Strange sights
On a Friday evening, someone passing the Welsh Chapel in the London borough of Southwark may become witness to a peculiar sight. For always around half past six o'clock, a rather odd assortment of people will gather outside the building. They will be of all ages, most of them male, and almost all carrying a strangely shaped case or bag. After a little while of conversing amongst themselves, a person carrying a key will arrive and the group will descend into the chapel's basement.
"But what is it they do down there?", you may ask. No one knows, but it is rumoured they sit down in a circle in the midst of a large, dimly lit room. Thereupon they produce from their cases and bags frightening contraptions of metal, wood and synthetic materials and then, so the rumours go, they wrest from these contraptions noises more horrid than any sane human being dare imagine.
During their meetings, so I am told, they rarely speak. At the beginning, their master of ceremonies (who is said to be Eddie Prévost, an infamous percussionist that has been playing the music of the devil for more than 40 years), welcomes all new ones to their wicked lot. Then they proceed to make diabolical noises, two people at a time, going once around the circle (this is, I presume, to consecrate it). After this, the master of ceremonies nominates groups of three or four to further screech, growl and wail at their evil gods, while the rest listen with trance-like concentration.
Some attend these gatherings only once or twice, some attend them every week and others whenever they can without anyone learning their twisted ways. It seems all of them seek inspiration for making their demonic music and at the meetings they try hard to conceive ever new abominable sounds.
But these are all just rumours, of course. The only thing that is known for sure is that after about three hours, the group emerges again from the depths of the chapel, whereupon they wander to a nearby pub. Those who were able to overhear their conversations claim they refer to their meetings as "improvisation workshops".
P.S. An envelope containing a few photographs has just been pushed under my door. They are of poor quality and there is no note or letter accompanying them, but if they do, as I believe, show the "workshop", they would substantiate some of the rumours I have been hearing. I shall keep investigating this matter.
"But what is it they do down there?", you may ask. No one knows, but it is rumoured they sit down in a circle in the midst of a large, dimly lit room. Thereupon they produce from their cases and bags frightening contraptions of metal, wood and synthetic materials and then, so the rumours go, they wrest from these contraptions noises more horrid than any sane human being dare imagine.
During their meetings, so I am told, they rarely speak. At the beginning, their master of ceremonies (who is said to be Eddie Prévost, an infamous percussionist that has been playing the music of the devil for more than 40 years), welcomes all new ones to their wicked lot. Then they proceed to make diabolical noises, two people at a time, going once around the circle (this is, I presume, to consecrate it). After this, the master of ceremonies nominates groups of three or four to further screech, growl and wail at their evil gods, while the rest listen with trance-like concentration.
Some attend these gatherings only once or twice, some attend them every week and others whenever they can without anyone learning their twisted ways. It seems all of them seek inspiration for making their demonic music and at the meetings they try hard to conceive ever new abominable sounds.
But these are all just rumours, of course. The only thing that is known for sure is that after about three hours, the group emerges again from the depths of the chapel, whereupon they wander to a nearby pub. Those who were able to overhear their conversations claim they refer to their meetings as "improvisation workshops".
P.S. An envelope containing a few photographs has just been pushed under my door. They are of poor quality and there is no note or letter accompanying them, but if they do, as I believe, show the "workshop", they would substantiate some of the rumours I have been hearing. I shall keep investigating this matter.
posted by Ralf at 11:14 AM
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