Barnstaple Restauranteur Rescues Devon Rock Band

Severe Zero - Joe Brewer, Luke Bond, Frank Rawle and Luc Davies.

Zena Burland, Barnstaple restaurateur and member of Barnstaple Town Centre Consortium, who has a home in The Bahamas, has come to the rescue of North Devon rock band, Severe Zero, when they found themselves stranded in New York because of volcanic ash stopping all flights to the UK.

“The phone went late on Saturday night”, said Sue Rawle, whose son Frank is the drummer for the band. “I thought it was Frank ringing back with another update. Severe Zero have been gigging in and around New York for two weeks and should have flown back to Great Britain on Monday April 19. They were becoming concerned as to how they would manage if the situation was to go on.

“The phone call was in fact from my friend, Zena Burland, ringing from The Bahamas and offering to put the band up at her home in Nassau until they could get a flight back to Heathrow. Zena’s son Luc had been following Severe Zero’s progress and realised they were going to be in trouble when all the airlines started cancelling flights. He had been in contact with Frank via the social networking site, Facebook.

“When Zena then rang me to say ‘Don’t worry we will look after the boys for you,’ I was so touched. It’s a very generous gesture and I am truly indebted to her and to Luc for their collective kindness.

“Zena is well known for her excellent restaurant in Market Street, Barnstaple and she is a keen music fan with a very kind heart who thinks of others. This has really got the band, Severe Zero, out of a spot, who unlike big name rock stars, with large record labels behind them, have paid for the whole two week tour in the States themselves. They budgeted for their time there, plus travel expenses, but no one could have foreseen how a volcanic eruption could bring the best laid plans of mice and men to such a grinding halt!”

“It’s ironic that Zena’s son, Luc, has always nicknamed Frank ‘Mr Lucky’ and this goes back to the early days when Frank first began drumming. It seems an apt name for someone who is now, as we speak, basking in the Bahamian sun with his fellow band mates, Luke Bond and Joe Brewer, and it’s all thanks to Zena and her family. Talk about jet setting and living the rock ‘n’ roll life style!”

Date: 20.04.2010