Megaro Hotel Kings Cross London

The British have essentially been everywhere and done everything so it’s no surprise that we have a few icons floating around the earth – all famous for various reasons. Although we may be best known for things such as tea, red telephone booths and double-decker busses, there is a considerable stem of talent that originates from our culture.

These talented people are known for breaking from the crowd and finding their own image within the sphere of influence that is so very important in this era. Similarly, here at The Megaro, we’ve differed from the norm and found a way to express our personality and talents to the world.

Here is a list of 5 British pop culture icons that we all simply adore (in no particular order):

1. THE WHO – formed in the mid 60’s, the Who are up the list in the scene of talented acts from the era. The Who took a bold step toward defining a uniquely British rock vernacular in the 1960’s and had a great amount of success as their record sales of over 100 million worldwide show. Although the Who often take backstage to some of the more well-known influences of the time, their music still remains an incredibly popular and typically British influence in music to this day.

2. DAVID BOWIE – breaking from tradition and introducing the music scene to a variety of sounds are just two of the things Mr. Bowie did during his time. David Bowie was a leading figure in popular music for over five decades as he saw acclaim for his innovative work. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, his music and stagecraft significantly influencing popular music. During his lifetime, his record sales, estimated at 140 million albums worldwide, made him one of the world’s best-selling music artists.

3. LED ZEPPELIN – yet another late 60’s band made our list but for great reason. Led Zeppelin were a band known for their ability to combine blues, folk, and musical theory into a combination with strong substance. The band’s first four albums are seen as being rock classics for their unique flare amongst the crowded music scene from the rock-crazed time they were at their prime.

4. THE ROLLING STONES – no parent anywhere wanted his daughter to bring home Mick Jagger, Keith Richards or Brian Jones. They were the anti-Beatles with their dirty, sexy rock and roll heavily inspired by American R&B. If time is any metric of sheer success, talent, or ability, the fact that they’ve been a functioning rock ‘n’ roll unit for more than 50 years, the longest run in history, proves their excellence.

5. THE BEATLES – the Beatles are probably the most popular band in history, ever. There’s no way to describe how different the world of pop music was after the Beatles arrived. They were the greatest because they were successful beyond anyone’s standard at the time. They had an unprecedented gift for innovation and thus managed to change the rules of the game forever. To be honest, the list could extend for miles but the easiest way to put it is that they’re simply the best British icon.

No group is potentially as misunderstood as the Punks from the good old 70’s. Punk rock may have had it’s 15 minutes of fame, but we can still take away some important lessons from the loud, fast-moving, and aggressive era of musical creation. Punk is definitely more than just a music genre. It’s a highly influential subculture of both ways of living and ways to express your thoughts.

That’s exactly what we’ve done here at The Megaro, taking the influences from Punk and bringing them to light in our unique hotel. We think there’s more to learn from this era too.

Here is a list of 5 punk values we should all follow:

1. INDIVIDUALISM – sometimes the societal pressure to conform can be a little dampening on our individual wants and needs. It never hurt anyone to put themselves first, and that lesson can be attributed to the success of people who ditched what others wanted and started living for themselves.
   

2. FREE THOUGHT – breaking from tradition adds fresh perspectives and ideas into our ever-changing world. Basing our thoughts on logic and reason rather than tradition and conformity only improves the trove of interpretations in our society.

3. DO IT YOURSELF (DIY) – you shouldn’t wait around for the right time to come. Waiting for other people to approve your actions or standing still while others move on only causes delay. Like we say at The Megaro, “we are a place of constant (r)evolution, high in colours and bold in flavours, moving to the city’s rhythms and beats of rock.”

4. HAVE SOME FUN ALONG THE WAY – how boring would life be if everything were taken seriously? Fun is enjoying life’s little things and doing what makes you happy. Fun also means embracing failures you make along the way and learning from them. You don’t have to be perfect, just focus on getting better. No matter how bad your performance was, leap into the mosh pit while the next group is playing and don’t forget to enjoy the ride. Besides, life would be boring if we were all perfect.
   

5. BE UNAPOLOGETICALLY YOU – this is the most important rule of all. No matter who you are or what you do, it is super important that you stay true to yourself and yourself only. When times get hard, it is integral to use your ingenuity to grind out the hardships and it is this that makes the difference between suffering and success.

Punk rock might have had it’s hay day in the 1970’s – but it is still alive and well 40 years later (especially here at The Megaro).

Here are 5 signs you’re still a punk rocker at heart. 

1. YOU STILL HAVE A SMALL SCAR FROM THE NOSE RING YOU WORE IN THE 70’S – hey! It looked cool when you were a teen – and would still look cool (if only you didn’t work in investment banking…)
   

2. YOU PLAY STICKY FINGERS ON REPEAT ON YOUR IPHONE – classics never go out of style (like your old Vivian Westwood leather jacket) – and the Rolling Stones (or Stones to you) are no exception.
   

3. YOU SECRETLY VOTE FOR LABOUR – you wouldn’t admit it to your Board Room chums but the deep-rooted rebel in you just can’t face voting for the establishment.
   

4. YOU SHOP LOCALLY – your love of the spiked mohawk you once sported might have faded but you love of local commerce has never died. You wouldn’t be seen dead in a Tescos or Starbucks.

5. YOU CAN STILL PLAY THE GOD SAVE THE QUEEN GUITAR SOLO – it might now be more of an occasional party trick at weddings than a tune to impress your punk peers during a jam session on a Tuesday night at ‘the social’ but it still remains part of your repertoire (and you still rock it).

At The Megaro we like to think of ourselves as quintessentially British (we are located opposite one of the UK’s most important and historical transport hubs after all); and it got us thinking – what are our favourite quintessentially British ‘things’?

Here are some of our thoughts: 

1. RED TELEPHONE BOOTHS – in today’s world of smart phones and instagram posts, running up the street to a photo booth to tell you mum you’re going to be late for dinner seems like a thing of the past. Yet still – red telephone booths remind us of a bygone era, and prove the perfect backdrop for your Snap Chat selfie.
   
   The closest red telephone box to the hotel can be found in Smithfield Meat Market. 

2. TEA – when the Brits are happy – they drink tea. Sad? Drink tea. Worried? Drink tea. It’s kind of our thing. Want a taste of what it feels to be British – get yourself a cuppa.
3. RED ROUTE MASTERS – once again one of our quintessential British things is red (the Brits love red) – in the 50’s and 60’s London’s roads were dominated by these symbols of British pride and once again in 2011 to 2017. Us Londoner’s love our red buses.

   Bus route 15 runs historical AEC Route Masters from Tower Hill to Trafalgar Square.

4. BRITISH BULLDOGS – Brits love their four-legged friends – and is there a furrier beam of true patriotism than the British bulldog? We think not.

5. THE QUEEN – Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II is the most quintessentially British thing we can think of – with her stiff upper lip, her commitment to duty and her garden parties. Guests can visit Lizzy during a tour of the Staterooms in Buckingham Palace.