Mick Arnell
Mick Arnell & The Kets formed around 2015/16. In between playing in cover bands, The Kets has given me an opportunity to write, record and perform my own material. This photo was taken at Festival 75, which was part of Peterlee’s 75th anniversary celebrations in 2023-24.
Busking has been a big part of my life since the age of 16 onwards. Later I started running buskers’ nights, which I still do.
Mick Arnell
Mick Roland, CEO of DJM Records (far left), Michael Arnell (centre), Chris Cowie (far right).
In the fifth form at Shotton Hall I joined a school punk band called ‘The Scum’. The other members of the band were in the 6th form. We played one gig together! After leaving school at sixteen I became a busker living off Bayswater Road in London and from there busked my way around Europe. I must have visited every country on the continent before returning to live in Peterlee. It’s around this time in 1984 that I formed Family Politics, with John Close (bass), Garry Watson (guitar), and Graham Chesterton (drums). I was the lead singer and songwriter. I left the band for a short while before they asked me to return with the intention of entering the Band of the North contest, which was sponsored by The Northern Echo. First prize was a cheque for £2,500, a brand new Bedford van, two crates of Moët Champagne, and three days studio time with DJM Records in London. I agreed, but on the condition that I got the van. They all had cars, and I didn’t.
Apparently, 110 bands from across the region submitted demo tapes, which they whittled down to 16 for the live heats. We won our heat at Peppermint Park in Stockton, which was also the venue for the final which we also won.
After that there was a lot of disagreements and in-fighting. Some of this resulted from us playing benefit gigs for the striking miners in places like the Village Club in Easington. John our bass player was a huge fan of Maggie Thatcher, while Charlie our drummer worked at the pit. I ended up doing the gigs solo. When Family Politics broke up, I had to sell the van and split the proceeds with the others. It also turned out that DJM Records only wanted to deal with the songwriter, which was me. Their plan was for me and Alan King, the guitarist from Mongolfier Brothers (runners up in the band contest), to form a band with Colin Butler, Robbie Ryan, and Mick Ray. Alan and I signed a publishing contract for two songs we wrote together (‘Freedom Express’ and ‘Racing the City’) before this band split after playing only 4 gigs.
L-R: Dominic Richardson, David Boyes, Michael Arnell.
After Family Politics broke up, I formed a skiffle band with Dominic Richardson and David Boyes, who’s now a County Councillor for the Easington Ward. We did about 50 gigs and 50 street busking sessions and made a bit of money. We even ended up on the TV show TX 45 hosted by Chris Cowey, who later became the producer for Top of the Pops.
Mick Arnell
L-R: Shayne Robinson, Neill Raftery, Cllr Dennis Bentley, Cllr Harry Clouth, Jimmy McKenna (Studio Development Officer), Michael Arnell.
Becoming a dad in 1986 changed a lot of things. I started driving a taxi for Phillips Taxi’s, which was owned by my step dad Cliff Phillips. After that I got a job selling advertising for Read Northern Newspaper’s. During this time I kept involved with music through Durham Street Recording Studios in Hartlepool, where I joined the Board of Trustees in 1989.
Mick Arnell
Formed in 1984, The Durham Street Refugees were co-opted by Teesside Health Authority because one of their health workers had heard me busking one of my songs about drug abuse and thought it would be a good way to get the message across to the kids. This resulted in the recording of our first album ‘Push Back In’. It sold 1,500 copies through J&K Records and got us a gig at Glastonbury, which we played in 1998, 1999 and 2000. The experience of playing Glastonbury also inspired me to set up Monkey Hanger Productions and organise the Haystock Festival at Wingate Grange Farm.
Mick Arnell