An XTC fan has personally funded a new mural in the town centre honouring Swindon's most famous band.
The painting, by Dayna Baxter, was completed on the exterior wall of a house in Crombey Street and depicts the band’s acclaimed fifth album English Settlement.
It was funded by Gary Barrett in a combined effort to beautify the town centre and pay homage to his favourite band.
Gary said: “Everybody’s a winner. It would make Swindon look better, the artist gets to do their trade, the homeowner gets their graffiti covered, and I get an XTC painting.”
The album artwork in the mural depicts the Uffington White Horse, a landmark about eight miles from Swindon.
A mural depicting the band’s third album, Drums and Wires, which featured the hit Making Plans for Nigel, can be seen on hoardings around the Fleming Way works.
But Gary wanted a more permanent installation, and started looking for possible sites.
He was upset by the amount of graffiti he spotted in the town centre’s Crombey Street, saying: “There must be six or seven houses which have got graffiti on and it looks horrible.
“I’ve been a Swindon resident all my life, and to see the town centre as it is really sad.”
Spotting an opportunity to cover up the graffiti with a new XTC mural, he started knocking on doors.
A homeowner allowed the mural to be painted on his wall if they also did a picture of his choice of sea creatures alongside.
According to Gary, XTC draws music fans to Swindon from around the world, from as far as Israel, Japan and America.
The town was to be the host of an XTC convention in 2022, before it was cancelled at the last moment due to the Queen’s funeral.
The members of XTC hail from Swindon, with songwriters Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding growing up in Penhill and penning a few songs about the town.
One, English Roundabout, is supposedly about the Magic Roundabout. Lyrics include: “People rushing round with no time to spare.
"I'm so dizzy, I'm neither here nor there.
"In this traffic jam, I just want to shout, let me off o' this English roundabout.”
English Settlement was well-received by critics, reaching number five on the UK album chart and being ranked number 46 on Pitchfork's list of The Top 100 Albums of the 1980s in 2002.
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