Drummerobit: Stuart Cable

Stuart Cable always had the air of a nice bloke who made the best of his opportunities. Having been a founder member of The Stereophonics, the subsequent dumping by his erstwhile friends might have bred bitterness in many - I think I'd have been bitter, for a start - but Cable just sought out new opportunities.

He picked up bits and pieces of presenting work - the punningly titled Cable TV for BBC Wales came before he was kicked out the band, and was one of the sores which led to his departure. His radio programmes for Radio Wales proved more durable, but he left to join the short-lived Cardiff variant of XFM when that launched. Stuart had recently returned to the BBC.

He had drummed on, as well: Stone Gods as a fill-in, and Killing For Company, who'd picked up a date opening for The Who.

There was also an autobiography, Demons and Cocktails - My Life with the Stereophonics, where he admitted having been hitting it heavily during his Stereophonics days.

Kelly Jones, true to form, managed to include a slightly sour reference to Cable's problems in what otherwise might have been a warm remembrance of his old mate when talking to the BBC:

“Me and Stuart have been speaking for the last five years. I mean we played together at our sound engineer’s wedding.

“The split was done and we all held our hands up about who was responsible. Stuart would probably be the first to admit what happened in the split."

It's true that Jones wasn't being unfair, but when someone's just died perhaps it might be better to use the moment to reflect on your own failings, rather than those of the deceased?

Stuart Cable was 40; no cause of death has yet been confirmed.