My London - Pete Wiggs, Saint Etienne

My London - Pete Wiggs, Saint Etienne

26 August, 2009
by: Tom Jeffreys

Welcome to the first in Spoonfed's new series 'My London' where we ask a famous London personality what they most like about our capital. We're kicking off by having a chat with Saint Etienne keyboardist Pete Wiggs. Saint Etienne are currently in the process of re-releasing their entire back catalogue and playing various gigs in London and festivals nationwide. I actually saw them play 'Foxbase Alpha' back in May and they were completely brilliant!

Given the way in which Saint Etienne's lyrics are packed full of very specific London references, Pete seemed a natural choice to launch this series. Although when I ask him where in London he currently lives, he replies: 'I actually defected 18 months ago and moved to Hove'. Oh well, on with the show...

What does London mean to you?
This is probably what everyone says, but it does seem to be the most cosmopolitan city. Growing up in Croydon, London seemed to be the place where everything was happening. And it still feels like that – you can get anything you want here.

Favourite area of London?
I love Embankment because you can just wander for miles up and down. I used to live in Islington just by the canal [incidentally, not a million miles from Spoonfed HQ] and would take a long waterside walk from there down towards Blackfriars – when I was feeling fit... I love the canals – they're a hidden part of the city, especially Regent's Canal: one minute, you see a cormorant and it's really beautiful, the next, someone's shooting up...



Favourite venue to see bands or play live?
It's difficult because a lot of London venues have been taken over and lost all their character. I saw My Bloody Valentine at The Roundhouse last year. I never went there in the early days, but it's a brilliant venue. And we played Bloomsbury Ballroom back in May. I'd never heard of it but it's great to find places that haven't been branded out of their minds.

Favourite shop?
Um, there's a great little Italian deli near Shepherdess Walk opposite the estate there. It's a tiny shop packed full of amazing Italian food – I wish I could remember what it was called! Otherwise, Intoxica is a great record shop in Notting Hill, if you ever find yourself out that way.

Favourite gallery or museum?
I really like the whole Royal Festival Hall complex – the way you can just wander round without really having to actually see anything. It's great to have such vast open spaces in the centre of London. They always have loads of free things going on, or you can just sit back and take it all in.

Favourite restaurant?
There's a fish restaurant near Covent Garden, J something? [I suggest J Sheekey] Yep, that's the one! The food's been great every time I go there. And it's got a really good bar, which looks very 1920s. It's actually more fun to eat at the bar – there's lots going on, and you can occasionally get some free drinks if you're lucky!

Saint Etienne play the Shepherds Bush Empire on 16th October. Click here for more info.

Saint Etienne are currently re-releasing their entire back catalogue. There are some awesome deluxe editions, but we're particularly excited about this. A Saint Etienne Subbuteo figure? AMAZING!



Click here for things to do in London.

Tom Jeffreys