Beautiful South singer puts cash behind bar at 60 pubs

Paul Heaton, singer of the band Beautiful South, will put money behind the bar at pubs across the UK today to help fans celebrate his 60th birthday with him.

The singer said he will mark reaching the milestone birthday by putting money behind the bar at 60 pubs so that punters can “have a drink on me”.

Heaton will leave cash behind the bar at establishments which have “some significance” to him, including the Bird I’th Hand in St Helen’s, which is home town to his bandmate, Jacqui Abbot.

Other drinking holes where regulars can raise a glass to the crooner include the historic Minerva Inn in Plymouth, Polgooth Inn in St Austell, The Old Toll Bar in Glasgow, and Keohoes in Dublin.

Heaton said: “Enjoy a birthday drink on me (until the money runs out, or the bar runs dry !).”

He had originally planned to celebrate the occasion by cycling between 60 pubs across the UK and Ireland, and performing in each one. However, the idea had to be shelved for a number of reasons, and the musician decided to shout pub-goers a pint instead.

“The next best way to celebrate this coming of age is to handpick 60 pubs across the UK and Ireland and put a given amount of money behind the bar of each,” Heaton said.

The pop star has a long and storied history with pubs, having once famously thrown David Cameron out of the King’s Arms in Salford, which Heaton used to own, after the government allegedly snubbed his offer to donate The Beautiful South’s back catalogue profits to the nation’s coffers. The frontman said he would donate the profits from the band’s hits to the Treasury but says Tory ministers declined.

“I offered my songs up for nationalisation. This would mean songs like Happy Hour, Rotterdam, Perfect 10 and the rest, every time they got played on the radio, the state would take the money and put it back into improving our living standards,” he told Channel 5 show The Wright Stuff.

“I felt I’d made enough money from them, I didn’t want to nationalise my savings, as such, I was just saying this was a gift to the British public and I got a refusal from Greg Clark.

“I understand it is not Conservative policy to nationalise things but neither is it to be so blatantly imprudent to throw money away.”

Of his decision to give away free drinks today (Monday 9 May), Heaton added:

“The hope is to bring people together, whilst recognising that many folk who bought my records or showed me support over the years, could do with a wee party, as we come out of Covid and hit potential financial struggles…

“So, if there’s one near you please head over, show your support and raise a toast to me on my birthday !”