#Eel Pie Island Parties

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Eel Pie Island

South London

Eel Pie Island is an island on the River Thames, near Twickenham, South London. Named after, ‘eel pies’, served in the inn in the nineteenth century however, it was in the ‘60’s when the Island gained a hedonistic reputation which then led to one of the 2000’s most unique bands, the Mystery Jets, who helped create the ‘Thamesbeat scene’. 

In the ‘50’s and ‘60’s the Eel Pie Island Hotel ballroom had the likes of The Who, David Bowie, Hawkwind, The Kinks, Pink Floyd, Jeff Beck, Black Sabbath, Eric Clapton and The Rolling Stones (The Rolling Stones played there every Wednesday for 5 months in 1963) played there before becoming the biggest hippie commune in the UK in 1970. The hotel went into disrepair after neglect and fires but the Island, accessible on a footbridge has continued to breed creativity as there was over 20 art studios there.  

Henry Harrison, father of Mystery Jets frontman Blaine (as well as an occasional band member) bought part of the Island which became rehearsal space for the band and the place where the iconic Eel Pie Island parties took place. 

Mystery Jets 

Originally called The Misery Jets, after a headline in a local paper about the Heathrow airport fly path above them. The South London kids changed to Mystery Jets when drummer at the time, Blaine misspelled the name when painting it on a drum skin and never looked back (or up). 

Blaine Harrison “For obvious reasons (Blaine has spina bifida which affects his leg muscles) I wasn’t a sporty child but I think my dad recognised the effect music had on me as a kid very early on and educated me with a steady diet of records to listen to, books and magazines to read and films to watch. I’d say it was Alan Parkers’ film ‘The Wall’ that had the biggest effect on me at that age. I remember hiding behind the sofa with Will when my dad put it on and just thinking ‘what is this fucked up shit!!?!?’ 

There was just something about the way Pink Floyd brought the sound and visuals together into something so terrifying that even a child could be impacted by it so strongly. I think it must have been seeing the way we reacted that made Henry think ‘maybe I should help these kids form a band of their own… 

I met our founding guitarist Will at nursery school. When I moved to France to go to primary school, we started the band as a way of keeping our friendship. We played our first gig as Mystery Jets on my 10th birthday (1995). Our first album ‘Making Dens’ came out exactly 10 years later (to the month) and I’d say was a stylistic culmination of all the music we had been influenced by in the interim. Mainly my dad Henry’s record collection: King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Yes, The Beatles, Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel… but also bands we got into at art school; Dexys, The Smiths, The Cure, The Stone Roses, The Cure, The Coral…. 

I think we might only have had a week leading up to our first gig on my 10th birthday so I’m pretty sure the gig mainly consisted of covers; Light My Fire by The Doors, Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd and Wild Thing by the Troggs. But we also played in the village bar later that summer and had a couple of originals by then, Rastamadeus and Moonlight Satellite. Both showed up on our first EP a few years later. 

Our first song was ‘Moonlight Satellite’. I’d say it was a group endeavour, with Will singing the verses and all of us singing on the chorus. It had one giant drum fill in the middle which usually lasted somewhere between 8 bars and 16 bars depending on how much Sunny Delight we’d drank that afternoon. 

We were pretty quick to adapt to the internet as a tool of mass self-promotion. We’d post the Eel Pie Party flyers on our Myspace and also spam the message boards of all our rival bands too. .org was always a good one because there was such a die-hard indie community there, and we knew Pete and Carl would sometimes post on there too so maybe they’d see it. 

Once every couple of months we’d post a new track on our Myspace and then anxiously wait and watch for the play count to start clocking up. Sometimes we’d make the tracks downloadable, but even if we didn’t, it usually wouldn’t take long for someone to rip them and start sharing the files around on Limewire. I’d say that was the beauty of it, it was incredibly democratic, but also like the wild west. If what you were making was good or exciting or had something different about it, it would find a fan base very quickly. 

My dad runs a boatyard on Eel Pie Island, on the Thames in Twickenham and there used to a famous blues club there which everyone from The Stones to Hendrix played at back in the day. It burned down in the ‘70’s, so we thought we’d bring some of that spirit back to the birthplace of British Blues and that’s when things really began for us. 

We were at an Art School nearby so would print out our own handmade flyers, and copy and paste a text message to everyone in our phonebooks a day or two before, “BYOB and invite everyone you know.” We’d book anywhere between 5 to 10 other bands a night, playing 20-minute sets and didn’t charge anything at the door. No sound checks, no payment, no backstage and no security. It was complete chaos. 

We’d put on a party every couple of months, over a period of about a year and a half. They went from 20 people sat cross-legged on the floor to people eventually showing up in their hundreds. Word spread so quickly. We’d have people falling in the river, swinging from the light fittings, smoking cigarettes indoors, and the room was covered floor to ceiling in Moroccan carpets so it was a huge fire hazard. On 2 occasions people left in ambulances. 

The last party was kind of legendary. We had all our friends' bands at that time playing one after another; Larrikin Love, Jamie T, The Noisettes, Good Shoes, Dustins Bar Mitzvah and a few others I can’t recall. 700 people squeezed into our rehearsal room and we estimated a good third of them were music industry scouts, managers and booking agents, who ended up signing most of the bands on the bill. And then the authorities showed up and served us a £20,000 noise abatement order if we tried to do it again. So it ended there, but that was the right time to kill it. I still meet strangers on the street who tell me they had some of the wildest nights of their lives at those parties.” 

After hosting parties at Eel Pie Island they started getting attention from labels. The Eel Pie Island EP was released via Liquid Sky Music in 2003 however, it was 2 years until their next release, a limited edition 7” single, Zoo Time on Transgressive Records which led to the band signing with 679 Records. The rest of the year saw the band release more singles. 

Blaine “The Monday morning after our final Eel Pie party, we received a phone call from our manager to tell us that 3 labels had put in offers, 1 major and 2 indies. I wouldn’t say it was a bidding war but it felt good to know that we had caught the attention of the industry on our own terms and on our own turf. We went with 679; the label with the most interesting roster, and put out our first 2 albums with them. Ironically, in the intervening years we’ve ended up being on both the others at one time or another too. 

Rather than decamp to a pro studio and make a record in an unfamiliar environment, we took our first advance and invested in recording gear to track ‘Making Dens’ in our rehearsal room on Eel Pie, the same room we held the parties in. It felt like the most likely way we’d be able to capturing some of that frenetic energy from the gigs onto tape. 

For the following couple of albums we worked in commercial recording studios, because we needed a change of environment, but ultimately we ended up having our own studios again from ‘Curve of The Earth’ onwards because it enables us to work at our own pace, and have a space to collaborate with other artists too. 

A lot of the press we got around ‘Making Dens’ focused on the father/son relationship, my disability and Eel Pie Island. At the time we felt that was partly responsible for the album not connecting as well as it should have, no one was talking about the music. For ‘Twenty One’ we went back to the drawing board and asked our favourite DJ, Erol Alkan (from Trash) to step onboard. It was quite a freeing feeling to get our debut album out the way and having paid homage to so many of the influences of our youth, now we could make a record inspired by what was new and going on around us. Remix culture, French house music, synths and electronics were starting to influence guitar music and we decided that’s the direction we were most excited about moving in. And we tried to learn how to write choruses. 

