Dire Straits heritage award unveiled

LEGENDARY Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler went back on a nostalgic visit to where it all began in Deptford yesterday ... and admitted they had fiddled the electric meter to give the band free power!

It was 32 years ago that Knopfler, John Illsley and Knopfler's brother, David played their first gig outside the block of flats where they live in Deptford, south-east London.

Mark and John were united with their former neighbours for the unveiling of a PRS for Music Heritage Plaque mounted outside the groundfloor of Farrer House, Church Street, Deptford, where the Brothers in Arms budding musicians first tuned up.

Mark recalled: "This was my bedroom and we ran the power out of the back window over the balcony to the set next to the road and waited for a crowd to gather.

"John was the only one of us with a car and he would pile everything in and drive to the gig and the rest of of us would catch the bus - they were great days and great memories."