rock and roll and The Jam. Time marched on and although times were tough, right after work Dave went straight up into his bedroom and plugged in his faux Rickenbacker, slowly learning all the songs from The Jam’s set list and even started to write his own songs. Dave knew what he wanted to do, but it wasn’t until 2017 that an opportunity arrived for Dave to perform as frontman for The Jam’d, originally formed by professional drummer John Cator over a decade ago.

This was Dave’s opportunity to show that he could ‘Paul Weller it’ like no other. So that is exactly what he did, like no other, and The Jam’d went on to be, and still are, England’s number one ‘The Jam’ tribute band. John Cator even had his beautiful Big White’ replica drum kit signed by original ‘The Jam’ drummer Rick Buckler. And for the thousands of grown-up 50 year old Mods, scooter boys, Paul Weller / The Jam fans, this was exactly what they were waiting for. So Dave took this up now as a full time career, the best possible career for a Pompey lad who grew up with a faux Rickenbacker a plectrum and a passion for The Jam and Paul Weller.

Dave and The Jam’d worked hard touring England working building up a massive following of the above mentioned fans. Driving hundreds of miles per gig, blood sweat and tears now being exchanged for money, the days of half a bitter shandy and a packet of crisps were over. Now a critical component of the huge and thriving Tribute Band scene of England. ‘The Jam’d’ fronted by Dave fletcher as ‘The Mod Father’ (Paul Weller) are a fantastic tribute to The Jam. They perform exactly like The Jam, with Dave pulling off all the mood, swagger and moves of Paul Weller on stage. Fans can’t get enough of it. The followers are devoted Mods, young and old alike sharing the joy and passion that is the experience of being in there, unified in ‘the crowd’.

Dave Fletcher is now a very successful professional musician. The days of faux Rickenbacker guitars are over now too. Dave has an envious collection of genuine Rickenbacker guitars, a recording studio and a new house. Dave reached the end of this particular chapter in his life . He married his long time sweetheart Elaine and has begun working on his solo career as a recording artist under the name ‘Bus Stop Lovers’. If it were possible, he’s moved on to better things. But that is David Fletcher for you. Dave’s venture with ‘The Jam’d’ with him standing in as Paul Weller has come to a close. A close, but a very wonderful, evocative, emotional and sweaty close.

Last night in Portsmouth Guildhall I watched Dave and ‘The Jam’d’ perform in front of a sell-out crowd of devoted fans, on the main stage, just as The Jam and Paul Weller had done all those years ago. But this time it was Dave strutting around like a modded-up peacock on pro-plus. This time it was a real Rickenbacker beautifully blasting out the “klang-back!” opening A - E intro of ‘A-Bomb In Wardor Street”. And as I looked around me, I realised what was happening, I could feel it and see it, a palpable evocative emotion. It was the same palpable evocative emotion I remember myself experiencing back in 1977. Back to the day that The Jam stormed the Portsmouth Guildhall and inspired a launched young minds to go on and build their dreams. Dreams just like Dave had as he gazed up at Paul Weller, crushed against the wood lip of the main stage of Portsmouth Guildhall, revelling in the punk/mod zeitgeist of ‘77, soaking it all up.

I was there in ‘77 as well but now, here I was crushed up against the wooden lip of the Portsmouth Guildhall main stage. It was evocative, emotional and buzzing. It was bloody wonderful. I’m 63 now, but so was most of the crowd and Dave’s probably not far behind me, but far older than some of the new breed of fresh young Mods which were interspersed amongst the swaying mass of people.

As the performance came to a close John Cator presented Dave with a beautiful framed portrait of Dave at his best on stage and a stunning bouquet of flowers for Dave’s wife, Elaine.

And so ends this short muse about a boy who followed his dreams, and made it happen. Dave is now literally legendary, a part of Portsmouth’s quite extraordinary arts cutlure. He did it, he actually did it. ‘The boy done good’… Rock &Roll, phew.