Clare Teal: Ideal Holmes exhibition... and the flats that got away

We were debuting a lot of new material last night and as is usually the case in this situation (and most unlike me) I was too nervous to eat – hence being awake at this unbecoming hour. But then lovely Eamonn Holmes will have already been up for nearly three hours – he and his missus Ruth came down to see us last night as did the great Pee Wee Ellis.

I love this man so much – he was, of course, musical director to James Brown and Van Morrison and has been officially accredited as the man who invented funk. He's worked with some incredible artists over the years including Dinah Washington and Astrud Gilberto. Last night he sat in on the Van tune Bright Side Of The Road which he's just recorded with us and also a smoulderingly hot version of I Feel Good which I very much did, as did the boys.

Speaking of whom, the most bizarre thing happened to our drummer Benny – a more decent and morally upstanding young man you'd struggle to find. He's the kind of fella you wish your daughter had married. Ben and girlfriend Alice have recently had to move out of their rented flat. The flat they lovingly decorated. After all their hard work, the woman upstairs who owns said flat has now decided she'd like to live there!

After a frantic search in which they were twice gazumped, our heroes finally found another flat and last Saturday was moving day. Just as the piano was through the door, the woman upstairs (a different one) announced that although the chap they were planning to rent the apartment off owned the leasehold, she herself owned the freehold and hadn't given her permission for this rental and didn't intend to.

The piano is still there, everything else is being stored in a garage. Meanwhile, Ben and primary school teacher Alice are staying in a community bedsit in a less than desirable area of London. If you can help at all please get in touch. Wanted – one flat in Walthamstow area preferably a bungalow with no woman upstairs.