Never trust a man with no belt in his trousers.

A common saying amongst late-period Victorians, I have always felt there is something to be said for this, albeit with certain exceptions – pyjamas being one. The principle seems to be one of reliability, attention to detail and the attainment of quality, not quite in the sense of belt, braces and string which relates more to desire to attain certainty of outcome.

A strange reference in this context, but one I feel relevant given a recent online conversation amongst Tru80s and their entourage regarding my presence at the New Year’s Eve gig at the Cosey Club in Haslington.

As regular followers of my posts may know, I follow the band for reasons both musical and personal, but always incognito. Although I have spoken briefly with band members about my activities as archivist, they have never met me nor seen a photograph.

I attend gigs on a regular basis, and there was some online chat suggesting that I had been identified at New Year – but I can dispel that; I was there but am not the person suspected. What’s more, I know who they were talking about – I had been speaking with him earlier in fact, sharing an interesting if unlikely anecdote about AC/DC and their predisposition for Swiss cheese.

The connection with trousers and belts is (to me at least) that I take such levels care to ensure that I won’t be discovered, nor will my trousers be found around my ankles. I consider my anonymity a challenge, so time to buckle up!

As for Tru80s activities, this is a relatively quiet period, although becoming less so. Three weeks ago January, February and March amounted to 3 gigs, but now it’s up to 6.

The new gigging season proper starts in April, currently coming in at 28 shows for the year, more to add. If you haven’t seen the band yet then I recommend coming along. See if you can spot me at the same time – good luck!

Gigging Schedule

Fabian, 20th December 2026, Chatham