Young, black and British in 1970s Coventry
Being young, black and British in 1970s Coventry was tough but Neville Staple and Errol Christie escaped from the Ghost Town
March 2011
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Top movies of 1979
Top movies of 1979 included the groundbreaking sci-fi movie Alien and the revival of Star Trek
Oi! skinhead bands do anti-racism
Oi! anti-racism may seem like a contradiction in terms but some Oi! bands wanted to burnish their anti-racism credentials in 1981
1980s Psychedelic Revival
From 1979, Britain saw a brief Psychedelic Revival born out of punk and the Mod Revival as Tony McMahon discovers
Disability Rights punk pioneer Ian Dury
Punk icon and polio sufferer Ian Dury was a pioneer for disability rights with this song Spasticus Autisticus
Syd Strong – 80s Camden barber
Syd Strong was a barber in Camden who administered flat tops to 1980s fashion victims like Tony McMahon who recalls his haircut
The Adventures of Thin Lizzy
The Adventures of Thin Lizzy – a promotional ad for the band’s 1981 album
Ghost Town – my ska 2tone optioned drama
Ghost Town is a ska 2Tone drama set in Coventry and optioned by author Tony McMahon based on real-life stories from the 1980s
Bands playing Northern Ireland during The Troubles
Bands often avoided Northern Ireland during The Troubles so the province generated its own punk scene as Tony McMahon discovers