Why is everyone obsessed with “Pints, chit chat and good people”?

If you haven’t heard the phrase “Pints, chit chat and good people” then you count yourself as part of a lucky offline minority. The TikTok that birthed the phrase has now racked up over two million views since being posted, but for the unaware, let us paint a picture for you.

It’s a crisp Autumn’s night in Soho, and a few lads are huddled in the smoking area of The Blue Posts (every fashion boi’s favourite boozer and the home of the Palace x Stella Artois pop-up). Guinness is in hand, conversation is flowing, and the vibes are immaculate. The archetypal ‘tache is out in full force, and there are enough vintage garms on screen to put a Depop girlie’s wardrobe to shame. Meanwhile, Dusty Springfield’s sultry voice rings out as the now infamous text – “Pints, chit chat and good people >” – is laid over the top of the video, while a wholesome caption reads “Grateful for the friends I have”.

On the surface, it might seem harmless, but if there’s one thing that Brits take very seriously, it’s their pub culture, and boy did the internet take it to heart. “One of the hardest watches this year,” one commentator wrote. “Nightmare pint rotation,” wrote another. “‘Why do you hate London’,” a third asked, adding: “*gestures broadly at this video*”.

The TikTok itself was filmed and uploaded by influencer Max Lepage-Keefe, who has just under 30,000 followers on the app. Speaking to The Tab, Lepage-Keefe said, “I’ve had people commenting saying that I’ve got a trust fund. I wish I did. I’m not a Tory. I work two jobs… I didn’t say a word in this video, and it’s rattled so many people. I love the pub, and I like dressing how I want to dress. So, just combine the two with a pint, and it’s all right!” 

Lepage-Keefe also pushed back on claims that the video was all pretend and that he and his friends kept glancing into the camera. “One of my other friends was already filming, so I thought I may as well set up my phone too,” he said. “You feel it’s there for maybe the first 30 seconds… I was filming for about 10 minutes altogether. Then I just edited it down.”

“I think it is a toxic masculinity thing,” Lepage-Keefe said of the internet hating on him and his friends. “If one singular video with no words said annoys you that much, it’s pretty sad… Everyone’s got an opinion, and they’re free to say what they want to say… It’s spurring me on.”

Unsurprisingly, the TikTok led to a number of parodies, including one from one of the boys himself, Josh Silerio, whose response clocked in over 1 million views in just over 24 hours – at least they have a sense of humour about it all.

Speaking to HUNGER, Silerio said: “It was actually my first time meeting a lot of the guys there but we all ended up sending it as a group and chatting for ages – unironically having pints and chit chat with good people, we stood outside in the smoking area and I thought it would be nice to record it at one point and the rest was history.”

“I think all of the guys involved had no idea it would go to the extent it’s gone, a few likes and jokey comments maybe – but to have become meme’d was definitely not on the agenda. I can’t be mad at it, especially the funny comments”

When questioned on why he believed the lads recieved so much hate, Silerio responded: “Probably the fact that everyone just dressed different from the typical lads at the pub, on top of the fact that it was recorded and put on social media and for some reason it’s embarrassing to record a memory spent with friends?”

And while it may be too late to go as the lads at the pub for Halloween, we’re sure we’ll be seeing plenty of groups replicating their version of “Pints, chit chat and good people” across the land, and of course, especially in The Blue Posts.