The Slits’ debut Cut has come to be regarded as one of the classic post-punk albums. But they sounded nothing like that whenever I saw them live: for the first couple of years they were widely mocked as a joke band. (more…)

This is the greatest disco song of all time; no argument about that. And one of the greatest songs of all time. I usually tend towards the view that these things are a matter of opinion but in this case I hope we can all agree. (more…)

Kitsch, camp, catchy and controversial, this was the first song to come out by Adam & The Ants. Deutscher Girls first appeared on the soundtrack of Derek Jarman’s film Jubilee. It didn’t make Stuart Goddard’s name. That would come later. (more…)

The Flys might not have been able to spell their own name but their debut single is another of my forgotten favourites from the punk era. Listening now, it wouldn’t sound out of place on a Power Pop compilation. (more…)

I’m not sure exactly when the term New Wave came into common use, or why. It has a sense of “not quite punk but nearly” about it. Advertising were one of the first. (more…)

Brainiac 5 are an oddball entity in the annals of punk, post-punk and New Wave, but they left their mark on me with their 1978 Mushy Doubt EP. (more…)

Big in Japan became better known for the subsequent successes of their band members than for their own music. Or, as the Liverpool Echo put it, they were “a supergroup with a difference – its members only became super after they left.” (more…)

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…)