I think any band would agree that the early days are the most exciting, because everything is happening for the first time. The first time you sell out a gig, the first time you hear your song on the radio, the first time you get stopped in the street by a fan, your first Reading or your first Glastonbury. In a way, past that point it’s all about sustaining the excitement and maintaining forward motion. Touring isn’t for everyone, but for me, the more crazy our touring schedules became the more I loved it. Around Serotonin/Radlands we were touring so much that we all had to have two passports. I dread to think what our carbon emissions were like but regrettably, that awareness just wasn’t really part of the public consciousness back then. We’d finish a tour in the States and shoot straight over to tour around Australia and Japan. After a few days back at home to do our washing and demo some new songs it would be straight back over to Mexico and Argentina for more festivals. We’d literally follow the sun. During pandemic times it was hard to believe that’s what life used to be like but there you go. 

The bands we had the most memorable tours with are mostly the bands we’re still friends with today. We toured all around Europe and the UK with The Kooks in 2008 which was wild. We toured Europe supporting the Arctic Monkeys on their first album and again when they released ‘Humbug’. We supported Mumford Sons on a huge Arena tour across America and Europe which lasted the best part of a year. One of the most crazy ones was opening for Klaxons during the height of the nu rave craze. The band were on fire and the audiences were nuts. I remember us all going to Disneyland together on a day off and Simon from Klaxons getting recognised on Space Mountain and thinking how perfect it was. It doesn’t get better than that. Job done.” 

2 months before the release of 7th album, A Billion Heartbeats in April 2020 William left the band. The release timing was unfortunate as it came at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, pausing all of the promotional campaigns, leading to the album reaching no.85.  

Blaine “I could easily moan about how the entire campaign of ‘A Billion Heartbeats’ was plagued with obstacles, but so many of them were just completely outside of our control. 2 weeks before the album was meant to be released I went into hospital with a critically inflamed leg injury, pushing the campaign back 6 months to allow for my recovery. Then a month before the re-release the world went into lockdown and all the vinyl plants closed down.  

Suddenly the streets were empty and no one was riding the tubes so we had no choice but to pull all our adverts and billboards. We also couldn’t tour around the record stores which just flatlined the sales, so yeah, the album never got the send off it deserved. But I still feel incredibly proud of it. It was the first time we addressed big social questions and themes in such a head-on way” 

Whilst Mystery Jets were on the rise out of Eel Pie Island there were a bunch of young South and West London groups joining them, building a vibrant community. These included scene favourites Good Shoes and Larrikin Love as well as indie heavyweights The Maccabees and Jamie T. 

Good Shoes

Good Shoes were on the horizon in Kingston and they would become Eel Pie Island party regulars.  

School mates, Rhys Jones and Steve Leach had been playing music as a hobby in 2003 with Rhys on vocals and Steve on guitar. The pair had their first gig in January 2004 at a charity event at The Peel in Kingston where they called themselves Good Shoes. After a few months, the hobby transformed into a band when Rhys’ brother Tom and fellow Raynes Park High School mate Joel Cox got on board.  

As a 4-piece they played their first gig at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University on the 1st February 2005. This was followed up with a gig at an Eel Pie Island Island party before playing as many London shows as possible. 

Think Before You Speak, the bands' debut album was released in March 2007 and they built up a following as they went on tour with several bands including The Rakes, Franz Ferdinand, The Pigeon Detectives and Maximo Park. 

Although the band showed promise, they split up after releasing their second album, ironically called No Hope, No Future. 

The Rumble Strips

The Rumble Strips, headed by Charlie Waller were a band that briefly exploded into the world however their history dates back to when they were at school in Devon. 

Charlie “I loved Shakin’ Stevens as a young kid. My first gig was Vanilla Ice at Cornwall Coliseum when I was 19 or 11. Both pretty cool! My uncle bought me a guitar when I was 8 and would teach me chords and simple blues songs.  

I guess I properly got into music in a big way like a lot of people my age with Nirvana and all the early ‘90’s grunge stuff. I stopped playing sport and started smoking with the skinny scruffy boys. I remember my dad had a guy he worked with who knew I liked music. He decided I should be educated and would make me tapes of blues and doo-wop. I really loved The Coasters from that. I loved the humour and all the range of voices.  

I started going to a sort of music youth club when I was 12 with my friend Sam who became the bass player in The Rumble Strips. It was run by Henry's dad who taught us Captain Beef Heart and Frank Zappa songs. That became a band called The Mother Eating Blackberries. That then split into different bands when were around 14. I was in one called Harry and The Hormones and Tom and Henry from The Rumble Strips had a great Talking Heads kind of ska band called Scarper.  

I don’t know if it was because we were in the countryside, or that it was just that time in general, but we would listen to all sorts of old music. It felt very untethered by what was fashionable. Though I did love Gorky's Zygotic Mynci from that time. That was a band that always seemed to link us when we were older. 

I would buy a lot of old records. I loved The Kinks and Bonzo Dog Doo Bah Band. When I discovered Adam and The Ants I got pretty obsessed with them and collected most of that. I still think Kings of the Wild Frontier is a masterpiece. 

I moved to London to go to art college. The band I was playing in moved to London as well. We broke up around about the time I finished college. I started meeting up with Tom who was also without a band. We would get stoned and write boy band pop songs to make ourselves laugh. Some of them were quite good so we started writing songs that we would actually like to play. 

The first Rumble Strips was me, Tom and Harry on keyboards, who went on to make our early videos. He’s now a YouTube star going around the UK in a tiny speedboat. 

Eventually, we got Matt to play drums who was in The Hormones/Action Heroes with me, and Henry moved to London and played keyboards and trumpet. Then Sam joined us on bass. 

I met Mark (Vincent Vincent) at Chelsea College of Art. I remember talking to him quite early on about music. He really liked Bob Dylan who I like now, but at the time thought was a bit moany groany. We both liked the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band though, and early rock n roll. 

We shared a studio in college at some point and got a lot closer, then we lived together with some other guys in our last year. We also lived together after college. We were very close and did a lot together.  

I remember driving in his car listening to Dion and the Belmont’s. We thought that it would be cool if there was a band like that now. With all the harmonies and stuff. Then we thought well we could just do one. It felt like an exciting thought. 

We had a duo for a while called the Heartbreak Snakes. We played every week in The Ten Bells pub in Spitalfields. We would write a new song for each gig I think. It was a lot of fun.” 

The Rumble Strips weren’t getting anywhere. Mark invited him to join Vincent Vincent & The Villains and it was great until EMI was offering them a record deal and Chrysalis came along with a publishing deal but both of them wanted Charlie to focus on Vincent Vincent & The Villains, not The Rumble Strips which put Charlie in a difficult situation, he loved being a frontman and his Rumble Strips mates who he’d grown up with. Without Charlie, there wasn’t no Rumble Strips whereas in Vincent Vincent & The Villains he was sharing frontman duties with his best friend.  

He chose The Rumble Strips and moved out of the flat, the pair didn’t speak for a while, they made up and both blame themselves for being egotistical lads.  

 “I was probably a bit egotistical or something and didn’t quite have Mark’s confidence, so I think I could be a bit quiet and grumpy. I do regret that now. It’s a shame we didn’t record one album. There were some great songs that just got lost. It probably spurred us both on to get signed when we went our separate ways, but I think it maybe took some of the fun out of it.  

