Only toff ‘n’ roll but they like it

THEY’RE calling it the triumph of the toffs. Where British rock and roll was once the megaphone of the working classes, nowadays all the hottest guitar wielders tend to be from exclusive, occasionally aristocratic backgrounds.

Whether it’s novelty-bearded ex-public school boys (Mumford and Sons), the offspring of prominent literary families (Florence and the Machine) or showbiz brats (Lily Allen), the face of contemporary English music is increasingly well-heeled, trust-fund supported and, frankly, rather posh.

The latest example are the Vaccines, four hyped-to-the-tonsils Londoners whose super-rapid ascension from the bottom rung ‘toilet circuit’ to the front pages of the music press has been accompanied by some uncomfortable questions about their provenance.