When the sun comes out, as it finally has (and not before bloody time), there is little I would rather listen to than some desert blues from Mali. (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…)

Joni Mitchell at the peak of her powers with a crack team of jazz musicians, performing live on her Mingus tour in California in 1979. (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…)