7: Beans On Toast - Alt-folk inspirations, running iconic indie club nights, prolific songwriting secrets, and releases in lockdown

Beans On Toast - aka Jay McAllister - was at the heart of the London indie scene in the 2000s. A prolific alt-folk songwriter, his social commentaries - often in collaboration with some of the era's biggest stars - were turned around in double-quick time. But when he wasn't on stage himself he was running some of the biggest indie club nights in the capital, such as Frog. Here, he tells The Boys in the Band Podcast how he helped turn the iconic Nambucca pub from a quiet, empty boozer into the epicentre of the London indie scene, with help from his friends Frank Turner, The Holloways, Florence and The Machine and many more. He also reflects on his ELEVEN studio albums, teases number twelve, and explains how his quick songwriting and straight-talking style has enabled him to release singles during lockdown about the coronavirus pandemic.  Beans On Toast fan? Share your memories of the band with us:  Twitter: @TheBITBpod (https://twitter.com/TheBITBpod) Instagram: @boysinthebandpod (https://www.instagram.com/boysinthebandpod/) Facebook: The Boys In The Band Podcast (https://www.facebook.com/TheBoysInTheBandPod/) Or drop us an Email - [email protected] Written, presented and produced by Peter Smith (https://twitter.com/psmithxi?lang=en) and Richard Gallagher (https://twitter.com/richgallagher84?lang=en-gb) Pod thumbnail design by Daniel Curtin (https://twitter.com/dan_curtin_ksr?lang=en-gb) . Photo: @ghandi.photography (https://www.instagram.com/ghandi.photography/)