I meet Patrick Allen in the late 90's when he was brought in to sing with the Drifters. Patrick was a dancer and singer who had previously ran club nights in New York and had loads of industry connections. You can see Patrick in action in Michael Jackson's smooth criminal video!
Patrick started a night at the 10 Rooms, a club on the junction of Ayr Street and Glasshouse street just off Piccadilly Circus. You'd think a club gig on a Monday night would seem like financial suicide but within a very short space of time it won awards and became 'the place to be seen' and queues would regularly circle the block as people tried to get into what soon became a popular celebrity hang out.
The night was billed as the Music Box with Film Composer and Saxophonist John Altman, Patrick's business partner a regular attendee. I was part of the house band and we got to play with many of the home grown pop acts and visiting artists from the U.S but also as a backing band for music industry showcases. Once again it taught me a lot and I met some fantastic musicians during the 5 years that I was involved.
Some of the artists we backed included: Will Smith, The Backstreet Boys, Westlife, Will Young, Phats and Small, Sean Paul, Joss Stone, Lucie Silvas, Lionel Richie, Chaka Khan, Shola Ama, Black Eyed Peas, Amy Winehouse, Gwen Guthrie, Romina Johnson, Beverley Knight, Angie Stone, Roachford, Kelle LeRoc, Alex Holland, Omar, Roy Ayers and many more.