I was quite driven, but maybe not always happy. I remember my girlfriend telling me I was a cliche, which I probably was a bit. 

The Rumble Strips did a couple of singles with Transgressive Records, then signed a deal with Island in 2006. Getting a record deal had just seemed like such a big drive for so long. It did make a lot of things easier, but ultimately it has to be the band that still drives it. 

I didn’t feel like we were part of a scene, but maybe everyone feels that way a bit. I never really thought of us as an indie band. I think I wanted to be more funny than cool. We did hang out and play with a lot of bands though. I liked them as well. We probably weren’t that different.”

The Rumble Strips were featured on the Sound Of 2007 list, headlined an NME tour and their biggest single, Girls and Boys got played on ads. The debut album was recorded in America while Mark Ronson produced the second album. 

Charlie “I remember jamming in a studio one time. I was on one keyboard, Mark was on one keyboard, Dave from the Zutons was on bass and Sean Lennon was on drums.  

I had no idea how to work the thing I was playing and I was quite high. I remember thinking to myself at one point that this is really bizarre and something that I would always remember. Also that it sounded pretty terrible. 

We got dropped by Island and my marriage broke up so I went on a long holiday to Cuba. I was 30 and it was the first time since I was about 14 that I wasn't obsessed with being in a band. I got back and met up with everyone and said that it’s quite nice not being in a band. They kind of agreed so we just stopped. It was pretty chilled I think. 

We got together and did some more recordings around 2016. I like the thought that we could maybe do that every 10 years. I really love them all.” 

So, what about Vincent Vincent & the Villians…?

Mark Ogus, or Vincent Vincent as he became known as was introduced to ‘50’s rock ‘n’ roll after discovering his dad's record collection in his late teens. Mark was creative and went to art school where a lot of his work had a connection to music. While studying he met Charlie who he was in awe of, he used to watch his band Action Heroes and his on-stage persona made him want to do the same. 

In 2003 Mark formed The Vincents, he wanted to be something more than “Mark” so he created a persona where he became Vincent Vincent and the band was Vincent Vincent & The Villains. Mark got creative on all aspects, everything was thought out, their live show was a performance, they had a ‘look’ and Mark was hands-on with artwork too while the sound was influenced by his love of ‘50’s rock ‘n’ roll. The band gained interest from labels and management early on. 

Smoking Gun released the first single in March 2004, XFM’s John Kennedy picked up a copy from Rough Trade, he played it regularly on XFM. Both Radio 1 and the NME started to support them before signing to EMI in 2006. 

With tension between Charlie and his two bands building Mark was inspired to write Johnny Two Bands about the situation, the song became Vincent Vincent & The Villains biggest song and Mark had to have an awkward chat about the song as they had become friends again by the time the song was released. 

EMI made them rerecord Johnny Two Bands with Stephen Street which wasn’t an enjoyable experience as the producer ripped out the fun of the process while Mark was already hating the song anyway. That resentment towards the song continued when they had to perform it (mime) on Top Of The Pops and it was the start of the end for the band.  

Instead of releasing new material, EMI made the band rerelease the early singles.  In 2008 the band released the long-awaited debut album, but they were already seeing a decline as the crowds at gigs were getting smaller, they were skint and lost in their 20’s watching their mates moving on with their life and they were going backward. There was no future for the band who faded away. 

Les Incompetents

When it comes to the 2000’s indie, it’s impossible to overlook Fred MacPherson who was a fan as much as a musician. Once the Londoner discovered bands, he wanted to be in one, before even hearing The Strokes he was obsessed, they oozed cool and, like Alex Turner (and many boys in this era), he just wanted to be one of them.  

While at school he formed Les Incompetents (2004), a band with 8 members, 2 of which (including Fred) were lead singers. They liked the idea of being in a band more than doing the work required to be in a band. Fred and Chris would turn up to house parties and whip out the acoustic guitar and play some covers. Hotel Yorba was the first song they learned, its simplicity inspired them to write their own.  

After telling everyone they were in a band to sound cool, despite not having any songs they got a gig at The Rhythm Factory in Whitechapel but they needed a demo. They put a song together, recorded it on a 4-track and badgered the venue. They ended up supporting Martha Wainwright for their first-ever gig.  

They started playing around London, they’d be on stage more than rehearsing, it was mostly chaotic but each gig was an opportunity to meet people. After being introduced to the Mystery Jets, Les Incompetents played the Eel Pie Island parties where they discovered a scene that was bubbling underneath with the likes of Larrikin Love and Jamie T. Fred appears on Zoo Time from the Mystery Jets debut album while Jamie T’s songwriting changed the way Fred structured songs.  

Way Out West gigs were the first time they felt like they had a crowd who was into them. The band was still at school when they released their first double A-side single Much Too Much/Reunion (2005) on White Heat Records having played White Heat club night a handful of times. Matty who ran the club and label was into the band early on. The boys had been regulars at the central London indie disco since 15 (it was pretty easy to get fake ID back then). 

Fred had a proactive personality, building relationships online as well as IRL. Fanboying Test Icicles on MySpace and connecting on the forums. He did work experience at Drowned In Sound and despite being involved in the party scene from an early age he was sober until he was 23. 

They’d study all the bands, how they dressed, where they went out and how they wrote songs, taking influences from across the scene, How It All Went Wrong, their most recognised song was written after listening to Razorlight. 

The bandmates stopped getting along with each other by 2006 and they realised they didn’t have enough songs for an album or plans for progression. There were so many bands out there, Les Incompetents weren’t signable. In June, as the band was about to put an end to it, Billy Leeson, the bands' other singer was attacked after an argument on the night bus and went into a coma for 3 weeks, during this time How It All Went Wrong started to get attention.  

On the 1st September Les Incompetents announced on MySpace that they were to split up and they would be playing one final gig at the 100 Club in November, which sold out. They ended up playing Way Out West at Acton Town Hall a few days later with Late Of The Pier, Fear Of Flying, Jamie T and Kid Harpoon (who has gone to be Harry Styles songwriter).  

Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man 

One month after Les Incompetents split Fred, Sean and Tommy formed Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man, a very different band to Les Incompetents on many levels. Where the former played live and rarely rehearsed, Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man was the opposite, where Les Incompetents were a bit messy and fun, the latter was dark, intense and self-indulgent.  

They were heavily influenced by prog rock, Nick Cave and Doom Metal, the sound was gloomy but it was a dark time for the lads too who were in their early 20’s. Having put the groundwork in with Les Incompetents it didn’t take long for them to get a record deal with Transgressive. After just over 3 years the band split up but they never had the legacy of Les Incompetents.  

Before Fred’s next big move, he had a few projects for fun including a comedy rap group with Charlie from Noah & The Whale and King Charles during the short-living ‘grindie’ scene. There are no recordings but they did support JME. There was Captain Kick and the Cowboy Ramblers, another line-up including Charlie of Noah & The Whale as well as some of Mumford & Sons. 

He’d seen friends like Jamie T, Mystery Jets, Laura Marling and Mumford & Sons breakthrough and get jealous of their success. On MTV2 he’d interview the likes of Kings Of Leon and Interpol at festivals which would inspire him to have another shot at it, form his next band who we’ll come on to later.

Test Icicles

Over the years Fred, like many (including Harry Styles and Beyonce) has collaborated with Dev Hynes who arrived with the explosive trio, Test Icicles who were only around for 2 years and released 1 album but Circle. Square. Triangle. is a generation-defining song.

