Dear The Missionary Position...

London SE15
16 February 1997

Simon,

I'd like to nominate The Higsons for The Missionary Position.

When I was growing up as a teenager in Norfolk, about 15 or so years ago, The Higsons were the greatest thing I'd ever heard. I think they were somehow associated with the University of East Anglia, and they were heavily hyped by Andy's Records in Norwich, the only decent record shop within 100 miles of my house.

They played in local pubs and at the university and their musical flaws were always overshadowed by the sheer energy and fun that they brought with them. Great songs like "I don't wanna live with monkeys" and "Where have all the club go-gos went-went?", kept me and my mates jabbering like madmen as we moved from pub to pub in Great Yarmouth on cold winter friday nights.

The Higsons were fun, they were funky, they were usually a load of rubbish, but most of all, they were ours. And in 1983 something amazing happened: The Higsons discovered girls. Up until this point the vocals had been delivered by a character known only as 'Switch'. He tried hard and sometimes even carried it off. But in 1983, The Higsons released a single called "Run Me Down". Fantastic backing vocals by Tessa Niles and Wendy Billingsly, meant this song was destined to be a hit. "Look out for The Higsons!" I told everybody, "I bet they're gonna go far!" And they did go far. I don't know where they ended up, Simon, but please enlighten the country, even at this late stage, to that masterpiece of Norfolk funk, "Run Me Down".

Yours,

Simon MacDonald