? Playlist: St. Modwen Roadtrip
Whether you’re working from home, on-site, self-isolating or just in need of a little pick-me-up, we’ve put together a high-energy playlist of songs that will take you on a musical tour of our sites across the country.
Find out more about each track below and see how it (tenuously) links back to one of our developments. Hit play, crank up the volume and enjoy – there’s something for everyone.
Click here to open the playlist in Spotify
1. Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns N’ Roses
Lead guitarist in hard rock band Guns N’ Roses, Slash was born in Stoke-on-Trent in 1965. In his extensive career he helped propel the band to global fame in the late 80s and early 90s before co-founding supergroup Velvet Revolver in 1996. In 2012, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
St. Modwen purchased The Trentham Estate, located in Stoke-on-Trent (you see what we did there), in 1996 and has since brought listed buildings back to life, reinstated the extensive flower gardens and restored historic parkland to make it one of the country’s leading visitor attractions.
2. Flowers (feat. Jaykae) – Nathan Dawe
Released in 2019, this latest take on Sweet Female Attitude’s ‘Flowers’ has been produced by Burton-upon-Trent DJ and producer Nathan Dawe, and features vocals from Birmingham rapper Jaykae.
Interestingly, we also know a thing or two about Burton-upon-Trent, with 1 million sq ft of industrial and logistics space at St. Modwen Park Burton, and our award-winning St. Modwen Homes development of Branston Leas.
3. Venus – Bananarama
Bear with us on this one. Bananarama was technically formed in London in 1979 when childhood friends Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward moved from Bristol and met third member Siobhan Fahey to create the power-pop trio. And with that, we’re calling this one Bristol.
St. Modwen Park Access 18 Avonmouth is one of our prime industrial and logistics sites, located adjacent to the M5 and a stone’s throw from Bristol. Already home to DHL, Hermes and Ocado, the development offers flexible space from 5,000 to 700,000 sq ft.
4. Holding Out for a Hero – Bonnie Tyler
This one’s good. Bonnie Tyler (birth name Gaynor Hopkins) was born in Skewen, Neath in 1951 and boy do we know a thing or two about South Wales.
Our regeneration of the former BP Llandarcy Oil Refinery site at Coed Darcy in Neath, South Wales, will see the creation of a new community of up to 4,000 new homes over the long term with schools, green open parkland and employment space.
5. Mr Blue Sky – Electric Light Orchestra
One of Birmingham’s finest, ELO peaked at number 6 on the UK charts with ‘Mr Blue Sky’ in 1978. It has become the band’s signature song and is a feel-good classic.
Speaking of Birmingham, it’s where St. Modwen has its head office, or more specifically Longbridge, the former home of MG Rover. St. Modwen Homes is also busy in Birmingham with its first city centre high-density residential scheme in Digbeth, known as Digbeth One 2.
6. Who Are You – The Who
The Who’s 1978 single ‘Who Are You’ was recorded in Ramport Studios, an old church that the band converted into studios in the early 1970s. Located on Thessaly Road, Nine Elms, London, the studios were also used by musicians including Brian Ferry, Thin Lizzy, Supertramp and the Sex Pistols. The building is now Battersea Fields Medical Practice and sits opposite New Covent Garden Market, where St. Modwen is carrying out a major regeneration of the flower, fruit and vegetable markets.
7. Pretty Green Eyes – Ultrabeat
Ultrabeat are a British electronic music group from Liverpool, England formed in 2002. This iconic dance tune propelled Ultrabeat into the mainstream and peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart in 2003, however it’s actually a cover of a song originally written and recorded by Force & Styles.
We actually have a few schemes in Liverpool: Stonebridge Business Park in North Liverpool, Moorgate Point industrial and office complex in Knowsley, and Radley Park (St. Modwen Homes) in St. Helens.
8. I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing – The New Seekers
Lyn Paul, born in Wythenshawe, Manchester, in 1949 rose to fame as a member of pop group The New Seekers. ‘I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing’ originated as the Coca-Cola jingle ‘Buy the World a Coke’ in the 1971 Hilltop TV ad.
Wythenshawe Town Centre, a leading retail and employment hub in the south of Greater Manchester, forms part of St. Modwen’s long-term regeneration strategy.