Lightspeed Champion

After the noise and neon with Test Icicles, nobody would have predicted Dev Hynes next move, Lightspeed Champion. After leaving his East London life behind him in 2007, moved to New York and wrote songs that shared country/folk influences which turned into the solo project. His touring band included Florence Welch while Alex Turner, Faris Badwan, Fred MacPherson, Jack Penate and Keith Murray made appearances on stage. 

Blood Orange

Lightspeed Champion lasted 2 albums then Dev reinvented himself once again with another very different solo project, Blood Orange. He went into “producer” mode with Blood Orange which is beat-driven, soulful and smooth with r ‘n’ b vibes that has taken Dev into A-lister territory. 

Jamie T

South London-born Jamie Alexander Treays launched himself onto the music scene with his half sing/half rap acoustic songs on London’s pub circuit under the stage name, Jamie T. His demos started to make their way through the online forums and on MySpace then in 2006 his songs started to get radio play. 

In July 2006 Jamie’s breakthrough came with Shelia, a huge hit that sounded nothing like anything out there. It was followed by If You've Got The Money then Calm Down Dearest. 

His debut album, Panic Prevention documents his struggles with panic attacks as a kid and it became a cult classic, while follow-up, Kings & Queens reached a broader audience with breakout single, Sticks ‘n’ Stones. 

“Where is Jamie T?” campaigns floated online after he’d gone quiet for some time but finally, after a 5-year wait he returned with Carry On The Grudge and Zombie, another defining song that showed punk influences and he can continue to disappear for years but he will be missed. 

The Maccabees

As schools go, ​​Alleyn's School in Dulwich is one to have bred some talent in such a short about of time as Florence and the Machine’s Florence Welch, Jessie Ware, Jack Penate and Felix White of The Maccabees all attended.  

Jack was already a keen guitarist and Felix was obsessed with Oasis. After months of persuading, Felix got Jack to form a band together, they called themselves Jack’s Basement, as that’s where they practiced. The pair played a handful of gigs together, sharing the stage with The Maccabees who had already been going.  

In 2004 when school was over Jack went solo and encouraged Felix to join his brother who was in The Maccabees. Frontman Orlando Weeks was heading to Brighton for uni so the rest of the band found jobs in bars and joined him on the south coast.  

The band wrote a bunch of songs, played some gigs, wrote another bunch of songs, played more gigs. Each bunch of songs showed improvements and after the fourth time of trying everything clicked into place and they wrote X-Ray. Inspired by Interpol and The Strokes togetherness but with The Maccabees twist (play as fast as they can) it became their first single, receiving support from XFM and Radio 1 and released on 7”.  

Fiction Records picked the band up and debut album Colour It In stood strong against what other bands were releasing at the time, however, the label weren’t completely comfortable with it until they heard a slight twist in creativity with the acoustic love song, Toothpaste Kisses, which took the band into the mainstream. 

The band returned to Brighton to follow up the debut album, writing and recording for Wall Of Arms was a very different process. For 6 months the band would go into the rehearsal rooms for 8 hours a day to write the album. Some days they would come up with nothing, other times they’d spend hours working on a singular guitar part but when creativity came, all of them would jump on it. They’d end each day going home and getting stoned. 

A breakthrough moment for the band was when their manager played them The Teardrop Explodes albums, it inspired them to use instruments differently, specifically brass. The new outlook on sounds is what shapes the layers on the record which Colour It In lacked. They headed to Paris for 4 months to record the album with producer Markus Dravs who had recently worked on Arcade Fires album, another complex sounding record in terms of instrumental arrangements.  

The label had allowed the band time to discover themselves, focus on who The Maccabees were and develop. Patience paid off as Wall Of Arms (May 2009) set a new bar, not only for themselves but for other bands, it was no longer acceptable to lazily piece together something basic. 

Another very different approach came for their third record compared to how they worked on their previous releases. Following the success of Wall Of Arms The Maccabees were full of confidence and the label gave them creative freedom. Given To The Wild was self-produced, at their home in Brighton where, after years of being a live band, playing as fast as they physically could, they focussed on becoming a studio band where detail mattered. 

The bands’ fourth album, Marks To Prove It was an intense period for The Maccabees who were reaching their late 20’s. They returned to London where they discovered The Jesus and Mary Chain’s former recording studio, The Drug Store in Elephant & Castle which had been left derelict. It took them 4 years to create the album as they struggled to find structure but it was finally released in July 2015. 

After the 4 tough years making Marks To Prove It and 2 years of touring, the lads who had now grown into men decided to split up. They ended it on a high with some epic shows at Alexandra Palace where they were joined on stage by mates including Jamie T, Marcus Mumford and Mystery Jets. It was an end of an era. 

The Maccabees story wasn’t over as, in October 2024 they announced they would be back in the next summer…

Fear Of Flying

Fear Of Flying was a school band that grew through MySpace but months before going to university they reinvented themselves as White Lies, a band that went on to have a chart-topping album. 

The first roots of the band go back to 2001, after practicing at home they started playing at parties.  Things started to get a bit more serious when they gave themselves a name, Fear Of Flying. Frontman Charles knew Fred Macpherson from school, they would go to gigs together. Fear Of Flying started supporting Les Incompetents, getting gigs through Fred’s connections and building up a fanbase on MySpace. The 3-piece played Frog, Nambucca and the Pleasure Unit early on as well as Way Out West and Young & Lost Club while being in sixth form. 

They managed to get Stephen Street to produce their first single as they were good friends with his son. The band was contacted by managers via MySpace who got them on a support tour with Jamie T. They’d jump on the National Express with their instruments after school around the country, soundcheck, play the gig then get a coach home and get up for school the next morning. Issues with the manager started to come up, they sacked him the day before supporting The Maccabees on tour, he didn’t take the news well and ended up stealing their equipment. They explained the situation to The Maccabees and they let them borrow their equipment and stay on the tour bus after gigs. 

Still in their late teens, on a gap year, they were reluctantly going to university in September as things with the band were starting to get a bit stale, the radio and press weren’t really supporting them and they had stopped playing live. 

In July 2007 Charles started messing about on a piano, within minutes they had Unfinished Business, a song that sounded completely different to anything they’d released as Fear Of Flying. 

They recorded a demo and had a complete rebrand with a new name, White Lies, and created a new MySpace page with no photos of the band members. With just one song on there they sent a link to Keith from Way Out West, he loved it, as did his industry colleagues. From then on they were inundated with messages from labels, managers and agents.  

The band knew they needed to build on this new sound, taking influence from the ‘80’s they wrote Death which got an even better reaction, then the third song, Farewell to the Fairground. These three songs have lasted throughout the bands' career to date, featuring on the setlist for every gig. 

