Issue 102 of The Chap celebrates the mad, the eccentric and the maverick artiste, commencing with a surreal conversation between actor Tony Pitts and comedian Vic Reeves. We also meet Dexys frontman Kevin Rowland, who discusses his long musical career and allows us a glimpse into his immense personal wardrobe. Maverick icons featured include Marilyn… … Keep Reading
The City of London doesn’t look much like the set of Blade Runner. It looks more like the set of a Charles Dickens adaptation that ran out of budget and left the builders behind. One of the few parts of the City that looks complete is the Leadenhall Building, around the corner from Leadenhall Market.… … Keep Reading
UMC (Universal Music Catalogue) is releasing the first-ever official soundtrack to the series Peaky Blinders, in a two-CD set spanning all five series, which will also be available as a 3-record vinyl release. Since the opening credits of the first series, using Nick Cave’s menacing Red Right Hand to set the sinister tone, music has… … Keep Reading
Borough Market came to everyone’s attention in the 1990s, when Jamie Oliver pointed out that British food is actually rather good, as long as you spend vast amounts of cash on each ingredient. The market continues to thrive, anachronistically at odds with the vast developments that have taken place around it in Southwark. The change… … Keep Reading
I still find the Eurostar really rather wonderful. You get on a train at St. Pancras and alight some two hours later at Le Gare Du Nord into a different world, where the attitudes, tastes, smells, people and culture are as different from London as sand is to salt. Undeniably, it is quite an anomalous… … Keep Reading
From the eleventh floor balcony of a hotel overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the horizon flashing with lightning, brassy wisps of Mariachi music wafting up from somewhere through the heat of the night, was the sense that we were definitely in Mexico. It had taken nearly 20 hours to reach this moment of Mexican awareness, though… … Keep Reading
Men’s grooming brand Urban Jack declares itself to be on a mission to improve men’s skincare. “Every day,” they tell us, “mens’ skin goes into battle with environmental factors, from exhaust fumes to the unpredictable British weather. Throw in a gym session, a park run and one too many late nights, and it’s little wonder… … Keep Reading
This year sees the return of the legendary Chap Olympiad at Britain’s foremost vintage motorcar race meeting. Taking place over the weekend of 13th-15th September at Goodwood Motor Circuit, this year looks set to have decent weather, for once. As well as the roar of petrol engines in vintage Maseratis, Bugattis and Lamborghinis, flypasts in… … Keep Reading
Keith Waterhouse once described Brighton as ‘a town that looks as if it’s helping the police with its enquiries.’ This barbed, if undeniably once accurate, comment seems somewhat outdated in 2019. Yes, there are still parts of Sodom-by-the-Sea, as it was once dubbed, that have the authentic seediness of the dive about them. However, there… … Keep Reading
As an introductory offer for new subscribers, we are offering a FREE copy of Best of The Chap when you take out an annual subscription. For just £24, you will receive four editions of The Chap Magazine, plus a free copy of our 300-page hardback book celebrating 20 years of publication. Simply visit our Subscriptions… … Keep Reading
The Chap gallops into its second century, hot on the heels of publication of our 100th edition this May, with issue 101. Helen McCrory reveals the dark secrets of creating the role of Aunt Polly in Peaky Blinders, and we also meet Alison McCosh, who created all the male and female costumes on the series.… … Keep Reading
The 2019 Chap Olympiad took place on Sunday 11th August at Firle Vintage Fair, the original date of Saturday 11th having been wiped out by a thoroughly unexpected Sussex storm. The Olympiad revelled in its new country location, on a beautifully manicured croquet lawn in the grounds of Firle Place, a Georgian country pile in… … Keep Reading