Published: Monday, 7th July, 2008 2:00pm

Teacher praises protege

by Rose Harland

Doing well: The Hoosiers wowed music fans at last weekend's Glastonbury festival.

A DRUM teacher whose former pupil played to thousands of revellers at this weekend's Glastonbury has praised his protegee.

Alan ‘Alfonso' Sharland performed to crowds at the top music festival's Other Stage on Friday where his band The Hoosiers wowed music fans with a rousing rendition of their hit songs such as Goodbye Mr. A and Cops and Robbers.

Former Easthampstead Park School pupil Alan was brought up in Bracknell and the man who taught him to play drums fondly remembers his former pupil.

Simon Ash, who runs Ash Bash Drum school, said: "He didn't have the handlebar moustache - which I think is a disaster by the way -back in those days.

"But I'm so thrilled he's doing well because he was very talented."

As a youngster Alan was also a Bracknell News paper boy and even though he's now busy touring the world, he revealed he still likes to visit the town whenever he gets the chance and returns every Christmas to go bowling with his friends and family.

But there'll be little time for bowling this summer as the drummer has been busy gigging at Glastonbury and recording a follow-up to the band's debut album The Trick for Life.

Speaking exclusively to the News he said: "Festivals are high on our agenda this summer, being chosen to play Glastonbury was very exciting and we're also doing a big festival in Japan in August.

"It's all about writing and festivalling at the moment."

After meeting fellow Berkshire lad and The Hoosiers front man Irwin Sparkes as a teenager, the pair played their first gig at Easthampstead Park and gigged around Bracknell and Reading before they met bassist Martin Skarendahl and later hit the big time.

And Alan had advice for other Bracknell youngsters who want to follow in his footsteps.

He said: "One of the things that helped us was we took advice from the right people. Our producer was Toby Smith who was in Jamiroquai and he helped and nurtured us.

"Without listening to advice you don't get so far, we were willing to listen to people and we all worked really hard practising."

Read more of the exclusive interview with Alan Sharland in Time for Me magazine, free inside this week's paper.

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