Of all the bands I expected to become proper pop stars in punk’s Year Zero of 1977, the one I probably had highest hopes for was The Boys. (more…)

Punk doesn’t get much punkier than Lookalikes, the anti-conformist anthem that opens Temptations Of A White Collar Worker, the debut EP by Manchester band The Drones. (more…)

I don’t think I’ve ever anticipated an album as eagerly as I awaited the first Clash album. (more…)

Cock Sparrer might not have been “authentic” punks – they had been playing in East End pubs since the early 1970s – but they brought genuine working-class authenticity to the scene. (more…)

Delving deep into my collection of punk singles, I find the double-A-side Freeze / Man Of The Year – the only release by The Models. (more…)

Another ubiquitous band in those early days of punk was The Cortinas, flying the flag for Bristol. (more…)

Another of the one-flop wonders of punk, Chelsea are more notable as being the group who became the much more successful Generation X. (more…)

More of a footnote in punk history than a key moment, this was the title track of what can validly claim to be the first self-released punk album.
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I have this record in my singles collection but I never played it much – and I have to admit I didn’t appreciate its significance as the first queer punk single. (more…)

I’m properly sad to hear that Chris Bailey has died. The Saints were a huge part of my youth. (more…)