THIEVES tried to steal a pub plaque honouring Oxford band Supergrass and left it damaged before running off.

But unlike the teenagers in one of the group’s favourite songs Caught by the Fuzz, they were not arrested for the attempted theft last week.

Oxford Mail:

Now staff at The Jericho Tavern in Walton Street have removed the plaque from the wall because it has been bent out of shape.

The Mitchells & Butler pub has been a popular music venue for many years.

READ AGAIN: Jericho Tavern still a big noise on the music scene

The plaque was erected in 2012 by the Performing Rights Society to honour Supergrass first performing at the popular pub in 1994.

Lisa Charman, a member of the bar staff, said: “We had to take the plaque down because someone tried to steal it.

“It’s safer for now in the bar and it will probably go back on the wall outside at a later date.

“It was quite high up but someone still tried to take it and now it’s been damaged and needs to be fixed.

“The plaque is bent so it might need to be hammered back into shape.”

Oxford Mail:

Radiohead played their first gig in The Jericho Tavern in 1986 under their original name On A Friday while Supergrass secured a record deal after performing a gig there.

Fans who remember seeing the bands starting out fondly recall the basic decor of the music venue upstairs, with sweat dripping off the walls.

The pub was refurbished in 2017 and continues as a music venue.

In 2012 Supergrass were honoured with a plaque at the pub from the Performing Rights Society.

It was following a performance by the band at The Jericho Tavern in the mid-1990s when a promoter came rushing into the dressing room after a gig and, referring to a record contract with Parlophone. said: “You’ve got it.”

In 2012, welcoming the plaque, founding member of Supergrass Mick Quinn said of the Jericho Tavern: “Everyone aspired to play the venue back in the day and I remember seeing my brother’s band This Way Up play there as early as 1983.”

Other acts to play at the venue included Stornoway, The Auteurs, Mumford and Sons, Bastille, Lianne La Havas and Foals.

The pub was bought out in the 1990s by the Firkin chain and was restored to a music venue in 2005.

Supergrass split in 2010 after 17 years but Gaz Coombes has gone on to enjoy solo success with three albums including Matador in 2015 and World’s Strongest Man, which came out last year and reached number 12 in the album charts.

The Jericho Tavern remains a key venue on the music scene, together with The Cellar and O2 Academy. Appearing at the pub on Friday, February 15 will be The Autumn Saints, Drugstore Heroes and Jonny Race.