The sun is shining, the birds are singing and everyone is taking advantage of pub beer gardens being open again as COVID-19 lockdown restrictions continue to slowly lift - well, everyone except Labour Party leader Keir Starmer who was recently thrown out of a Bath pub by a landlord channeling his inner Peggy Mitchell.

 Photo credit: PixabayPhoto credit: Pixabay

In honour of these brighter times, we're curated the perfect playlist to get you back in the mood for your favourite tipple. It seems like it's been forever, but we're ready to pay more for our booze than we've needed to for months...

1. Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) - The Doors

Taken from their iconic self-titled debut album, this is probably the most famous incarnation of Elisabeth Hauptmann's translation of Bertolt Brecht's song for the 1927 play Little Mahagonny. It was also covered by David Bowie with the 1979 version of Space Oddity as a B-side.

2. Cigarettes & Alcohol - Oasis

The fourth single from their 1994 debut album Definitely Maybe, Cigarettes & Alcohol was Oasis' second UK top 10 release. It's a blues rock song that represents the working class more than their previous singles, and marked a huge social statement at the time.

3. Tequila - The Champs

By far the easiest song in the world to learn lyrically, which is just as well if you're drinking Tequila while singing it. Released in 1958, the Mexican-flavoured rock 'n' roll tune topped the charts at the time and has one of the most recognisable riffs in music history.

4. Friday Night - Lily Allen

In this 2006 night out anthem, Lily Allen details two altercations during a post-pub venture to the club; both with the person on the guest list, and a group of rowdy girls at the bar. It wasn't a big hit from Alright, Still, but it certainly should be.

5. Pub Feed - The Chats

It's not just the drinks we've been missing; a decent serving of pub grub has also been on our post-lockdown to-do list for a while, and no-one says that better than Aussie punk trio The Chats on Pub Feed from their 2020 debut album High Risk Behaviour.

6. Alcohol - Gogol Bordello

Something of a comedic love song to the bottle, gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello's Alcohol featured on their 2007 fourth album Super Taranta!. It's not their most famous song, but it's certainly one of the best.

7. Closing Time - Semisonic

This 1998 earworm is the perfect last song for a night in the pub - but it's not a phrase we enjoy hearing after being pub-free for so long. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1999, and notably appeared in the film Friends with Benefits and the TV series The Office.