Here’s a tragic TV moment – my childhood pop idol from the early 1970s introduces a future pop idol of the 1980s in what became a posthumous broadcast.

A week after this was recorded, Bolan was killed in a car crash in Barnes, a fortnight before his 30th birthday, though transmission was delayed until after the funeral.

It went out ten days later, at the end of September 1977.

I’m not sure if this was Generation X’s first TV appearance but it was one of them, and probably the one that got them the widest audience.

Despite Gen X becoming one of the first punk groups to appear on Top of the Pops, the song only just crept into the Top 40, punk still being a niche genre even in September 1977.

I loved going to see them in those early days: their songs weren’t very tuneful but Billy Idol was a charismatic front man and they had anthemic shout-along choruses and the music was made for throwing yourself around, which is what we liked to do at the time.

The group was made up of Billy Idol – previously known as the former Chelsea guitarist William Broad – and guitarist Bob ‘Derwood’ Andrews, also from Chelsea, plus bass guitarist Tony James (ex- London S.S.) and drummer John Towe, soon to be replaced by Mark Laff from Subway Sect.

I remember sharing a certain scepticism about the punk credentials of Billy Idol, who had just left Brighton University with an English degree and was consequently mocked by everyone I knew for being so “old.”

He must have been about 21 at the time but we were bored teenagers, as The Adverts put it, and as they also observed, this was no time to be 21.

I saw Gen X countless times, including one memorable gig at Hackney Town Hall where I took some great photos of them messing about outside and recorded the soundcheck.

It included cover versions of Whole Lotta Love and Paranoid – songs from a previous era considered anathema for a young punk band – and their manager Jonh Ingham threatened to break my legs if I ever broadcast my tape.

So here it is… (only joking).