SA band sings their way out of fine

Johannesburg - "If a traffic cop tells you to sing, then you sing, even if it's in the middle of nowhere."

This is how Reynardt Hugo, singer of the band Adam and Binnelanders actor, remember the "somewhat strange experience" the men of Adam recently had near Heidelberg, Gauteng, when they were "driving a bit too fast" on their way to a concert.

"When the traffic cop jumped into the road, the other members of Adam (Joe Foster and Hugo Ludik) and I were immediately depressed," Hugo said.

"Here it comes now, I thought. Questions. A speeding fine. And we were almost late already."

Hugo and his fellow musicians apologised to the traffic cop and explained that they were on their way to a show in Middelburg, Mpumalanga.

Applauded

"She looked at the guitars and other equipment in the car and said: 'Then sing something for me.'

"We looked at each other and I thought: 'Okay, that's a little weird.'

"But then we took the note and sang More Than Words with gusto right there in the dark for her, a capella."

The traffic cop apparently listened intently, and after the three finished their outdoor show, she applauded loudly.

"After that she let us go with a friendly but firm warning and asked us to keep by the speeding limit," Hugo said.

"It was the last thing we expected – to do two shows, one of them being for a traffic cop."

"But a man must do what a man must do!"