The neighbourhood was immortalised (humorously but unfavourably) in the pop band Pulp's song "Mile End", which was featured on the "Trainspotting" soundtrack. The song describes a group of squatters taking up residence in an abandoned 15th-floor apartment in a run-down apartment tower. The artistic director of the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, Danny Boyle, lives in Mile End. Boyle is also the director of "Trainspotting".