NEWS
A man has spoken out about a period where he hired Banksy to conduct an art workshop for £50 that included a mural, which was then painted over.
Peter de Boer, a senior practitioner on the Bristol City Council, was interviewed by BBC yesterday (January 15) about engaging Banksy – whose identity remains anonymous – for art classes at a local youth club in the 1990s.
In these classes, Banksy taught graffiti to groups of Bristol teens, whom de Boer said was a “true collaboration” where they “were engaged, having fun and sharing ideas”.
“If you look at the photos, you can see the way he was working with the young people,” de Boer told BBC, which published pictures of the classes on the condition of retaining Banksy’s anonymity.
Banksy was hired for £50 to run a workshop with the kids, who were excited to work with the artist even as “nobody thought twice about who he was”.
“The thing that struck me back then was he didn’t really have an ego. He was doing art with them, rather than doing art for them,” de Boer revealed. “In the morning, he sat around a table with the children, talking about their ideas. Then they would all just muck in and spray these things that were invented.”
“It wasn’t more Banksy than the young people, it was definitely a kind of 50/50 thing,” he added.
However, over time, the murals that came out of these classes did not last. “I personally painted over a Banksy. I threw a Banksy stencil away when I was clearing up,” de Boer said, adding that he has “no regrets at all” about doing it.
“Back then, it was much more about working with and engaging young people. And it was just another art project back then.”
De Boer, then a senior youth worker, had been looking for local artists to help inspire and teach youths in the area of west Bristol. Per BBC, a friend suggested an artist, later revealed to be Banksy, who had begun to gain attention for his works in the city.
“I got his phone number, so I used to call him up and ask if he’d come and do some art projects. He was really keen,” de Boer said. BBC noted that de Boer reached out to Banksy in the same year that the artist revealed his ‘Mild Mild West’ mural, which was painted in response to an incident at a warehouse rave where partygoers were attacked by riot police.
Last December, Blur’s Alex James revealed that Banksy was backstage at their Wembley reunion and “loved” the show. The artist has remained anonymous through the decades, even as speculation has continued. In 2020, Art Attack presenter Neil Buchanan had to deny persistent rumours that he is Banksy.
Another popular fan theory is that Banksy is actually Massive Attack’s Robert del Naja, and it was fuelled further by a Goldie interview in 2017 where he referred to Banksy as “Rob”.
Last March, it was revealed that Banksy could be forced to reveal his real name if a legal tussle over the authenticity of one of his prints winds up in court.
Fontaines D.C. have shared the complete tracklist for their eagerly awaited fifth studio album, Dopamine Chamber, which arrives on 16 October 2026 through XL Recordings. Produced by James Ford, the 11 song project will feature the group’s first guest collaboration, with global pop star ROSALÍA appearing on ‘Where Is Gone?’.
The new record follows their UK platinum certified 2024 album Romance and marks a clear move beyond the guitar focused sound heard throughout much of the Irish five piece’s previous work. Instead, the band explores a more alluring musical direction shaped by electronic elements. Created in London, the English countryside, and Palermo, the album delves into pleasure, danger, and what it means to be human in the modern world. Frontman Grian Chatten called the project a conceptual experiment that draws listeners into an atmosphere designed to alter their mood.
Lead single ‘Marianne’ offers the first taste of the album, which contains 11 original tracks: ‘Six Shot Morning’, ‘Marianne’, ‘Mimesis’, ‘Happy For You’, ‘Demolition’, ‘Tongue’, ‘One Man’, ‘Where Is Gone?’ featuring ROSALÍA, ‘You Miss Me’, ‘Japan’, and ‘Intimate’. Dopamine Chamber will be released on standard and deluxe vinyl, CD, cassette, and all major digital platforms.
News of the album arrives while the Dublin band continues an extensive schedule of shows around the world. After completing sold out arena tours throughout North America, Europe, and the UK in late 2026, including major appearances at London’s O2 Arena and Manchester’s AO Arena, Fontaines D.C. will begin performing at outdoor stadiums during summer 2027.
Their 2027 summer schedule includes two headline concerts at Ireland’s Slane Castle on 26 and 27 June. The band will then play major shows at Cardiff’s Blackweir Fields, Newcastle’s St James’ Park, Manchester’s Heaton Park, Glasgow Green, and London Stadium, where they will headline on 9 July.
Dopamine Chamber can now be preordered, while ‘Marianne’ is available to hear on all leading streaming platforms.