NEXT CHAPTER

[undergroundrockpress]

28th August 1960: Beatnick Party on Eel Pie Island, Twickenham, Surrey

(this is the first time I see this photo in color)

[nocturnalsleeper]

500 Drawing Prompts

waterfall

wizard's staff

zombies

sandcastle

fangs

tattoo

family crest

spaceship

mythical beast

spooky tree

alien

tropical cocktail

robot

dragon

tombstone

medieval goblets

king's throne

mermaid

vampire

witch's cauldron

tooth fairy

deep sea monster

magic carpet

sculpture

coral reef

wine bottle

statue of liberty

beast

beauty

elephant

Mayan ruins

birds

cameras

bowl of soup

breakfast

lunch

snack

dinner

flower vase

ladder

full moon

bright sun

autumn

summer

spring

winter

butterfly

caterpillar

troll

roller skates

rain boots

weeds

flowers

bedroom

kitchen

dining room

bathroom

egg hatching

wrist watch

night

harvest

pond

raincoat

hat

water bottle

flashlight

sailboat

dandelion

earthworm

bank robber

policeman

superhero

villain

view out a window

cactus

sunflower

mosquito

spider web

star fish

flip flops

lawn chair

trampolines

pots and pans

sword

lighthouse

pie on a windowsill

house plant

soldier

chimney

barbed wire

squirrels

hot sauce

chain

beehive

helicopter

hot dog

venus flytrap

stained glass

sphinx

skateboard

serenity

open book

werewolf

hourglass

tower

camel

Cleopatra

favorite book character

desert

forest

mountains

ocean

pumpkin seed

pine cone

octopus

mannequin

lollipop

something sticky

footprints

tractor

slime

island paradise

sand dune

archer

my favorite outfit

trophies

fishing fly

black hole

cyclops

swan

mirror

microphone

pretzels

newspaper

submarine

scrambled eggs

eel

wave

bike

leather boots

keys

coffee cup

self portrait

snake charmer

playground

sumo wrestler

crystal chandelier

eight ball

secrets

treasure chest

children's toy

something that sparkles

penguin

unicorn

pirate

tribal pattern

suit of armor

pinball machine

erupting volcano

seahorse

ninja

happy monster

futuristic car

three little pigs

magic amulet

yeti

toolbox

fish bones

zipper

carpenter

handcuffs

doll house

mask

telescope

piano

windmill

double sided axe

samurai

ghost

hot air balloon

bubbles

polka dots

plate of cookies

snake scales

pair of socks

high dive

belt

figure skater

fisherman

space

jack-o-lantern

Cinderella's glass slipper

hay bale

bumper cars

cover wagon

spy

fighter jet

parachute

tree bark

radio

art gallery

bow and arrow

pepperoni pizza

snail

bushel of apples

doorknob

talking object

harp

chess pieces

sprinkler

electricity

computer keyboard

presents

barn

plaid

jewelry

ballet

curtains

tripod

sunglasses

bow tie

Saturn's rings

birdcage

swap creature

horse and carriage

banana peel

stapler

toothpaste

thunder storm

movie poster

video game controller

cinnamon sticks

target

skull

elf

alien plant life

first love

new baby

kids jumping

glaciers

shark

scarf

wheelchair

blacksmith

four wheeler

cowboy

crossroads

pedestal

police car

pug

someone who is full of joy

what's under your bed

hieroglyph

dolphin

wooden shield

laughing

jump rope

desk

something big next to something small

taxi

staircase

tomahawk

hummingbird

hedgehog

gorilla

firetruck

soda can

teddy bear

fortune cookie

fruit basket

smirk

game of marbles

crumpled paper

swordfish

alarm clock

goldfish

puppet

salt and pepper shakers

jet pack

time machine

hands

wood fencing

cave mouth

milkshake

high heeled shoes

music

smile

mad scientist

telephone booth

skyscraper

gargoyle

diamond

sushi

brier patch

something that comes in pairs

box of chocolates

brick wall

bat

chicken

bonsai tree

headphones

a new typeface

jellyfish

candy canes

lawn mower

rain puddles

school

lamb

wolf

bed

bowl of popcorn

lampshade

peacock

turtle

bear

ceiling fan

yo-yo

oil spill

kite

invisible man

casino

Abraham Lincoln

ice cream cone

corn on the cob

claws

beekeeper

coins

watermelon

landing on the moon

rotary telephone

brain

rocks

needle in a haystack

picnic basket

fireplace

bottle of poison

genie in a bottle

knight

hammer

acorn

orange

owl

hair

wheel barrel

pyramids

exploding dynamite

shrimp

guitarist

keyboardist

drummer

singer

griffin

carousel horse

bunnies

puppies

board game

a famous painting

stone walkway

maple leaf

lizard

eyes

ears

nose

mouth

leopard

record player

bulldozer

bride

snowman

feather headdress

playing cards

windy day

sleeping bag

dancing skeleton

piggy bank

wizard

evil prince

lantern

beach ball

cherub

sprout

aircraft carrier

olympic swimmer

wedding dress

feather

baseball glove

noodles

cat

dog

happy

sad

angry

relaxed

graffiti

motorcycle

tornado

caveman

pineapple

Lock Ness monster

flag

gas mask

starry sky

dream house

deer

Goldilocks

frog

tadpole

swing

circus clown

earth

cupcake

lace

rocking chair

bravery

Big Ben

doctor

railroad car

parade

Christmas sweater

Ferris wheel

sci-fi gun

medicine cabinet

birthday party

cutlery

great wall of china

umbrella

traffic sign

catapult

light bulb

bamboo

heart

moon colony

sandwiches

juice box

lake house

bushes

hard candy

camouflage

platypus

football helmet

soccer game

balloons

astronaut

missing teeth

memory

jukebox

tulip

ladybug

birthday cake

t-shirt

igloo

golf ball

fossils

your least favorite food

pencil cup

half eaten apple

food with a face

horseshoe

daffodil

castle

tea party

scared

bag of chips

camping

cabin

bonfire

ship

watering can

palm tree

wind chimes

armchair

fireworks

knife

wine cork

waitress

farmer

fountain

last leaf on a tree

saber toothed tiger

grocery store

rainbow

typewriter

engine

bluebird

shooting star

a new invention

school of fish

bearded lady

secret garden

suspension bridge

viking artifact

Eiffel tower

a feast for a king

guitar

tree house

seashell

dinosaur

sea lion

Taj Mahal

your favorite animal in a tuxedo

[mother-earth-tings]

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[sirrongirl]

Road Trip to Tahiti

Sunday, March 17, 2019

We did so much today! We started with breakfast in our room, then we met the group to go snorkeling . We’re in Rangiroa, still part of the society islands. The coral reef here is famous for being the second best in the world, next to the Great Barrier Reef. I was very excited to get into this beautiful blue water. I have gone snorkeling in some great places, but today was unreal. I have very seen so many tropical fish, so many colors, shapes and sizes, with a few eels and sharks thrown in for good measure. The water was calm and warm, and I just needed to float around and breath slowly. My new dry snorkel did the trick. 

Except for a little fog, I was perfectly happy with it.  I lost track of Tom , but later found him following the guide and holding onto a life vest. He didn’t look so well, so I guided him back to the boat. I’m glad I did, because then he took some great photos. Once on the boat, he was feeling better. I continued to splash around the until the last minute. 

One man on our boat, who was much older than us, told me this was his first time. That reminded me of the country song by Darius Rucker, When was the last time, you did something for the first time? I was so happy for that man, he was having such a good time! He was inspirational. Tom and I went back to out ship to get something to eat and rest until our next outing later today. I decided since I was already wet, I’d go to the hot tub. My right shoulder really hurts - and that’s my good one! It’s almost 95 degrees, and I’m alone in the hot tub, but it did feel good. Tom met me poolside, and we ordered a burger for lunch. The Russian waiter in charge told me, not to get mad at him, but he had to remind me about the dress code. I was in my bathing suit, wrapped in a towel, and that isn’t acceptable at the poolside burger area. He let me stay anyway, and I continued to type my notes during lunch. He came by again to bring me a lemonade, and reminded me that I was on vacation and shouldn’t be working.

