Singing group Blake are the newest recruits to the Get On campaign to get more people motorcycling. We caught up with Humphrey Barney in a break from rehearsals, and found him very excited about joining life on two wheels.
“I had a 50cc Aprilia scooter in London, which was amazing, completely transformed London for me really. Rush hour has never even been an issue, I know that I can be there on time. I can be anywhere in 35 minutes.“
And for the price of a daily travel card I could fill up a tank of petrol that would keep me going for a week.” But it’s not just the practicality that appeals to the self-confessed petrol head. “It’s enjoyable because you can see the city. It’s just fun.”
Humphrey had an unusual introduction to motorcycling. He grew up on a farm where his sister (for reasons too complicated to explain) was given a cow. When it had a calf she did the only sensible thing – sold it and bought a scrambler motorbike. “We were allowed to go off on it – wearing a helmet, obviously – and explore the farm.”
But because his car licence allowed him to ride a 50cc scooter, he’s never done a CBT, let alone a full motorcycle licence. So he’s looking forward to all four of the guys in Blake going through the experience together, and already talking about planning a motorcycling road trip into their next tour schedule.
The band aren’t the only ones looking forward to it, though. One mention of motorcycles on Twitter had their female fans buzzing with messages like “we thought you looked good in suits, but we’re looking forward to seeing you in leather!”. No wonder they’re thinking of riding onto the stage to start their gigs with a roar!
Blake’s latest album, “Together” has just been nominated for Album of the Year at the Classical Brit awards. We ask if they’re planning an album of motorcycle songs. “That’s not really our style,” laughs Humphrey. “Our music’s more suited to relaxing with a beer after a hard day’s riding. ‘With or Without You’ would be quite a good motorcycling song.”
A deluxe version of the album will be released at the end of March, so you’ll be able to judge for yourselves. And you can follow the progress of Humphrey, Stephen, Ollie and Jules on their Get On blog.