I never get tired of this song. It’s probably my favourite by Elvis Costello – certainly up there with Oliver’s Army and Accoidents Will Happen. A miniature film noir in song, it’s brimming with tension, musically and lyrically. And Nick Lowe’s production gives it the element that all the best songs exhibit. Space. (more…)

Back in 1977, one of the hardest-working bands on the live circuit was 999. They also had some of the best tunes. And Emergency was the best of the lot. (more…)

Here’s another one from my dusty singles collection, most of them released between 1977 and 1980. It sounds startlingly similar to Styrofoam, by The Tyla Gang, which was one of the first singles on Stiff Records. It’s also got a similar jerky vibe to Richard Hell & The Voidoids. (more…)

John Cooper Clarke was the poet laureate of punk. Along with Linton Kwesi Johnson he was everywhere, filling in at gigs as a kind of cross between an MC and a support band. (more…)

It was hard to know what to make of XTC; they were certainly unlike any other band of the punk era – and still sound unique today. (more…)

This is surely one of the most memorable singles to emerge from the punk era. Everyone remembers its rallying cry, and Poly Styrene’s immortal intro: “Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard. But I think… OH BONDAGE! UP YOURS!!” (more…)

By far the best song on the Max’s Kansas City live album from 1976, this was the sole contribution of Harry Toledo. It sounded strange then – it still sounds ahead of its ahead of its time today! (more…)

There was nothing particularly punky about the Tom Robinson Band. But front man Tom’s fiery left-wing politics, his status as a gay man who proclaimed his sexuality in song, and his campaigning work to help found Rock Against Racism made him a welcome fellow addition to the circuit. (more…)

I always had mixed feelings about The Stranglers. For all their ubiquity, there was an abiding sense that they were basically a bunch of old fellers who’d been playing on the pub circuit for years and jumped on the punk bandwagon. (more…)

The Rezillos injected a bit of fun into punk when they burst on to the scene with I Can’t Stand My Baby. There was something cartoonish about the band’s appearance, music and lyrics, reflected in the artwork for their records. (more…)