Finishing my thoughts about yesterday, I went back to my own balcony to read and get ready for the glass bottom boat ride. We had some time to wait, so we walked around a bit. I took some photos to practice for my photo class.

 Stray dogs all around, and most look like they are either pregnant or just had litters. That makes me so sad. 

At 230pm, we boarded the glass bottom boat and set out in search of fish. We rode next to a family of dolphins. We cruised right above beautiful coral or many colors. We saw tons of fish that I enjoyed filming. 

And then came the sharks. I asked Tom not to start singing or humming the baby shark song…but it was too late. Over and over in my head, I hummed the song as I was filming the sharks, eels and many other fish. I’ve got great video, but can’t figure our how to post it here. 

Tom didn’t want to go on this trip today, but I know he’s glad he did both. This atoll  is the largest in French Polynesia at 75km x25km. The entire island of Tahiti could fit within it.  There are two villages Avatora and Tiputa, but most of the area is uninhabited. The largest pearl farm is here, Gauguin’s Pearl. The beautiful black, green and blue pearls are farmed in these waters. I wanted to learn more about the pearls, but given the choice, I picked spending time in the water over going to the pearl farm.

We showered quickly and made it to Trivia just as they were beginning. Everyone had already formed teams, maybe they all boarded in Sydney. No one needed another 2 players, so Tom and I became our own team. I smugly said “you’ll be sorry” to those who did not welcome us! We were doing quite well, and another couple showed up about in the middle and joined us. We changed one answer because of them. When the results were tallied, we came in 3rd place, against all the other teams of 8! Would have been 2nd place except they wouldn’t accept my answer to “what’s in a fuzzy navel.” Peach schnapps, triple sec & orange juice. I got 0 credit since I include triple sec in my fuzzy navels. I  guess no one else does? We were happy to meet Colin and Carolee. She’s a riot from Minnesota, He’s a more quite New Zealander. Carolee told us how they met on a cruise ship many years ago, and since have been living in Minnesota and New Zealand and cruising in between. We talked together until they threw us out of the room.

We were a little early for dinner, which doesn’t start till 630pm.Tom wanted to talk to Oleg from Sochi at the fancy coffee bar.  Carols, the food & beverage manager came over and offered us the opportunity to try one of the more exclusive dining rooms, the Polo Lounge. With the room type we booked, we were actually allowed 2 free reservations in the exclusive dining rooms. Any more than two we would have to pay extra for. So we go up to the top floor  and tell them “Carlos sent us”. We had a great meal of lobster and fillet minion. Our dessert was key line and apple pie. Much better than the “moose” balls we had yesterday. The balls were described as “chocolate mouse,” but they were more like balls of chocolate frosting.

Since today is St. Patricks Day, the ship was having a party with Irish Music and dancing.  We were so tired after dinner, that a walk on the ships outdoor deck was all we could manage. 

We didn’t even make it to the 830pm Trivia.  Tom was asleep by 9, and I fell asleep with this computer on my lap. Such partiers the Holloway’s are!

[just-jordie-things]

300 FOLLOWERS!? I LOVE YOU SO MUCH GUYS SO I WENT THRU AND ANSWERED THE ASKS

1. what’s your favorite food?

i think sushi.  smoked eel nigiri roll, and trust me, it’s amazing

2. do you have any ‘special’ talents?

maybe writing idk i’m an average writer

3. what’s your zodiac sign?

leo

4. have any siblings? older or younger? brother or sister? do you get along?

younger brother, and we’re like best friends.  we get into a lot of trouble together

5. what was your first ship?

the first one i was head over heels for would be scallison.  still am.

6. how old are you?

16 in july

7. if you had to get married right now, who would you choose and why?

ummm dyaln o’brien? sorry that was an unrealistic question i’m probably always gonna answer with him.  a l w a y s

8. any interesting life mini stories?

ok so last summer, i was hanging out with my bff @taegdcl1018, and she lives by the playground so we went to hang out there.  it was real chill, swinging and listening to music and stuff.  and when i got up and started walking, there was A BEE ON MY SHIRT.  so i screamed, and started wigging out, and of course brooklyn is like ‘girl chill’ (and tbh bees don’t scare me that much) anyways, this bee is still on my shirt, and im running around, and it’s still stuck on it.  and THAT my sweeties, is how i took my shirt off in a public playground.  NO WORRIES THO! there was no one around besides me and my bff, and she gave me her over shirt thingy before we left.  (also, it’s still difficult for me to wear that shirt.  it’s like i have PTSD)

9. who are your favorite artists/musicians right now?

melanie martinez, twenty one pilots, lana del rey, halsey, marilyn manson, blue october, blackbear, arctic monkeys, and kaleo

10. Want kids? Why?

i like the idea, but i think i’d say no.  i’m just not that responsible, not enough to care for a little person who would need me

11. hobbies?

writing, reading, playing piano, drawing, collaging (if that’s how you’d put it?) and editing

12. any pets?

oui, a chihuahua named delilah that my friends and i call taco

13. favorite ship(s)?

STYDIA MALEC MALIRA SCALIA AND MANIGGY

14. best cartoon?

Bob’s Burgers.  I love it.

15. best friends?

@taegdcl1018 and @peter-andhislostgirls.  they’re my besties.  we’re mermaids.

16. what color are your eyes?

morning sky blue lmao

17. what is your relationship status?

utterly single but flirting 

18. favorite pair of shoes?

PURPLE CONVERSE I PAINTED WHITE AND USED SHARPIE TO WRITE STUFF ON

19. favorite snapchat filter?

the bunny with the snow lol

20. favorite book?

The Replacement, by Brenna Yovanoff

21. opinion on drugs/alcohol?

gross.  i don’t like to judge, but I don’t like people throwing their lives away.

22. dream vacation?

Los Angeles.  everywhere there, just walking in the streets and listening to music

23. how many pictures are on your phone?

2,030

24. best ice cream flavor?

chocolate chip cookie dough with hot fudge 

25. where do you go to shop?

hot topic and forever 21 are my favorite

26. favorite class?

enriched english.  from the literature we get to read and the comedic of a teacher, it’s just great.

27. most embarrassing memory?

um, did you not read the story about the bee on my shirt?

28. what’s one of your favorite memories?

spending one of my bffs birthday watching horror movies in our underwear and hello kitty blankets.  there was also home made cake and doggos involved

29. what are your five most frequently played songs?

1. Where’s My Love - Syml 2. Drive - Halsey 3. Killing Strangers - Marilyn Manson 4. Hard For - Kevin Gates 5. Crazy In Love - Beyonce (um the 50 Shades of Grey remix…)

30. play any instruments?

piano and i used to know guitar and ukulele but it’s been a while

31. best breakfast meal?

chocolate chip pancakes with a shit ton of butter

32. who was the last person you called?

@taegdcl1018 for 2 hours and 17 minutes last night.  we discussed doing a collab ;)

33. fries or onion rings?

fries

34. daytime or night time?

night time.  it’s much more peaceful and overall more beautiful

35. how many languages do you know?

english and I’d like to say french, but i’m not fluent so i don’t think it counts

36. if you could only date one character from Teen Wolf, who would you date? why?

