Artist News

Tom Watson bigs up Drenge as he resigns Labour frontbench

By | Published on Friday 5 July 2013

Drenge

Formal endorsement from an MP isn’t really high up any musician’s priority list now is it? Though Labour’s Murdoch-basher in chief Tom Watson has just enough street cred to make such a recommendation of value in PR terms, especially when it comes in the sign-off of a resignation letter. And even if said resignation is in part linked to a scandal currently engulfing the Labour Party (albeit one in which Watson wasn’t directly involved, a confidential internal report has apparently confirmed).

Anyway, Watson resigned from the Labour frontbench yesterday, referencing that scandal, describing the appeal of the backbenches of parliament where an MP can be more forthright with his or her views, and then referencing his recent trip to the Glastonbury Festival and the best band he saw there, Infectious signings Drenge.

Wrote Watson in his resignation letter: “John Humphrys asked me why you were not at Glastonbury this weekend. I said Labour leaders can’t be seen standing in muddy fields listening to bands. And then I thought how terribly sad that this is true. So: be that great Labour leader that you can be, but try to have a real life too. And if you want to see an awesome band, I recommend Drenge”.

Whether the readers of the political pages of the press now being introduced to the buzzy drums-guitar duo from the Peak District will like what they hear if they go looking online to sample Watson’s tip is debatable, though given the social media chatter yesterday, the MP’s big up seems likely to have had a positive impact overall.



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