Piano man being sought by Hawick bar boss in mood for a melody

A Hawick pub and cafe has launched a search for a piano man '“ or woman '“ to tickle the ivories on a vintage musical instrument.
Steve Anderson, boss of 13 Brew in Hawick.Steve Anderson, boss of 13 Brew in Hawick.
Steve Anderson, boss of 13 Brew in Hawick.

13 Brew in Teviot Crescent has taken possession of a century-old piano, but it hasn’t brought the sound of music with it, much to the disappointment of any customers in the mood for a melody.

Pub boss Steve Anderson acquired the instrument in a bid to give the Teviot Crescent bar, opened earlier this year, some old-fashioned character.

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The aim was for budding Billy Joels to stroll in and play and encourage locals to join in the occasional old-style knees up.

However, the piano has sat unplayed since it was delivered two weeks ago.

Steve said: “It’s sitting there waiting to be played, so anyone who fancies it can come along and give us a tune.

“I just got it because it popped up on Facebook and I thought ‘that would be pretty cool in my bar’.

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“The piano is over 100 years old and it’s got the vintage ivory keys on it. I got it from a guy in Lauder. It was advertised as being free to a good home, and the guy delivered it for £60.

“Nobody has played it yet, so we’re looking for someone to come in and christen it.

“It adds a bit of character to the place.

“We have Jenny Biddle playing here in December, who is primarily a guitarist but also a great all-round musician. She said she would play it when she performs.

“It hasn’t been tuned for five years, but it still sounds OK. I play chopsticks, that’s about it.”

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Steve, 34, took over what was formerly an Indian restaurant, and previous to that the Gretel Bar, in March this year and splits his time between working there and running a landscaping business.

He added: “Things are going pretty well. We’ve pretty much got the function room upstairs booked out for the rest of the year.

“Through the week, it’s coffees, cakes and lunches, and at the weekends, it’s more cocktails and meals, and we do live music every Friday night. We have Steve Morrison playing this week, who’s really good.”