Malia Tate.  I feel like we could really teach each other things and she’d be overprotective and cute and yeee

37. best friend IRL and best friend via social media?

BEST FRIENDS IRL @taegdcl1018 and @peter-andhislostgirls and my best friends via social media are @failingmemequeen and Sarah (who doesn’t have a tumblr)

38. favorite picture?

there’s one my friend took in the lunch room last year, a selfie of her and my other bffs

39. fanfiction or fanart?

fanfiction 

40. when did you first start writing fanfics?

two years ago, my first teen wolf was a scallison one that i wrote before i even watched the show

41. favorite type of noodle?

the mac and cheese that looks like shells

42. favorite summer activity?

writing outside lol

43. if you could take a pic with one character at Disney, who would you choose?

alice from alice in wonderland.  i just love her.

44. best season of Teen Wolf?

i’m stuck between 3b and 6a

45. ok do you watch ANYTHING other than Teen Wolf?

I do! The Walking Dead, Riverdale, The Fosters, American Horror Story, Shameless, Orange is the New Black, Shadowhunters, Friends, and Pretty Little Liars

46. apple or samsung?

apple.  duh.

47. an annoying experience that you would like to vent about?

one time this girl told me if a man punches a woman, she should be grateful.  she claimed it was because of gender equality, which i am ALL for, but i thought it was disgusting, because if ANYONE punches you, no matter the gender, honestly i think you should just go ahead and punch them back

48. favorite pop tart flavor?

hot fudge sundae

49. McDonald’s, Burger King, or Wendy’s?

BK I can’t say no to a hershey pie

50. would you rather fly or be invisible?

hahahaa be invisible then my embarrassing moments wouldn’t be noticed

51. favorite board game?

candyland or monopoly 

52. circus or magic show?

magic show bc my brother loves magic tricks and i always get to see him try them and it’s just funny

53. waterpark or amusement park?

amusement park, i love rollercoasters and thrills!

54. any sentimentally valuable possessions?

my grandmothers first engagement ring, she gave it to me

55. what’s your favorite mode of travel?

car trips

56. what piece do you choose to be in Monopoly?

the top hat.  i love hats.

57. when was the last time you cried? why?

yesterday because i read SUCH a good stiles angst i teared up

58. favorite Marvel character?

ooh….um…. if i HAD to choose, i think i’d have to choosequicksilver from the X-Men franchise.  woot woot evan peters!

59. any nicknames?

yea: potato, captain crunch, and scoot.

60. what will be/is your senior quote?

“if someone from the future doesn’t come to stop you from doing something, then how bad can it be?

61. play any sports?

HELL NAH

62. if you were stranded on an island and had to bring 3 other people, who would they be and why?

my besties brookie and tay, and dylan o’brien cuz i’m gonna need entertainment somehow

63. lucky numbers?

8, 88, 666, and 18

64. label yourself (ethnicity, gender, sexuality etc)

i’m a white, bisexual, atheist woman

65. dogs or cats?

i love both so much but kittens man…

66. scooters or skateboards?

scooters.

67. favorite DC character?

harley quinn by far

68. bugs bunny or daffy duck?

daffy duck

69. are you sexually expierienced? (lol iyt #69 so i had to)

does reading smut count?

70. did you have a valentine this year?

I DID! 

71. vlogging or blogging?

so i do have a tumblr and technically it’s called a blog but i mean it’s not really a blog.  and sometimes my friend and i pretend to be vloggers so i guess vlogging

72. pandas or polar bears?

panda bears

73. favorite hello kitty character?

tuxedo sam

74. if you were going to travel to another country, where would you go?

Savoy France, to see a girl that I’ve become friends with and have wanted to see for a while

75. most used emoji?

the squid.  it just looks so happy and joyful.  i use it to tell people i love them

76. why did you start writing?

fanfiction? bc i was disappointed in jeff davis for killing off an angel who didn’t deserve it.

77. favorite fanfic?

I CAN’T CHOOSE!!! everything @writing-obrien has ever done

78. what’s your favorite show to binge?

teen wolf and riverdale

79. dresses or skirts?

i like both but i’m always in jeans.  but probably skirts 

80. favorite app?

tumblr duh

81. favorite word?

mechanical

82. what’s your favorite thing to write about?

stiles imagines and things about trees

83. who is your inspiration? for anything really

writing-obrien aforementioned for writing.  and twenty one pilots for music

84. would you rather go to neverland or wonderland?

wonderland! I want an unbirthday tea party!

85. favorite actor?

dylan o’brien

86. favorite actress?

crystal reed

87. favorite youtuber?

brandon rogers.  11/10 RECOMMEND WATCHING

88. if you could live in any fantasy land where would you pick and why?

still wonderland, because i feel like it’d just be so much fun lol

89. sleeping or eating?

ooh that’s a toughie.  probably eating.  I’m a high class food slut

90. favorite letter of the alphabet?

Z

91. fruits or veggies?

fruits

92. modern or ancient?

both?

93. smut, fluff, or angst?

fluff is my #1 but i like it all

94. if you were to go into a battle, what would be your weapon of choice?

probably a unicorn horn.

95. unicorns or pegasuses?

more unicorns!

97. thoughts on swearing?

swearing is so fucking dumb.  like why fucking do that you fucking fuck?  lmao swearings ok in the appropriate places.  not in a kindergarden classroom, but who cares if you’re at a bar?

98. reading or writing?

UGH WHY MAKE ME CHOOSE! I’M SKIPPING THIS ONE

99. big cities or small town country sides

big cities

100. east coast or west coast?

livin on the east coast but dreamin of the west

101. what do you love about your favorite character?

i love the way she really delves into her emotions, even though everyone thinks she doesn’t really have any, you can really tell what she’s feeling through her eyes, and that’s hard to do when it’s on a screen and not written in a fanfiction

thank you guys so sooo much for 300 follows! it made me tear up this morning, and means a lot to me that people actually like and enjoy my writings and i really hope that the only way i can go, is up, and i just really hope that i still have the love and support you guys give to me :) big hearts and big hugs for every one of you

[sphynxtee]

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What is a pie barm? In Wigan, it’s a way of existence

One year ago I brought an entire newsroom to a standstill. This wasn’t, sadly, because of any beautiful journalistic success. I used to be simply having my lunch. And it turned into a pie bar.

I didn’t even realize I’d executed something until I became aware of the slow draining away of the hubbub that typifies a nearby newspaper office at noon. I seemed up from what I used to be doing – tapping at my keyboard with one hand, pie bar within the different – and realized everybody was looking at me. Then they started out to depart their desks, to walk over to mine, till I was surrounded by uncomprehending faces. What, they desired to realize, became I eating?

I blinked and checked out the meat-and-potato pie sandwiched between a buttered white roll. It becomes only a pie bar. I seemed in the back of me to peer if there has been a person eating something exclusive and outrageous. However no. It turned into me. Me and my pie bar.

In that crowd changed into a younger woman, perhaps the most stunned and nonplussed of all. Regardless of this … reader, she married me. And knowledgeable me within the ways of carbohydrates, calories and different such things. Not very much time passed earlier than I finished consuming pies in barm cakes.

