The Special Patrol Group and the 80s riots
The Special Patrol Group was a Metropolitan unit that became very unpopular in the 1970s and was blamed for the 1981 riots in Brixton
February 2011
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Walthamstow – Mecca of Punk and New Wave
Walthamstow in north east London has a proud Punk and New Wave history centred on Small Wonder Records as Tony McMahon reports
Berlin and the 1980s German pop craze
In the early 1980s – British indie kids got into German pop especially the so-called Neue Deutsche Welle as Tony McMahon recalls
Robert Plant on Tiswas
In 1981, Led Zeppelin front man Robert Plant found himself on children’s programme Tiswas as Tony McMahon discovers
Kraftwerk releases Computer World
In 1981, Kraftwerk released the Computer World album at a time when synth pop was dominating the charts and Tony McMahon was there
Neville Staple – the Original Rude Boy
The biography of Neville Staple – Original Rude Boy – was co-written with Tony McMahon and published by Aurum Press
Tiswas versus Multi-Coloured Swap Shop
In the late 1970s, two very different Saturday morning kids programmes squared up against each other – Tiswas and the BBC’s Swap Shop
Punk and Ska movies of the 1980s
The start of the 1980s saw some cultish punk and ska movies that captured the rebellious spirit of the time
1980s pop does Japan and China
The sound, visuals and political aesthetic of Japan and China influenced western pop bands and culture in the 1980s
The John Lennon Tapes and the FBI
John Lennon was put under surveillance by the FBI under President Nixon in 1972 over his anti-war activities and youth influence