A DRUMMER who has played with Robert Plant and Ben E King and toured with Desmond Dekker is coming to Pinner.

Ten piece band Souled Out got tired with the lack of live music in Harrow and are promoting their own gig at Pinner Village Hall, on Saturday, December 11.

They will bring Stax and Motown as well as the seasoned drumming of Hatch End resident Sam Kelly who played with Cymande in the 1970s, whose songs have been sampled by The Fugees (The Score) and De La Soul (Change in Speak).

The band were brought up on a different culture of music when big names, including the Rolling Stones, would perform at now closed venues like The Railway, in Wealdstone.

Since then they say pubs have either shut, cannot afford live entertainment licences or do not have space for the large number of people needed on stage, while talented acts seek other routes to stardom.

Laurence Bird, 64, the band's guitarist, of North Way, Pinner, said: “We've decided to hire the hall and promote it ourselves and we could lose money but we like to play.

“It's often hard to get bookings for this size of band, it's hard to get pub gigs because it's too big for a pub and lots have closed down.

“But people are going to dance classes – salsa classes and jive classes. Having learned to dance where do you go to dance?”

Mr Kelly's own distinguished musical career is testimony to a change in culture in the music industry as some of his most remarkable jobs fell into his lap through other musicians he knew.

The 60-year-old, of Cornwall Road, said: “I was doing a jam session in Camden some years ago and it just happened that Robert Plant came down.

“He liked what I did and came up, gave me his card and said 'I like the way you play, I'm thinking of doing a new album, would you come up and just spend a bit of time playing.'

“He was living just outside Birmingham at the time and we just played for about eight hours and he recorded it.”

Also in the line up is local legend “Boogie” Bob Stout, a long time session guitarist, who has toured with Gary Moore and Billy Ocean.

Tickets for the 8.15pm to 11pm gig can be purchased for £9.50 from Laurence Bird on 0207 486 3737 or Paul Frankenberg on 07590 656 360.

Alternatively they can be ordered by sending an email to pbfrankenberg@yahoo.co.uk, or bought on the door.