However, when you’re from Wigan, you by no means, in reality, prevent ingesting pies. You might be said to be resting, or in remission, or recuperating. consuming pies is a part of our DNA, our heritage, our birthright. And a pie bar – additionally fondly known as a Wigan Kebab – is the epitome of our gastronomic lifestyle.

I hadn’t thought deeply about pie bars for some time until this week, when a few wag – a scouser, manifestly – published on Twitter a part of a press release from the takeaway employer Hungry House, launched to mark British Pie Week.

Most of the many facts was a “Metropolis Pie-Off” chart, listing the five pie by way of town or City. London became pinnacle with, relatively bizarrely, banoffee pie. Nicely, I suppose it goes Properly with the handy. In at wide variety, 4 was Wigan with what Hungry House rightly termed “a nearby traditional”, the pie bar.

In Wigan the default lunch – and that indicates how center magnificence I have to turn out to be – is constantly a pie “What the f is a pie bar?!!” numerous people on Twitter requested. Properly, let me provide an explanation for.

Wigan folks have been referred to as pie-eaters for almost a century. The story is that during the general strike of 1926, Wigan miners have been the first to crumble and cross again to paintings, which means they needed to consume humble pie and earned the sobriquet. I assume that’s garbage. We similar to pies, and we constantly have executed.

The default lunch (and that suggests how center-elegance I’ve come to be – in Wigan you have got your dinner at midday and your tea at five) is usually a pie. If taken at home, on a plate surrounded by means of a moat of Oxo. I imagine the pie barm become invented to facilitate ingesting a pie on the hoof. The barm cake – or bar, or roll, depending on where you’re from – No longer best affords adequate insulation to your hand against the warmth of the pie, But serves to soak up any errant gravy or juice – without wasting a drop.

Pies are continually absolutely encased in pastry, none of this slop with a crust simplest on the pinnacle. They can be meat and potato or steak. In case you’re vegetarian you could have a fowl pie, I assume. You’re by no means extra than a hundred ft from a pie keep in Wigan. Every December, the sector Pie ingesting Championships are staged in Harry’s Bar on Wallgate, which has Now not been without controversy. In 2007 a competitor’s dog ate 20 of the pies the night time before the occasion. In 2014 there has been a supplier blend-up and the incorrect-sized pies were added to the bar, with the competition pies as a substitute going to a divorce party. The pinnacle of the championships went on Choose Rinder to get recompense But lost.

Up inside the north, we like to discover humans with the aid of the meals they consume. Consequently, as mentioned, Liverpudlians are scousers, that’s a type of stew. In Wigan’s neighbour, Leigh, humans are “foyer gobblers”, because they consume lobbies, which is much like scouse. God is aware of what they consume in Wigan’s massive rugby league rival St Helens; babies, possibly. But Wiganers will usually be pie eaters.

How crucial are pies to Wigan? Pay attention, once I worked at the Wigan Night Submit I wrote a tale about a fireplace breaking out on the Poole’s pie manufacturing unit. It damaged the manufacturing gadget and they needed to bring in emergency pie-makers to work through the night to ensure the pie stores had their deliveries on time. We splashed the story at the front web page; I assume we’d have headlined it “Black Thursday” or something.

No longer length after my pie bar lunch incident within the newsroom – and that became in Preston, most effective 20 miles up the street from Wigan – I moved over to Yorkshire, in which you can’t get a first rate meat-and-potato pie for romance nor cash. I won’t even have an idea about pie bars again, However for the flap on Twitter this week. And now I will get the excellent antique Wigan Kebab out of my head.

Even now the horrified mentions of pie bars are still scrolling up my Twitter feed. I’m hoping I’ve been capable of offering some solutions. Now, do you want to speak about the delights of chips, pea wet and scratchings …?

Food and drinks inside the British Isles

United kingdom restaurants provide a huge diversity of cuisine from all over the world However why No longer attempt some nearby dishes in the course of your villa excursion. Conventional British food typically includes correct undeniable cooking with sparkling nearby ingredients and is regularly discovered in pubs or in eating places which offer lighter variations of old favorites. Roast pork served with Yorkshire pudding or nearby specialties including Lincolnshire or Cumberland beef sausages can be found on most menus. inside the North Black Pudding made with offal is famous and lamb and hen dishes feature on many menus at the side of hearty meat pies and homemade soups. Meals are normally served with chips, mash, boiled or roast potatoes and an awesome selection of veggies. Whitby on the east coast is well-known for its crabs and the southeast coast is renowned for its mussels, whelks, cockles and jellied eels. In Britain, you’re in no way some distance from a fish and chip shop promoting battered cod or haddock with chips sprinkled with salt and vinegar. Traditional puddings encompass fruit crumbles, apple pie or sponge pudding usually served with custard. Afternoon tea continues to be popular and you may find a properly choice of desserts, scones, jam and cream and sandwiches on a teashop menu. Cheese is an incredible nearby strong point; look out for extraordinary varieties at delicatessens and farmers markets.

There is some excellent award winning white English wines consisting of the ones produced through Three Choirs in Gloucestershire and Wickham in Hampshire.At the same time as playing your British Self Catering vacation you will discover an accurate selection of real ales is served in many pubs; appearance out for neighborhood micro-breweries. Slight along with Banks’, Holdens and Highgate is most usually determined inside the Midlands. Faded sales are extra famous and Timothy Taylor, Adnams, Shepherd Neame and Marston’s have right examples. Cider remains a fave specifically inside the southwest of Britain like Thatcher’s in Somerset.

In Scotland appearance, out of traditional foods which include haggis (spiced sheep’s innards and seasoning) generally served with tatties (potatoes) and neeps (mashed turnip). Venison and grouse dishes are famous as are stories, a combination of potatoes, onion and red meat cooked in dripping. Scotch broth is crafted from mutton or pork inventory, pearl barley, carrots and leeks At the same time as Cock-a-leekie soup is made from chicken, rice, leeks, and prunes cooked in bird stock. Smoked fish dishes such as kippers, salmon and Arbroath smokies (smoked haddock) can regularly be determined. Subsequently, look out for a delicious chowder like dish known as Cullen skink made from smoked haddock, mashed potato, and milk. Scotland is also well-known for its several whiskey distilleries and a few beers too, like Deuchars and Caledonian.

Conventional dishes in Wales include Welsh lamb hot pot and crawl (meat stew with potatoes and greens). Fish is famous and other dishes such as Welsh rarebit (melted cheese on toast) and laver bread made from oatmeal and seaweed. There are masses of nearby cheeses to pattern together with Caerphilly and Pencarreg. try Bara brith, a kind of tea loaf and Welsh cakes, flat scones cooked on a griddle. look out for consuming institutions belonging to the Flavor of Wales (Blas y Cymru) commonly a signal of top meals and Ultimately a few beers to try, Brains or Felinfoel.

In Northern Eire attempt neighborhood cheeses, oysters and Guinness, Irish stew and drisheen (Black pudding). appearance out for soda bread, Barm break (tea loaf) and potato bread and finish the Evening with an antique Bushmills whiskey.

If touring the Channel Islands, self-catering in Guernsey and self-catering in Jersey, then you’ll locate lots of fresh fish, nearby dairy merchandise and sparkling seasonal produce on the menu. appearance out for scrumptious domestic grown produce referred to as hedge veg bought through the roadside during the islands. Revel in!

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