BRITISH BAND RECEIVES BANKSY PAINTING

AN UNEXPECTED PAINTING ARRIVED OUTSIDE SIMON DUNCAN'S WEST LONDON HOME RECENTLY, AND OVERNIGHT IT HAS PUT HIM AT THE HEART OF STREET CULTURE AND MADE HIM AT LEAST £200,000 WEALTHIER. A UNIQUE NEW WORK BY STREET ARTIST BANKSY WAS SENT UNEXPECTEDLY LAST WEEK TO DUNCAN, A 41 YEAR OLD WEB DEVELOPER, AS COMPENSATION FOR THE ARTIST HAVING COINCIDENTALLY CHOSEN THE NAME OF DUNCAN'S BAND AS THE TITLE FOR HIS NEXT FILM, 'EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP'. 'I AM A DRUMMER I A BAND THAT WAS CALLED EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP THAT I STARTED WITH FRIENDS 18 MONTHS BEFORE I TURNED 40. IT WAS A KIND OF MIDLIFE CRISIS, BUT WE ARE STILL GOING, WITH A DIFFERENT LINE-UP, AND IT HAS BECOME A BIT MORE SERIOUS', SAID DUNCAN, WHO AGREED TO CHANGE HIS BAND'S NAME 'TO BRACE YOURSELF' IN AN ARRANGEMENT WITH BANKSY. 'WE HAD THESE HILARIOUS EMAILS FROM SOMEONE SAYING HE WAS BANKSY, BUT WE DIDN'T KNOW IF THEY WERE GENUINE', SAID DUNCAN. 'THEN A SCRUFFY WHITE VAN ARRIVED. THE DRIVER HAD NO IDEA WHAT HE WAS CARRYING.' THE BAND PLAN TO UNVEIL THEIR NEW NAME AND BACKDROP, WHICH SHOWS THE GRIM REAPER RIDING A DODGEM CAR, AT A LONDON GIG LATER THIS WEEK. THE BAND HAS PUT THE PAINTING IN STORAGE AT SOTHEBY'S AND WILL PERFORM IN FRONT OF A FULL-SIZE COPY.