Gil Scott-Heron in New Cross

I was talking to Moonbow John last week, as he will forever be known to me despite it now being several years since he decided to move on from running cafes in Brockley, New Cross & Catford. He mentioned to me that Gil Scott-Heron, legendary American proto-rapper, had once performed at the Goldsmiths Tavern in New Cross, but acknowledged that he hadn't actually been there himself. I replied that I'd heard that story too, but neither of us were entirely sure whether it had really happened or if it was one of those urban legends compounded of rumour and wishful thinking. In fact I wondered whether I might have actually told the story to him some years ago as speculation, only for him to repeat it to me as fact - such are the feedback loops that myths are made of.

However the story has some independent verification, if only in the comments to posts on various blogs. Brockley Central mentioned the Goldsmiths Tavern in 2008, prompting a couple of relevant comments. 'Mezzer' said: 'One of the most memorable gigs of my life was here: Gil Scott Heron about 6 or 7 years ago. Apparently, he liked the inner city vibes of New Cross and agreed to come down and do a show. It wasn't until he walked on stage that I even believed that it was going to happen. Magical'. Likewise 'neanderthal d' said... I .The Gil Scott-Heron gig was in late '97 on a Sunday night. It couldn't be advertised locally because the Goldsmiths' Tavern didn't have a Music Licence on a Sunday night - hence the hush-hush nature of the gig. If i remember correctly, somebody knew the Promoter or Tour Manager for that particular tour and the gig was a kind of favour or something. Sadly, i missed the gig because i was languishing pennilessly in Plumstead at the time'.

At The Daily (Maybe), Bob from Brockley recalled 'One of the best, perhaps the very best, live concert of my life was seeing him in the Goldsmiths Tavern on New Cross Road about a decade ago' while johnhunt at Pinkfishmedia stated: 'i've seen gil a few times. the most memorable of which was at the goldsmiths tavern in new cross in 95? or close - arranged because one of his managers used to drink in there. the pub had a room out back for max 100 and quite decent sound. my friend and I arrived early , had a couple of beers while gil as, i rememeber it, stood behind the bar smoking a spliff. as gigs go it put a smile on my face for weeks afterwards'.

So we have at least three people who were present, one of whom is a friend of mine, enough to confirm that it actually happened. Hard to believe perhaps that this globally-appreciated performer popped into a pub in New Cross, but no more so than that the Chicago-born musician is the son of the first black footballer to play for Glasgow Celtic (and that's true too). Anybody remember anymore, or indeed have any good GMT memories, please comment.

Gil Scott-Heron has been responsible for some awesome tracks over the years including The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, Whitey on the Moon, Johannesberg, Winter in America and The Bottle.

Gill Scott-Heron is playing at the Festival Hall on the South Bank next month