An army of tattooed, leather-clad rockers took over Parliament last night for Rock The House, the annual battle of the bands, chosen by MPs from their constituencies. Former Yes star Rick Wakeman, a keen supporter of the event, said: “It’s difficult to know who the MPs are and who the guys in the bands are these days.”
Mike Weatherley, the Iron Maiden-loving Tory MP behind the contest designed to raise awareness of the UK’s live music scene, is now being swamped with offers to export the event. “We’ve had an approach from the Australian parliament and we’ll be running a new contest in Brussels,” he said.
Intellectual property minister Viscount Younger gamely surrendered to the heavy sounds being blasted from the Commons Terrace across the Thames. Describing himself as a “rocker from yesteryear”, he praised the British music industry for producing talent from “Adele to Aphex Twin”.
