Volume 1

Get The Party Started

From 80’s All The Way

May to August 2024


This Is Not A Love Song

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.

Obsessed

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.

Do You Believe In The Westworld

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.

Hit The North

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.

She Sells Sanctuary

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 History Of The World (Part 1)

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.

Vagabonds

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.

Peek-A-Boo

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.

Medicine Show

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?

Liberator

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.

A Forest

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.

Dead Cities

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.

Wardance

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.

Ghost Town

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.

Staring At The Rude Boys

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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