DURING the seventies Pipers Moon were Nottingham's premier 70s cover band. 35 years since forming, the band is reuniting for a poignant charity gig. SUSAN MINTERN talks family, seasickness, and fanatical pigeon fanciers with the lively rockers.

WHEN Mick Wyman discovered that his father Barry was battling cancer, he knew exactly what to do to put a smile on his face – reform the band he loved watching his son perform in.

The bass guitarist has his dad to thank for his love of playing.

"He can't read a stick of music but he can get a tune out of anything. All the songs on our set list he could sing backwards, he could probably play the bloody things!" he says.

Barry was given a three month prognosis and cannot have any further treatment but has now lived six months past his initial diagnosis.

Mick is impressed by his resilience and believes that a positive attitude has helped enormously.

"He's got a bad cough but he's not lost any weight so he's actually defying what the doctors are saying. He's just still knocking on and taking it in his stride so more power to the bloke."

Guitarist Wayne Vizard continues: "We were trying to get him out as much as we can because he loved his live music. He used to come and watch us."

Barry, now in his 80s, was eager to see the band perform classic songs like Back in the USSR, Lying Eyes and Whole Lotta Love.

Wayne says: "He said to me: 'It'd be a damn shame, the best band my lad's ever been in was that Pipers Moon. He's never done much after that.' So I thought wouldn't it be nice to get us all together after 35 years."

"One of the last things we did together was for charity, we were heavily involved in the Queens Jubilee in 1977, and we thought we know, we can do a charity that relates to his dad, like Cancer Research UK, and make him an honorary guest for the night."

Pure coincidence put the band members back in contact after three of the four piece turned up at a barbershop quartet singing course organised by guitarist and founding member Adrian Armstrong. However, confusion about the location meant they may never have met.

Mick recalls: ''I saw this little ad about the course in the free paper but the information was wrong. In the end me and my brothers found the right place and I was just getting out of my car when I saw this shape with a flat cap and a scarf on and I thought 'Nah, no way.'

''It was like 'Blooming hell its Adrian! blooming heck it's Mick!' We'd not seen each other for years. He said 'Guess who's inside?' I said 'I haven't got a clue.'

He said 'It's Wayne.' I said 'You're joking! What's he done?', he laughs.

'It was amazing that all 3 of us ended up there.''

Guitar teacher Adrian formed Pipers Moon in 1973, recruiting Wayne who was one of his students, along with drummer Keith White, from the band Orphan, and Mick who was enjoying playing in his band I.Q with his brothers.

"Adrian poached me at Hucknall Miners Welfare and said 'I want you in my band." Mick remembers.

"He went around all these clubs saying 'I'll have you, and I'll have you too!" laughs Keith.

Adrian adds: "For me it just really clicked."

Wayne believes they gave the music an edge.

"It was covers but we tried to put authenticity into each song, so we were a tribute band to all the different bands whose songs we played. We tried to fill that space with ourselves," he explains.

Their brand of upbeat pop rock proved popular, and the band were soon enjoying modest success playing local clubs, driving an unreliable van to South Yorkshire and on one scary occasion touring the North Sea on an ocean liner.

Keith shakes his head: "One morning we went into the club where we were playing and literally all the gear was on one side of the stage. My drum kit has still got a dint in it on the snare drum!"

But their instruments were the least of their worries when it became clear that Mick was not blessed with a strong stomach.

"I had to learn to play bass that night because he was absolutely green," Keith continues.

Mick says: I've never been so ill in my life. We were 7 decks up or something daft like that. I managed to get out to get air and the froth was just leaping at me. And I couldn't get back in!"

Although primarily pop artists, the band's natural rock instincts emerged when they played an unforgettable gig at a pigeon fanciers club.

Wayne explains: "This great big tall guy said: 'You're not one of them namby-pamby pop groups are you?'

So we said 'No, we play a bit of rock stuff. He says: 'Ah that's grand that lad. First set I want you to give it to them, second set, really go for it and third set, take the bloody roof off!'

Keith nods in agreement: "I did a drum solo on the dustbins didn't I?! Wayne would go out the back and find stuff and he dragged the bloody dustbin in. We went down the bar optics once playing the drum solo.

"We just literally played more aggressively and a bit louder. What was previously a two minute solo could become a 10 minute solo. We went down a storm - the pigeon fanciers thought we were brilliant!," he smiles.

The band broke up in 1977, with Wayne and Keith hoping to write their own songs and Adrian wanting to continue playing pop music. Mick had opened an antiques shop, but continued to play in groups with his brothers.

All of them are hugely excited about reforming.

Adrian says: "It's a one off at the minute and it'll be an absolute joy to do that. We're all looking forward to it, it's going to be good."

Will they be celebrating with an all night jamming session after?

"Well it's a Friday night so we don't have to get up!," answers Adrian, with a smile that says it all.

The Pipers Moon gig for Cancer Research UK is at Mapperley Plains Social Club tonight, from 7pm. Tickets are be £5 at the door.