Eel Pie Island
Eel Pie island lies just 20 metres over the Thames at Twickenham. It has a long history of jazz and rock and became a landmark of British music.
Singer‑songwriter and storyteller Colin MacIntyre, known for his work as Mull Historical Society, continues his exploration of how island communities shape musical identity. This time, he travels not to a remote coastline but to one of Britain’s most famous musical enclaves: Eel Pie Island on the Thames.
Colin meets Henry and Blaine Harrison of Mystery Jets, the band whose early years were forged on the island’s bohemian shores. Together, they reflect on Eel Pie’s extraordinary musical past - from its legendary jazz and blues clubs of the 1950s and 60s to the creative commune that nurtured generations of artists from the Rolling Stones to David Bowie - and how that history continues to echo through their own work as they endeavour to keep the island's rebellious artistic spirit alive.
Producer: Maggie Ayre
On radio
Broadcast
- Fri 3 Jul 202621:45BBC Radio 3
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