retiredmartin

Let’s visit Chapeltown, the Sheffield suburb which gave the world the Arctic Monkeys*. But not much else, according to Wiki.

I didn’t actually walk the 5.8 miles, or take the train (it’s the last stop in Sheffield heading north before you hit the scary bits of South Yorkshire). I stopped off on the way back from taking 3 tonnes of wood to Stocksbridge tip.

Chapeltown has a tourist information board, but it seems hidden behind a fence and a picture of a cat addicted to bubble gum, which as you pop pickers will know inspired AM, the last Monkeys album with tunes.

The park behind the silly cat is very lovely, with gorgeous views to (checks notes) somewhere.

A chap was repairing his bike outside the Working Mens Club (John Smiths, Carling, Stones) which inspired the Arctic Monkeys song “Secret Door“.

At the other end of the Chapeltown pub chain sits a new Gin Bar under the arches which I’d never heard of and will probably end up in GBG21. Astonishingly, it’s not open at 10:17 on Wednesday.

Nut here’s one that is. Wet.erspoons never lets you down.

The Wagon & Horses will inspire a future Arctic Monkeys B-side “What happened to the second “G” ?“.

It feels very quiet for a Spoons, till I realise sensible people sit outside pubs when the sun comes out.

But septuagenarian care little for that sunshine nonsense, and get on with the job of saving England’s craft beers

I’m acquiring a taste for the Heineken 0.0 (brought out with a glass), a perfect match for the pathetically small breakfast muffin (top) and the most anaemic looking hash brown since Harare 1998.

As uneventful as an “experimental” Monkeys album that NME considers “brave”, I can at least tell you that the Old Boys in Spoons really HATE wearing masks.

*OK, actually High Green, but I didn’t go there, did I ?