Time Out at 40

See all Time Out's 40th birthday London heroes

How does it feel to be a London hero?
‘I love London and am inspired by it, it’s what we write songs about, like “West End Girls” for example, ha ha. So maybe it’s not such a strange choice.’

Who are your London heroes?
‘Noël Coward. He was a Londoner, he grew up in London, lived in his mother’s boarding house in Ebury Street and then when he was successful he just moved around the corner to Belgravia. And also he defined something about the West End of London – only recently they named a theatre after him. He defined an idea of a smart, society London. But also he wrote about working-class London in a way that it might sound slightly patronising, but it wasn’t intended to be.’

What’s your favourite London place or thing?
‘Chelsea, particularly at dusk. I have a terrible habit, which friends find embarrassing, of looking in people’s windows at dusk, because the lights are on but they haven’t shut the curtains. I think that’s a great moment, and I don’t care if people see me looking.’
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What’s your personal favourite London moment?
‘In 2004, we performed alongside the Dresden Sinfonika in Trafalgar Square, playing a soundtrack to “Battleship Potemkin”. And it was amazing, because it’s a silent film, and 20,000-ish people came and watched a silent film. And it was raining. And by the way, no one ever mentions that it rains more in Paris than it does in London. Paris has a higher average rainfall than London. And that was incredible, because we were right in the heart of London, and the best thing about it for me is that with that I don’t actually have to do very much – I play a little bit of keyboards and I sing two-and-a-half songs, so I could really sit and watch the film. And it was great watching all these people looking up, right in the heart of London, under Nelson’s Column. And Trafalgar Square itself was a very fitting location, because it has had so many political demonstrations staged there. But I felt that night in London that we belonged. It was a very moving night.’

What is the future of your field in London?
‘The great thing about London is the potential for creative anarchy. So at the moment London is a stage for Lily Allen, whether she likes it or not. And I suspect she does, to be honest. I was at the Groucho Club and there was a swarm of paparazzi outside. I said, “Why are you all here?” and they said, “Lily Allen’s in here, innit, Neil.” It’s a stage. It was a stage for Oscar Wilde. It was a stage for Noël Coward. It was a stage for Johnny Rotten, or Amy Winehouse, going on. People wanna know if Mark Ronson left the Groucho with whoever.’

What does Time Out mean to you?
‘We had a great cover with Chris and I wearing bowler hats, for the 1991 Performance tour, and that was shot for Time Out, and we bought it. To have that picture, which is quite a strange, striking image all over London, on billboards, it makes a lot of impact.’

Complete the sentence: London is…
‘Well, the word that came into my head was “fabulous”. So very showbusiness darling, but there we have it.’

See all Time Out's 40th birthday London heroes