Wigan ex-pats' new album is inspired by Billinge Hill, legendary local nightspots and 'kitchen sink' nostalgia
Spot all the Wigan reference points in a new extended play song from musicians for whom the town’s past means so much
A former Wigan musician has released a new EP that takes a poignant, nostalgic journey through the changing social landscape, grassroots music venues, and communities of the North West.
No Real Ale Pubs Just Creative Hubs by Simon Maggs & People Like Us is a collection of melodic, indie-tinged urban folk songs exploring themes of change, gentrification, memory, and what—and who—gets left along the way.
Drawing heavily on Simon’s experiences of growing up in Wigan, alongside bandmate Gary Winstanley, and spending time in Liverpool and Manchester during the 1970s and 1980s, the record moves between post-industrial decline and regeneration.
Lyric-driven songwriting and kitchen-sink social observation sit at its heart, balancing an affection for the past with an awareness of how memory can become romanticised.
Local listeners will identify with references woven into the tracklist.
The enduring landscape of the borough takes center stage on The Sun Always Shines on Billinge Hill, using the local landmark as a backdrop for changing relationships.
Songs like After The Grand and Going Home reflect on legendary nights out in Wigan, charting journeys that began with post-match beers at Orrell Rugby Club before moving on to long-lost local nightspots like the Bees Knees, The Turnkey, The Grand Hotel, and the legendary Pemps— subject to owner Barbara Calderbank, of course!
The record's themes are deeply rooted in Simon's local education.
The track Sunday Morning, Saturday Night was heavily influenced by the kitchen-sink realism novels first introduced to him by his teachers at Up Holland Grammar School, alongside Ken Loach’s influential BBC masterpiece Cathy Comes Home.
Arts publication In Common recently praised the song’s "gentle, gorgeous textures, with one of those Maggs trademarked killer choruses," noting how "the lyrics beautifully capture a deep social consciousness.”
Simon said: “Ultimately, No Real Ale Pubs Just Creative Hubs is a record about people and place: the communities that shape us, the physical spaces we lose, and the stories we carry with us.”