46. The Siege at Loop Street

It was not all sweetness and light at the Woodsville  Boarding House in Loop Street. To say the least. In fact the alarm which greeted our first appearance when we moved in from the other lodgers soon escalated into what can only be described as a 'grumble fest'. Complaints about us were many but their main bone of contention was noise. Rolly, the owner, was constantly giving us ear ache about it. 

In our defence it was near impossible for five blokes not to make any noise. We usually returned back to our attic garret in the early hours of the morning when all was silent and  the faintest noise seemed to be amplified tenfold...the merest creak of a floorboard sounded like a tree being felled.  

But there was more to the complaints than met the eye ...or ears. We had an inkling skulduggery was afoot. Hiss Boo! There was an ulterior motive to the constant carping. The 'so-called' noise we were 'supposedly' making was being used by the lodgers to try and get a reduction in their rent. 

Eventually the constant harping got to us and we decided to pack up and move to a hotel in Sea Point. However before we said our final goodbye to “Woodsville” it was decided we’d give the tenants something to really moan about.

When we left the club on that celebrated night we took our complete Miazzi sound system which comprised of the amplifier and two large speaker columns with us. As silently as possible we lugged the sound gear up the three flights to 'our' attic and plugged it in. We laid the speaker columns face down on the floor aimed at the rooms below and hooked up a record player to the amplifier. Turning  the volume up to 'max' we put “Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones on the turntable and lowered the needle into the groove. 

Holy Guacamole!!! Deafening doesn't even begin to describe the ear-splitting sound that erupted from the speaker columns as Keith Richards fuzz guitar figures and Mick Jagger's dulcet tones thundered through the house...which in itself seemed to act as a gigantic loudspeaker.  It was so loud  I  swear if  we had been living in Jericho the walls would have tumbled down. 

Within seconds angry tenants gathered at the foot of the attic stairs and started howling abuse at us. When their howls of protest was met with continued unabated  music  at the same deafening decibel level they tried to storm the attic - but we were ready and waiting. As they started up the stairs we hurled the mattresses and pillows from our beds  - which we had the foresight to stack at the head of the stairs - down on top of them. 

Wave after wave of angry tenants were sent sprawling as they tried to break through our defences - but not one of them made it. It is with more than a modicum of pride when I say we never gave an inch. 

Ahhh, it was a night to remember...a proud moment in the history of the Chequers...how a small band... well, a small 'rock' band denied so many...well at least twelve.

After leaving the Woodsville Boarding House under a cloud we moved to the Rocklands Beach Hotel in Sea Point. We felt ‘Rocklands’, was an appropriate name for a rock band to stay at. 

The only redeeming factor about the Rocklands, other than its name included 'rock' in it, was that it was conveniently situated to ‘The Grand Prix’ which was just around the corner...oh yeah...and it was cheaper than Woodville...and that's saying something!