Brierly Hill 90210

Early in 1994 I took a new job as a computer programmer for a company based out of Dudley in the West Midlands. At the age of 28, one would expect some maturity but, with incredible naivety, I went up to Dudley the weekend before my start date without anywhere to live. I spent a night or two sleeping in pubs and then ran into a guy selling watches from inside his coat who knew another guy who could sub-let a room in his council flat. That at least gave me a base to impress my new employers from and surprisingly it worked. I did well and by the end of the year had upgraded to a flat of my own. Dudley had some good, old-fashioned pubs, great takeaways and a decent second-hand record shop where I spent most lunch-times. There was also JB's, a music venue where I got to see the likes of Chumbawumba, Shed Seven, Nilon Bombers, Supergrass, Dr and the Medics and Bad Manners. I would take the train back to Cheltenham most weekends to watch my beloved Cheltenham Town and would buy records in the center of Birmingham