THE rock stars at the centre of one of Welsh music's longest- running rifts have finally patched up their differences.

Ex-Stereophonics drummer Stuart Cable last night revealed how he and lead singer Kelly Jones have been reconciled over friendly pints of Guinness in a London pub.

The childhood friends had previously not spoken for nearly three years following Cable's acrimonious departure from the band in 2003.

Speaking to the Western Mail yesterday, Cable told how the pair had bumped into each other at a gig before going on a drinking session.

He said, "We went to watch a band called The Tragically Hip and just had a bit of a chat and drink and got a few things off our chests.

"He was standing behind me in the toilets and I turned around and saw him and made a silly comment about something he was wearing and he made a silly comment and that was just it.

"Everything seems to be OK. We've texted each other a few times since. I wouldn't say we're back to where we were - friends like before.

"There's a lot of water under the bridge but I apologised for a few things and he apologised for a few things.

"I think he's mellowed with age and being a father."

He added, "Time heals all these things."

The backdrop for their get-together - the Shepherd's Bush Empire - was a far cry from their last meeting when the pair faced each other across a lawyer's office.

Cable was sacked by Stereophonics singer and co-founder Kelly Jones over "commitment issues" three years ago.

A legal dispute between Cable and his former band was only settled last year when he is understood to have received a six-figure pay-off.

However, despite burying the hatchet, Cable said there were no plans for a reunion of the three men whose long friendship goes all the way back to their South Wales Valleys childhood in Cwmaman.

"I'm sure Kelly's happy with the current situation," he said. "And I'm putting a new band together myself, putting a few tracks down and seeing if we can get a record deal.

"Kelly's not going to go backwards and neither am I. We had a great time together and, for three kids from a small town, we achieved a lot and that's the important thing.

"It's not about Kelly and myself and our relationship now, or then, or in the future, but we've got to celebrate that we came from a scrubber of a town with people telling us we could never be anything."

Meanwhile Jones gave his own take on the meeting in a blog on the Stereophonics' popular "Myspace" website.

After reflecting on a successful batch of recording sessions in Ireland and the 10th anniversary of the band landing a major record deal, he wrote, "It was a great ten days, especially August the 1st, ten years after signing off the dole on to the dotted line of a record contract. That day was messy.

"We spoke to everyone on the phone from 1996 onwards to say hello and raise a glass, me and Stuart being [sic] talking lately too, we bumped into each other in a toilet in Shepherd's Bush Empire a while ago and drank together till the morning hours. This week he was telling me about his ringleader outfit he had to wear presenting the Kerrang awards. So the anniversary went well."

In addition to producing new material, Jones also revealed he was expanding his talents into the field of screen writing.

"I'm going to LA at the beginning of September," he said. "I've written a short film, which I'm trying to develop. I will be shooting a read through scene out there with Dougray Scott, a fan and friend of mine for a number of years, so that should be a blast."