Droll puns and slogans chalked up outside the nation’s pubs and coffeeshops have become a venerable UK high street institution. Last year, short-lived Mornington Crescent pop-up Brew Bar took the proverbial biscotti with its daily dose of chuckle-inducing efforts.
But it was Gavin Fernback of The Fields Beneath who elevated the genre to the next level, achieving viral social media status with his ‘In Case of Tiredness’ notice on Prince of Wales Rd railway bridge and the original, yellow ‘diversion’ sign-aping classic: ‘coffee’.
And how we continued to smile proudly at these examples of Kentish Town’s cheeky creative spirit when The Grafton just up the road got their very own ‘beer’ one done.
Indeed, it proved popular enough to necessitate a sturdy chain to stop merry pranksters making off with it at closing time.
But then, a bit like a five year old telling the same knock-knock joke to progressively less comedic effect, yellow signs started cropping up all over the place.
And NW5’s amusing diversion became an increasingly charmless road to nowhere.
Now, sections of the high street are literally littered (enjoy that ‘lliteration?) with shrieking, wit-free clones of the genre.
Even Gavin at Fields has diluted his own original message, getting a Frentishtowner crowd-pleasing ‘croissant’ version made up.
But are you still getting tickled by all this carry on, or have we, in fact, gone way beyond peak sign?
And – overwhelming proliferation aside – at what point does a knowing gag become a played-out cliche?
Perhaps it’s time to bring back the chalkboards…
