The vessel was gutted by a fire earlier this year
The Royal Iris on fire (Image: London Fire Brigade )
It was cream-coloured, instantly recognisable, and known to many as “the fish and chips boat”. For decades, the MV Royal Iris ferry was a part of Liverpool life. Navigating the Mersey, it became an unlikely stage for music history.
Launched in 1950, the Royal Iris was a ferry like no other. Alongside its regular crossings, the boat hosted dances, live bands, and river cruises “from eight ‘til late” where passengers would drink, dance, and tuck into fish and chips or “soup in a basket” while the Mersey glided by.
For Steve “Avo” Lindsey, bassist for legendary Liverpool rock band Deaf School, the Royal Iris was more than just a ferry – it was part of his childhood and early music career.
He told the ECHO: “I’ve got happy memories of the boat. My dad was a semi-pro drummer and did loads of gigs in and around Merseyside, dating back to the post-war period. When I was a kid, he was out about three nights a week. ‘Gig’ was one of the first words I ever heard.
“He used to play in all sorts of ballrooms and venues all over Merseyside and would regularly be hired to play on the Royal Iris.”
One story in particular stands out – a brush with a Beatle: “I remember him saying there was one occasion when he was on the Royal Iris and this kid from one of these up-and-coming beat groups said to him, ‘Do you mind moving your drums over, mister? Because I need to get my amp on stage.’ It was John Lennon. This was as The Beatles were getting bigger and bigger around Merseyside.”
Rock ‘n’ Roll dancing on the pleasure boat “Royal Iris” on the River Mersey. April 1958(Image: Mirrorpix)
The Royal Iris was an important venue for the Merseybeat scene and inspired Gerry Marsden’s anthem “Ferry Cross The Mersey”.
For Avo, the ferry wasn’t just memorable for its music. Growing up, the Mersey was “incredibly busy with tugboats and all sorts of ships, as well as the ferries going back and forth doing the commuter jobs.” The cream-coloured Royal Iris stood out – and not just because of its paintwork.
He said: “It was known as the fish and chips boat. The idea of going on a boat and having fish and chips was very romantic.”
As he grew older, Avo found himself performing onboard, both with Deaf School and at other gigs. He recalls being present one night in 1978 when Stiff Records hired the ferry to promote a Yachts album.
Deaf School bassist Steve “Avo” Lindsey
The Royal Iris was eventually retired in the 1990s and sold. Since 2002, it has sat grounded on the Thames, its once-proud decks rusting away. For Avo, that’s a tragedy.
He said: “For the boat to end up in the Thames, grounded and left to rot, is criminal. It’s one of those things that, in the same way that the Cavern’s history is kept alive, the Royal Iris would have been brilliant to have docked in Liverpool. It was a really special thing and to see it rotting away is heartbreaking.”
The vessel was gutted by a fire earlier this year. On Tuesday, April 8, at around 4.20pm, the boat went up in flames. The London Fire Brigade said six fire engines and around 40 firefighters tackled the blaze near Harrington Way in London.
Approximately half of the boat was alight at the height of the incident, but it was brought under control at around 7pm.
Merseyside, Avo says, is missing something like the Royal Iris. He added: “It’d be brilliant, wouldn’t it? The river is underused, I think. When I was a kid, the river was so, so busy. There’s certainly room for a boat of this nature.”
Avo has recently released a single called ‘Royal Iris,’ as part of his upcoming album “Ping”, which will come out on October 3. For him, the song is a tribute – a way to “celebrate what it was”.