She spent two decades in the anarchist band who drenched John Prescott at the Brits. Now she’s writing big-budget shows starring Hilary Swank.
The scruffy camper van in the drive looks promising. Apart from that though, there’s little to suggest that this handsome former vicarage on a sleepy cul-de-sac in a working-class area of Leeds is home to an anarchist. One who once, along with some of her bandmates, very publicly poured a bucket of icy water over the deputy prime minister’s head. There’s even a festive wreath hanging on the front door – that’s practically bourgeois isn’t it?
To be honest I’ve been doubting Alice Nutter’s continued anarcho-punk credentials since speaking to her on the phone, when she tipped me off that for an extra £20 I could upgrade to first class on the train. First class?! What, so I can attack the enemy from the inside? No, because it’s easier to get some work done …
“Everyone thinks that somehow we’d be preserved in aspic, you know, like aged anarchists,” she says after letting me in. “I think everybody should have the right to first class, I don’t think some people should have it and some people shouldn’t. I think everybody should have the right to what’s good in life – I’m not embarrassed about that.”
