Wire’s debut single Mannequin is one of the mellower and more melodic songs to be taken from their landmark debut album Pink Flag. (more…)

In many ways this is the prototype for punk. Which is odd, since Wire have come to be regarded as the progenitors of post-punk. (more…)

The 12th and final edition of the first punk fanzine, Sniffin’ Glue, came out in August 1977 and included this flexi-disc by Alternative TV. (more…)

The Boomtown Rats enjoyed their second hit with Mary Of The Fourth Form – a song that would surely be judged controversial by today’s standards. (more…)

Television: Marquee Moon – 45th Anniversary Reappraisal

It’s funny the things you find when you look through your old stuff. This was lurking among my singles. It was the cover that caught my eye. The song – not so much. (more…)

It’s November 1977 and there’s a new female voice in punk when Penetration release their debut single with singer Pauline Murray. (more…)

At the start of 1977 the US punk scene was almost exclusively centred on the East Coast in general, and New York in particular. But things were slowly beginning to stir on the West Coast. (more…)

The Now were Peterborough’s first punk group. They didn’t make much of an impact but they did make this brilliant debut single. Released on the Ultimatum label in November 1977, it captures the spirit of punk perfectly without resorting to the mindless thrash of so many others jumping on the bandwagon. I’d go so far as to call it a lost classic.
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Of all the bands in that Class of ’77 the one whose gigs I never missed were The Heartbreakers. The thrill of seeing two of the New York Dolls – a band I’d been too young to see before they broke up – was enough in itself. (more…)