'Del Singh: The Musical'? Celebrated Peterborough storyteller’s life-story to be made into stage play

In the early 1980s, smart-suited clubbers around the world were grooving to the inescapable sound of disco, hand-jiving to the Bee Gees and strutting around like extras from Saturday Night Fever.

In East Anglia at that time though, something radically different was happening.

In Peterborough, two young Sikh boys with a shared passion for ‘hot, heavy and loud’ music launched the Singh Brothers Rock Roadshow.

This DJ double-act shunned disco and belted out guitar-based bangers for people who preferred to dress in denim and head-bang to the explicit sounds of hard rock and heavy metal.

Sikh lads? Playing heavy metal? In Peterborough? In the ‘80s?

While that may sound like a fanciful tale, it is in fact the true story of celebrated local writer, fundraiser, storyteller and social historian, Del Singh.

And now it’s about to be turned into a stage play.

Eastern Angles and director Beth Kapila, with initial funding coming from Arts Council England, have decided to take that unique time in Peterborough history and adapt it into a new original theatre project.

And the man himself is fully behind it:

“Ours is the true and unique story of ‘Sikhs, (no) drugs, and rock & roll’,” says Del.

Sitting relaxed in the main studio of Chauffeurs Cottage (home of Metal Culture), Del explains how non-white DJs were as “rare as rocking horse droppings” around Peterborough at that time.

“I can assure you that nowhere in the UK, the world or indeed the universe in the 80’s was there turban-wearing Sikh lads playing heavy rock records to hundreds of bikers, rockers and metal-heads, week-in, week-out.

“DJs just didn’t look like this,” he says, pointing at his turban.

Del, who is a fierce supporter of the city and a champion of diversity says the play will not be “just a story of ‘Turbans and Turntables’.”

“It’s also [going to be] about culture and community in 1980’s Britain: tackling racist threats from far-right groups like the National Front on the one hand and disapproval from the local Punjabi community on the other because this loud raucous music wasn’t something nice Sikh boys did.”

IT worker Del says he is proud of what the Singh Brothers Rock Roadshow achieved, and looks back on the time with fondness.

“We broke the mould – and some stereotypes – and had a lot of fun on the way.”

The 62-year-old says music will be “at the core” of the play:

“Music was one of those things that united people,” he recalls. “There will be an emphasis on rock but there was also a lot of other great music around at the time.”

The production is currently at early stages of script development. Initial plans are for the play to be staged at one of the city’s theatres, and perhaps performed at local schools, next year.

As such a unique modern British story though, is it not possible that an initially provincial tale like this could explode onto the national stage and become a much larger phenomenon, like Billy Elliot, or The Full Monty?

Can we perhaps look forward to watching Del Singh: The Musical in the West End, or on Broadway, in ten years’ time?

“Nothing would please me more, “ Del says, stifling a smile.

“But I’m not going to get ahead of myself,” he adds, wryly.

More information about Bat Out of Peterborough can be found at the production’s eventbrite page at www.eventbrite.com/o/33971667633