9. What Makes You Beautiful – One Direction
Formed in 2010 on the seventh series of The X Factor, One Direction quickly became the biggest boy band in the world. Members Harry, Niall, Liam, Zayn and Louis have since parted ways and formed their own solo careers. Louis Tomlinson, born in Doncaster, returned to The X Factor in 2018 as a judge and mentor on the show. His first solo single was released in 2016 and peaked at number 2 in the UK chart.
St. Modwen Park Doncaster consists of 247,000 sq ft of industrial and logistics space, with the final phase having recently reached completion. The development is home to Bosch Automotive, DB Schenker and Thornhill Engineering.
10. Karma Chameleon – Culture Club
Karma Chameleon was released in 1983 by pop band Culture Club, fronted by lead singer Boy George. The song spent six weeks at the top of the UK chart and three weeks at number one in the US. Boy George was born George Alan O’Dowd in a hospital in Kent in 1961 and was raised in Woolwich, London.
Woolwich Exchange is our proposed development for the regeneration of the site between Plumstead Road and Spray Street in Woolwich, formerly known as Spray Street Quarter. Working in partnership with Notting Hill Genesis, our plans include new community spaces, cafes, bars, restaurants, workplaces and new homes.
11. Perfect 10 – The Beautiful South
Jacqui Abbott joined The Beautiful South as one of the band’s vocalists between 1994 and 2000 and performed on some its biggest hits including ‘Perfect 10’ and ‘Rotterdam’. Born in 1973 in St. Helens, Lancashire, Jacqui was discovered by Beautiful South co-founder Paul Heaton after meeting him outside a club.
Radley Park is St. Modwen Homes’ development of two, three and four-bedroom new homes just three miles from St. Helen’s town centre.
12. Wonderful World – James Morrison
The second single from English singer songwriter James Morrison, ‘Wonderful World’ was released in 2006 and peaked at number 8 on the UK chart. Born in Rugby in 1984, James’ first album ‘Undiscovered’ sold over 1 million copies globally within six months of its launch.
St. Modwen Homes’ Rugby development, Edison Place, has proven popular with young professionals and first time buyers, with more than 60% of homes being sold under the Help to Buy scheme.
13. Born Slippy .NUXX – Underworld
‘Born Slippy .NUXX’ was released in 1996 after its inclusion in the Danny Boyle film ‘Trainspotting’. The single followed the release of ‘Born Slippy’ in 1995, where ‘Born Slippy .NUXX’ featured as a B side. Founding member of Underworld, Karl Hyde, was born in Worcestershire in 1957.
A slightly looser connection here, perhaps, but St. Modwen has a number of developments in Worcester, including four industrial and logistics schemes (Nunnery Park, Great Western Business Park, Shrub Hill Industrial Estate and Broomhall Business Park), and Weogoran Park, a St. Modwen Homes development of two, three and four and five-bedroom homes.
14. Scared of the Dark – Steps
British pop band Steps was formed in 1997 and went on to have success with hit singles ‘5,6,7,8’, ‘Tragedy’ and ‘Deeper Shade of Blue’. Bandmates Lee, Claire, Lisa, Faye and H reunited in 2017 following a five-year break and released their fifth album ‘Tears on the Dancefloor’ with lead single ‘Scared of the Dark’. Band member Claire Richards, also known for her stints on Celebrity Big Brother and Loose Women, was born in Hillingdon, Middlesex in 1977.
Uxbridge, HQ of the London Borough of Hillingdon, is home to St. Andrew’s Park – a new community of 1,300 homes and parkland on the former RAF Uxbridge base.
(There’s also a cracking dance routing to this one if you fancy learning it…)
15. Road Rage – Catatonia
Welsh rock band Catatonia was formed in 1992 by Mark Roberts and Cerys Matthews. ‘Road Rage’ received critical acclaim, being nominated for best single at the Ivor Novello Awards and the Brit Awards. Cerys, who is now a BBC broadcaster, was born in Cardiff in 1969 and moved to Swansea when she was seven years old.
We couldn’t miss out Swansea (Bay), home to Swansea University’s Bay Campus, which has seen St. Modwen transform this 65-acre former oil site into an internationally acclaimed centre for academia with over 1m sq ft of accommodation, teaching and state-of-the-art academic and research space for over 5,000 students and 1,000 staff.
