The eighth single to be released by Stiff, Silver Shirt was a far cry from the punk rock with which the label is associated.

It was, however, a miniature masterpiece, by the long-forgotten Nottingham band Plummet Airlines.

It reminds me of Mott The Hoople, especially in the vocals of Harry Stephenson, who also wrote the song.

Plummet Airlines were regulars on the pre-punk pub circuit and this was produced by another, Sean Tyla of The Tyla Gang (who had also released an early Stiff single, Styrofoam).

They were previously called Glider and had formed at art school in Nottingham as a made-up group called The Brothel Creepers to play a band in a student film.

I remember them playing sessions on The John Peel Show but they fell apart when punk began to happen, despite being managed by John Eichler, the genial manager of The Hope & Anchor in Islington where so many punk bands used to play.

Bass player Darryl Hunt went on to join The Pogues while two others, Duncan Kerr and Keith Gotheridge, joined doo wop revivalists Darts. Front man Stephenson can still be found performing in his band The Last Pedestrians.