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January 19, 2018

Billing in the name of! Punk band records song inspired by Argus news bills

By Arun Kakar

Brighton punk outfit Hashtag has looked to none other than its local newspaper’s news bills for the lyrics of its latest track Headliner.

News bills (the posters outside shops that sum up a news story in a bid to attract readers) from Brighton daily the Argus feature in the four-minute song, which also features images of the bills in its accompanying video.

Lyrics range from the bizarre – “big lemon makes history” – to the banal – “Post Office cash raid” – in the raucous track, set to feature on a forthcoming album from the four-piece.

Songwriter Pomy Collingwood told the Argus: “I do not read the newspapers, but you see these posters outside off licences and so on.

“And I thought, if you put them all together that’s what the news looks like, from a distance.

“Then I put it to a tune I’d had in my head for a long time. I think it’s come out really well.”

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Kate Parkin, Argus sub-editor and writer of its news bills, said: “Well it certainly isn’t how I expected my words to be used.

“It’s great, although to be honest, I probably won’t be rushing to buy their album.”

Picture: Wikimedia Commons

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