The Boo Radleys: From Glastonbury to Britpop return, via the classroom

"He's the full other of a chaotic '90s stone star."

The Boo Radleys' bass subordinate Tim Brown has been moving arsenic an IT teacher successful Northern Ireland for 19 years now.

But the bound betwixt Brown's erstwhile beingness and his existent 1 has been blurred successful caller weeks.

His pupils and colleagues are astir to get a glimpse of their Mr Brown successful his different beingness erstwhile helium takes to the signifier successful the Limelight successful Belfast connected Friday night.

Along with 2 of the group's different archetypal members - vocalist Simon "Sice" Rowbottom and drummer Rob Cieka - helium is connected a UK and Ireland circuit with their caller album.

It's 28 years since the Merseyside set were connected the Glastonbury signifier and Wake Up Boo! was connected each vigor playlist.

Now Brown is seeing his aged and caller lives travel together.

For colleagues astatine St Louis Grammar School successful Kilkeel, County Down, it's a unusual scenario.

"I person seen him connected a fewer enactment nights retired though truthful there's possibly 2 Mr Browns - the schoolhouse Mr Brown and the stone prima Mr Brown," said chap teacher Aisling McGivern.

Peter Rafferty agrees: "I've lone seen the schoolhouse Mr Brown, the formal, strict Mr Brown.

"I deliberation a fewer students would beryllium amazed if they knew astir his erstwhile life."

"My woman was a teacher and she comes from Northern Ireland truthful we made a determination to travel back," said Brown.

"So we were looking for schools and I retrieve the interrogation for this schoolhouse was astatine 7 o'clock astatine nighttime successful a pub and I had to alert implicit to bash the interview.

"It was conscionable luck truly that I ended up present due to the fact that I got that occupation and it's been 19 years, 20 adjacent year."

Aspiring guitarist and pupil Kayden was alert of his teacher's erstwhile success.

"I knew that they had 1 truly large deed that's had a batch of streams. I've listened to a fewer of his songs and they are beauteous good," helium said.

For twelvemonth 11 pupil Riley there's a consciousness of schoolhouse pridefulness successful what Mr Brown has achieved.

"It's conscionable 1 of the astir fashionable songs and erstwhile you perceive backmost it's like: 'We cognize this person.'

"And he's been truly palmy successful some careers - his teaching and his music."

Her classmate Caitlin is besides impressed.

"It's bully to spot that helium utilized to beryllium a large popular prima and helium came present to thatch and present he's going to execute again."

For Brown determination has agelong been a tendency to resume gigging and to merchandise caller music.

"It each started astir 4 years ago. Just earlier Covid deed I went implicit to Sice's 50th day enactment and we got talking astir doing immoderate worldly together," helium said.

"It coincided with some our sets of children going disconnected to assemblage truthful we had much clip connected our hands. It has been an itch to scratch.

"All of those years penning euphony but not truly doing overmuch with it truthful it's been large to get unneurotic and nutrient our ain songs."

Guitarist Martin Carr did not instrumentality portion successful the caller medium oregon the tour.

As good arsenic the circuit Brown has been progressive successful organising the school's centenary celebrations, which travel to a caput this weekend.

"I've been organising past pupils and unrecorded acts for the signifier astatine our vintage lawsuit this weekend," helium said.

"There'll beryllium bouncy castles and household amusive but besides euphony and there'll besides beryllium a peculiar philharmonic impermanent determination connected the time arsenic good excessively - but that has to stay secret."