Kilmarnock band hike up Ben Nevis to play gig

Jun 26 2009 by Stef Lach, Kilmarnock Standard

ROCK band The Japanese Mafia reached the peak of their career at the weekend – when they played a gig at the summit of Ben Nevis.

The Kilmarnock group hiked to the top of the mountain on Saturday where they performed an acoustic show for the small band of hardy fans who followed them on the gruelling trek.

They are the first band to ever play at the top of Ben Nevis and now hold the record of having played the highest gig in the UK.

Singer Minx has been Munro bagging for years and Saturday was his 25th Munro. It was also his 28th birthday and he said he couldn’t have imagined a better way to celebrate.

He said: “It was phenomenal. It took half of us three-and-a-half hours and the rest of the group took an hour longer so we waited for them before we started the show.

“The weather was miserable and it was absolutely freezing up there, but it was still the best experience of my life.

“We played with acoustic guitars and a tambourine and sang along. We played seven songs and with people wandering past we had about 50 folk watching us at any one time.

“When we were finished we cracked open a beer but could only manage a few sips before we collapsed with exhaustion!”

Minx bagged his first Munro at the age of 15 with his dad and got more serious about it in his early 20s.

His 25th Munro is certainly one he will never forget.

He added: “I’ve looked into it and as far as I can tell we are the first band ever to play at the top of Ben Nevis, nobody has ever done it before us.

“It was an incredible feeling and there is a wee sign at the top telling you it’s officially the highest point of Britain.

“It was quite overwhelming to know we were playing the highest gig ever played in the UK.

“Our drummer Calvin said it was the greatest thing he’s ever done, but that he’d never do it again”.