The Spark Behind the Groove (or How a Lay-By, Lindt, and a Lot of Laughter Started It All)

Visiting 'The Home of Disco, Studio 54', now back being used as a theatre.

Our story started in possibly the least glamorous setting imaginable: a lay-by on the A5. Yep, nothing says romance quite like motorway fumes and lukewarm coffee.

We were both single, both gigging around the country, living the musician life. We first crossed paths when we were booked as deps for a friend’s ABBA show — James on drums, me on backing vocals. I usually perform as Frida in my own show, but this night I was on BV duty.

(Quick music-world glossary: a “dep” is a stand-in musician — the unsung hero who saves the day when someone needs a night off!)

James is from the West, I’m from the East, and the gig was in… North Wales. So, I did what musicians do: I asked around to see if anyone was driving that way. Travelling with company saves fuel, the planet, and sanity. I ended up sharing a lift with James and another friend — even though I’d never met James before.

Cue our glamorous first meeting spot: the lay-by. Romantic, right?

We hit it off instantly. There was definitely a spark — or maybe it was static from all the polyester stage outfits in the car.

The gig was hilarious. Picture this: eight musicians squeezed onto a stage the size of a dinner tray. I was practically sitting on James’s cymbals. Somehow, we made it work, and we laughed our way through the night.

After the gig, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. We’d bonded over, of all things, dark chocolate — my one true vice. On the drive home, we both bought 70% Lindt bars from the services. The next morning, I thought, “Right, time to test the waters.” So, I sent him a picture of my chocolate bar in bed (yes, the bar — calm down, I was fully clothed!).

A few flirty messages later, I decided to let him make the next move. Four days passed… and then ding! The message came through. From then on, we chatted constantly.

The week after, I jetted off to Santorini with a friend (another musician). Every night, James and I messaged between cocktails. One evening, we ended up at a bar with a live duo — a drummer and vocalist playing disco and 80s hits. The place was buzzing. My friend turned to me and said, “That’ll be you and James.”

I laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous!”

Fast forward… guess who’s ridiculous now?

When I got home, I started putting together a new disco project. I mentioned it to James, and he jumped at the idea — casually mentioning he’d always wanted to create his own show.

Two years later, we’re married, living together, travelling the world, and performing as Good Times. In our first year alone, we’ve played 93 shows across five countries. We’ve grown from a duo to a full live band, and James has joined me in managing our ABBA show too.

We inspire each other daily — our chemistry on and off stage is unstoppable (and sometimes mildly chaotic).

And that, folks, is the spark behind the groove — my side of the story.

James swears he remembers it very differently, so stay tuned for his version.