Stan's Cafe

It might be over dramatic to describe The Black Maze as cursed, but it is certainly high maintenance. On Sunday Greame and Jack were due to drive it to Loughborough University for a gig, initially they thought the batteries were very flat, then they discovered that there weren't any batteries at all!

These trucks have two big batteries, too big to heft into an engine, instead they sit on a shelf, under the back end of the truck. They have a case that closes over them but a easy to access for the criminally minded and certainly not inexpensive. If you're drinking in a South Birmingham pub and someone offers you a deal on two vast batteries call the police.

Getting hold of replacement batteries of this scale on a Sunday is a time consuming and very expensive business. Ultimately too time consuming and too expensive. We had to cancel the gig, the first time we have ever canceled: an upsetting business.

Previous Maze grief:

Last minute staffing crisis involving extra flights to Theseloniki and Budapest.
Flat batteries delaying return home (but not effecting gig) Warwick and Edinburgh.
Replacement tires required whilst driving through France.
Being driven into in France.
Clipping a parked car and being held (briefly) by the Hungarian police, Budapest.
A girl wetting herself in the maze, Corsham.

James