After playing football in the park on a Sunday afternoon, a friend and I would go back to his house and listen to the chart show on Radio 1. Such was the first time I heard Cockney Rebel, as Judy Teen leapt into the top 10 and made us happy.
Then I was exposed (literally) to SH lyrics, which constituted the majority of the graffiti on the toilet walls at school during the 1970s, courtesy of a couple of CR enthusiasts.

During the next decade, my record collection grew but my further exposure to SH was limited to radio airplay and his Smile-inducing appearance at Cropredy in 1989. (My first son, Matthew, was born later that month).

In the 1990s, a work colleague told me that he was going to see Steve Harley in concert in Hastings. I was interested but, foolishly, assumed it would be all "retrospective" and was not persuaded to join him. In 1996, he came to work one day, excitedly declaring a new Harley song to be one of the best things ever: The Last Time I Saw You.

Despite being greatly impressed by this, I still resisted adding SH to my growing music collection. (I now recognise this to have been poetic injustice!)

Then, in May 1999, I took Matthew to see Springsteen at Earl's Court, while our Jacob was greatly disappointed to be considered too young. So I looked for something more low-key and local, and saw that Steve Harley was performing acoustically at the Orchard. Sitting / standing next to my 7 year old singing along with Mr Raffles, Best Years, Judy T and, of course, MMS, will remain among my most treasured memories until my journey's end.

At this point, more than somewhat impressed, I bought the appropriate compilation album and Stripped To The Bare Bones.

2005 again saw Matt come with me to see Springsteen (solo acoustic) and Jacob accompany me to the Orchard to see SH, this time with "CR". I bought the wonderful Quality Of Mercy as soon as it was available and, by the time I took Karen to the Rochester Cathedral gig last September, I had actually bought a few more albums and booked for IndigO2, so Matt could also witness this old man.

We're all coming to Birmingham and, at last, I feel like I've actually arrived at the party.

Sorry I'm late...

Paul, what a great posting. Harley has been steering his own ship, as always, on a meandering but always entrancing course for all these years while you were on the sidelines. Indigo2 was a great night, I agree. Welcome aboard.

good writing.don't feel sorry. it will never be late.

wish I had gone to school with you. Me,my sister and my best friend were three lone voices in the wilderness at school. everyone else seemed to like stuff like Sweet, Mud, Rod Stewart - us three are still all H fans and can't wait till Birmingham.