Borrowdean (Coxy's Coaches) Band faced disaster at a recent concert when a valve on the Eb bass played by Mavis Slugtrail stuck fast halfway down.
Conductor Peter Swann said, "The valve stuck fast halfway down. We couldn't shift it, it had stuck fast halfway down. Then, quick as a flash, Mavis quipped 'Bollocks to it, it's stuck fast halfway down, I'll do the concert with two valves'! Sure enough she made it through the entire concert programme with just two valves working properly!"
The band responded in a fitting way, having the valve removed later by a specialist and turning it into a trophy that now has pride of place on Mavis's sideboard. Mavis said, "It was a tough night but then I had to suck sailors off during the war just to get something warm inside of me. It was that wartime spirit that kept me going".
