I was in Britain’s top indie band but quit fame to run a restaurant in London
A BIG indie singer surprised fans when he left the world of touring behind and decided to turn to the foodie business instead.
Pete Denton played the bass for famous British band The Kooks for over a decade before deciding to pack it in.
Although the 34-year-old loved every minute of his time in the indie group, the musician ended up struggling with balancing his home life with touring.
In an interview he did with Clash music after leaving The Kooks, he shared that by the time his first child turned two, he had been on the road so much his son didn’t even recognise him.
The English man now regrets that he didn’t spend more time with his family when his kids were young.
He said: “I didn’t feel like I had enough time, but at that time I didn’t really understand it.
“Parenthood was brand new, and it wasn’t until a few years later really that I kind of thought, wow, it would have been nice to have had a bit more time to adjust and enjoy the early stages of parenthood, but I didn’t have time and, plus, everybody’s got bills to pay.
“But yeah, I was straight out; I think I was out back on the road within 10 days of Dylan being born, and it was a big tour as well.
“I remember coming home every couple of months, and I remember him answering the door one time when I came home and I was like, ‘S**t, my kid is two!’ He was like, ‘Who are you?’ And I’m like, ‘I’m your dad! Hello!’ he laughs.
“So it was a bit mad, but then, you know, from that it did kind of shift things, and we were a bit like, ‘You know what? We need to start making more time for our family and each other.’ I don’t want to miss out on that… There’s only so much Skype you can do before it becomes a little bit of a problem.”
Pete ended up making the decision to leave The Kooks in early 2019, trading in the big stage for a behind-the-scenes role as the owner of a Hackney restaurant and wine bar.
But although he’s given up fame for the moment, the family man hasn’t given up on music.
The bassist currently curates the music that is played at his high end eatery, and has also worked on opening a gig venue in the space.
Hackney Coterie boasts a menu that changes every week and organic wines at an affordable price.