May to August 2024
PUBLIC IMAGE LTD
John Lydon, one of my teenage heroes, is at his spiteful best here. His record label asked for a nice, marketable love song… this was his answer.
999
Mixing the spaghetti western soundtracks I adored as a kid with the genre that grabbed me as a teen, 999 could’ve written this just for me. They even named it after one of my personality traits.
THEATRE OF HATE
Post-punk gave us thundering bass lines, tribal beats — and in this case — saxophone. Do You Believe in the Westworld is a classic from Theatre of Hate. They’re touring the UK right now, and I caught them in Brighton last night.
THE FALL
The Fall were active across five decades and released a staggering 32 studio albums. They came to a close in 2018 with the death of frontman Mark E. Smith. This is one of my many favourites — Hit the North.
THE CULT
Sticking with the post-punk thread, here’s a track from the early goth-rock scene. I loved this song when it came out, but nearly 40 years on, the title means more to me than ever.
THE DAMNED
The Damned were punk’s pioneers: the first to release a single, the first album, and—naturally—the first to split up. By 1980, they were back with their fourth album. This track is my personal favourite from that era.
NEW MODEL ARMY
Formed in 1980, New Model Army fused punk’s energy with folk-style storytelling. They’re still going strong, having just released their 16th studio album. This one’s from 1989 — Vagabonds.
SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES
Siouxsie and The Banshees debuted just two days after forming, playing the legendary 100 Club Punk Festival. Over the next decade, they built a massive following. This song is from their ninth Top 20 album — Peek-a-Boo.
BIG AUDIO DYNAMITE
Remember that spaghetti western-inspired track from a few weeks back? Medicine Show takes it further—sampling all three films from the Dollars Trilogy. Mick Jones and Clint Eastwood together in one track. What more could you want?
SPEAR OF DESTINY
My band of the decade. Punk-influenced rock with big, soaring anthems. I saw them countless times in the ’80s, and a few more this millennium. This was their fourth single, way back in 1984 — Liberator.
THE CURE
These three imaginary boys began in the late ’70s with a pop-tinged take on punk, but by 1980, they’d embraced a darker, gothic sound. This was their breakthrough — A Forest.
THE EXPLOITED
I’ve gone easy on you lately… time for some full-throttle, no-prisoners punk. In-your-face and unapologetic—this is Dead Cities by The Exploited.
KILLING JOKE
Punk, funk, tribal, metal… the sound of the earth vomiting—take your pick. Killing Joke blend it all. They even inspired me to get a Fred Astaire tattoo. This is music to dance to, music to move, this is music to march to. This is Wardance.
THE SPECIALS
Do punks like ska? Absolutely. And this is one of the best. The Specials captured the mood of 1980s Britain perfectly. With today’s headlines, some might say not much has changed… Ghost Town.
THE RUTS
Back to punk, but keeping the ska connection. This classic’s about rude boys tearing up the dancefloor to some heavy-heavy ska. From West London punks The Ruts — Staring at the Rude Boys.
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Dave The Punk