It has been a very sombre weekend for us in DOE. Our most loyal fan and beloved friend Alastair Appleby is approaching his final days. Some friends rallied round and put together a private gig for him and we were invited to take part. In these difficult times the band has been out of action for some months so assembling the full unit was not possible. The idea of us performing a stripped down acoustic set was mentioned. This was not something we were in the habit of doing and I had not played my acoustic guitar for years. Nevertheless, not participating was not an option so Kaz and I quickly set about putting a short set together and after a period of intense practice, we had something we considered befitting of Alastair. Stalwart of the scene and general all round diamond geezer Martin Aylward did an amazing job of putting the event together which Alastair referred to as his living wake. It was an honour and a privilege to take part and playing for him this last time was a special memory we shall cherish forever. When gigs get back to normal we will miss seeing him from our vantage point.

To have someone who truly loves and appreciates the music you make is a very special and humbling thing and something we will always treasure. We love you Alastair, you will always be in our hearts and a huge part of the Dawn of Elysium story.

Appy ever after xxx