While in Japan recently (eek, gasp), Frontend bumped into fab bass-person Nathan East, much used for low notes recently by such as L. Rick Clapton and Michael Jackson. What's happening Mr East, we enquired? Seems Nathan was eastward for the Eric Clapton tour — and while in Tokyo he also managed to play bass in the backing orchestra for Yamaha's World Popular Song Festival at the Budokan arena.

The EC tour comes to the UK in February '88. "We're playing the Royal Albert Hall again, six nights," said the amiable Nathan. "It'll be the same band as last time we played there, except Allan Clarke from Dire Straits will be playing keyboards, since Greg Phillinganes will be playing with Michael Jackson. I'm a resident member of the Eric Clapton and Kenny Loggins bands, so that keeps me quite busy, but I do plan to get a group together with my brother Marcel, he plays guitar, keyboards, sax — one of those clever guys! We'll be the nucleus of the group, plus I'm owed some favours by a few guys..."

Nathan's Yamaha connection comes through his endorsement deal — he plays a BB5000 five-string, which he helped to design. "The fifth string is a low B, and I've had a lot of good comments on the sound. I've wound the pickups a little tighter which gives a bit more presence on the B. I'd been tuning down a four-string for some time, so the five-string seemed a logical idea."