"HEY, Nancy, we have a recording session next Tuesday," Herman said to me recently. "Why don't you come along?"
    "In the cellar of the Midland Bank in Kingsway."
    "You're joking," I said.
    "Never!" Herman went on. "They think we're just recording, but actually we're digging a tunnel to the vaults upstairs!"
    So the following Tuesday, Michael, one of FAB's photographers, and I made our way to the Midland Bank. There was only one entrance, so I asked a teller how to get to the cellar.
    "I beg your pardon, miss," he said sternly, "But may I ask why you want to go to the cellar?"
    "Certainly," I replied, "We're going to a recording session of Herman's Hermits."
    "I'm sorry young lady, but all we have in the cellar are our vaults," he said coldly.
    "This is where we were told to come!" I said firmly.
    Eyeing us suspiciously, he suggested I talk to a lady in the manager's office.
    "Follow me," she smiled. "I'll show you the way."
    "Aha, I thought, at least someone knows where these secret studios are!
    As we reached the bottom of the stairs, she pointed to a door and said that was the room. Another mistake!
    I explained gently to her that, no, it was not that room I wanted - I was looking for Herman and his Hermits! Well, we made a very quick exit from that bank!
    After making a desperate phone call to E.M.I., we finally located the address where Herman was really recording.
    Arriving there (farther down Kingsway) we were relieved to see a sign indicating that there were recording studios downstairs, because - sure enough - it was beneath a Midland bank!
    And some swinging music was coming from the inner chambers as we sat down in the reception room. When it had finished Herman came bounding through the doorway.
    "Hallo," he grinned. "Glad you could make it. Come on in!"
    In the studio The Hermits sat around with Mickie Most, their recording manager, trying to decide what number to record next. They were cutting tracks for a new L.P.
    "Let's do something really original - like a Beatles' number," quipped Karl. "None of those have ever been done before!"
    "You're a nirk, Karl," declared Herman. Then turning to me he said, "Hey, did you hear that? I just invented a word - 'nirk!' I kinda like that and it just sorta popped into my head."
    For the rest of the session, everyone had the honour of being called a "nirk."
    Finally, they reached a decision to record a song that Cliff Richard had once done. Then they settled down to the rehearsal. It was a song they all knew, so in a very short time they were ready to start the tape going.
    Barry was at one end of the room with his drums; Karl, Derek and keith were in the centre of the room with guitars set for action; and off in a corner at the opposite end of the room Herman stood in front of his microphone.
    Through a glass window I could see Mickie Most and an engineer getting the techical side of things ready. Then the red light flashed and the music began.
    Everything was dead serious now as each concentrated on his own part. The end of the song was approaching - all had gone well so far - and then Herman sang a wrong word! "Oooh, sorry,": he groaned, covering his face with his hands.
    "We'll get you, Pete Noone!" threatened Derek, as the music came to a halt. For the few who don't know, Peter Noone is Herman's "real" name.
    In a few minutes the light flashed on, and once again they started recording. This time everything seemed to go very smoothly. And when they finished the number, there was a complete silence as they awaited the verdict from the control room. Then Mickie came in with a smile on his face.
    "Sounded good," he said. "Com'on in and listen." And everyone crowded into the control room to hear the finished product played back.
    "We were lucky that time," Herman told me. "Sometimes we have to go over a song again and again until everyone' satisfied."
    "That's it," Mickie announced. "That's the last track we need for this L.P."
    "Yeah, we're done," Herman said. "It's a shame you couldn't have been here earlier."
    "We tried," I groaned, and explained the trouble we'd had findng him.
    "I guess I forgot to tell you there were two Midland Banks in Kingsway," he laughed. "Hmmm, I think I'll pop in down the street and ask if I've had any callers!"
    "That should certainly be a day to go down in bank history!
    Just hope I never run into that teller again!