NoIdon’tlikewhereyoucomefrom,it’sjustasatelliteofLondon:High

Wycombe,theSexPistolsandthepunktransformation

MartinJames,SolentUniversity

Abstract

Thejourneyfromproto-punktopunkoccurredathighspeedinmanyof

London’ssatellitetowns.Amongthese,thetownofHighWycombeinthehome

countiesoffersanarrativethatcantraceaninvolvementintheearlieststagesof

thatjourneyasaresultofperformancesbyleadingBritishpunkgrouptheSex

Pistols.ThisarticleexploresthreeSexPistols-relatedeventsthatareusedtomap

threeclearphasesoftheproto-punktopunktransformation.Thefirstwave

notestheblurredlinesinthefluidsymbioticrelationshipsbetweenproto-punk

inLondonanditssatellitetowns.DrawingonCrossley,InotethatLondon’s

networkedpunk‘musicworld’wasreliantonbothculturalcommutersand

activitiesintheprovinces.Iproposeafurther,fluidnotionoftransivity1that

showstherelationshipbetweenlocaland‘commuter’punksisneeded.The

secondwaveshowsthedamagingaspecttoHighWycombe’spunkidentityas,

duetoitscloseproximitytoLondon,manyifitskeyactorswouldmovetothe

capitalassoonastheywereableto.Theyescapedfromthe‘boredom’ofHigh

Wycombe–thecommutertown–togotothe‘excitement’ofcosmopolitan

Londontolivetheirdreams.Thethirdwaverevealsamomentofclassand

regionalcohesion,throughwhichaHighWycombePunkidentityemergesduring

thesummerof1977.Thisoccursamongthefirstandsecondwaveparticipants

whoremainedandthenewerschool-agedpunks.Finally,thearticleintroduces

thelocalpunkterrainbeyondthetimelineunderinvestigation.Here,regional

andclassdifferencebecameplayedoutthroughviolentinteractionsbetween

Wycombepunksandskins,andpunkscenesfromothertowns.Hereweseethe

assertionof‘WycombePunk’asatype.

Keywords

SexPistols

punk1976

satellite

proto-punk

WycombePunk

skinheadrevival

Xtraverts

post-punk

Figure1

Punk,inafunnywaywasaboutgrowingupinasuburbantownanddoing

yourownthing,itwasn’tsomuchaboutbeinginLondon.Maybethat’s

whyitwasimportant(Jones2017)

ThehistoryofUKpunkhasbeenasiteofstrugglesincebeforetheemergenceof

aclearlydefinedsubcultureinlate1976.Thepopularmusicpressinitially

soughttoreduceUKproto-punk’smessyemergencetoateleologicalprogression

involvinggreatcreativevisionaries(McLaren,Westwood,Lydonetc.)andgreat

events(100ClubPunkSpecial,LesserFreeTradeHall,etc).Thisprogression

becamerepresentedinaproto-punknarrativethatfocussedonLondon,

McLaren,WestwoodandtheSexPistols(Hebdige1979;Marcus[1989]1990;

Savage1991;Nehring1993).

ThevitalroletheLondonsuburbofBromleyplayedintheemergence,

developmentanddisseminationoftheproto-punkperiodhasbeenwell

documented.However,thewiderroleofthecapital’ssatellitetownsandtheir

placeinthenarrativeofearlyUKpunkhasbeenlargelyunexplored,beyond

theirroleasminorlocationsintheSexPistols’earlybiography.Sabin(1999)

mayhavecomplained;‘howmanymoretimesmustweheartheSexPistols

story?’(1999:2),buttheirbiographyissynonymouswiththeemergenceand

disseminationofBritishpunk(Worley2017:3)andisinextricablyboundtoa

satellitepunkstoryastheband‘pickedupsupportfromLondon’sdormitory

towns’(Savage2005:145)throughtheirearlygigs.

ThisarticleusesthreedatesintheperiodbetweenFebruary1976andAugust

1977inHighWycombe,Buckinghamshiretomapthegrowthofproto-punktoa

self-identifyinglocalpunkidentity.EarlygigsbytheSexPistolsandtheir

mediationoffersaprismthroughwhichweareabletoseeUKpunk’semergence

andgrowthinHighWycombeandsurroundingareas.Thegrowthofregional

punkcanbeseenwithinthetimeframeasthreewaves.Thefirstwavecanbe

seenasanacknowledgementandengagementofartschoolstudentswho

consideredthemselvestobetheband’scontemporaries,togetherwiththe

conversionofsmallnumbersofmusicpressawarefansandalinktomusic

industriespersonnelsuchaspromoters.Theembraceoflocalmusicians,curious

musicpressconsumersandtheemergenceofbothself-identifyingpunksand

punkbandstypifythesecondwave.Thethirdwavecanbeseenthroughthe

clearemergenceofamainstreamedideaofpunk,theclaimtoalocalpunk

identityandtheideologicaldominanceofspecificpeopleandbands.

Thekeydateswithinthisstudyare:Friday20February1976,whentheSex

PistolsperformedatHighWycombe’sBuckinghamshireCollegeofHigher

Education;Thursday2September1976,theband’sgigattheNagsHeadpub;

andWednesday17August1977,whenthebandwerewidelyrumouredtobe

returningtotheNagsHeadaspartoftheS.P.O.T.S.tour.2

ThefirstofthesegigshasbeenasiteofpunkmythologyasapartoftheSex

Pistolsbiography(Savage2005:152–54;Ogg2006:495;Strongman2007:110–

11;ParkerandO’Shea2011:67;Heylin2016:61–63;etc.).Itwasfollowingthis

gigthatBuzzcocksformed,andtheSexPistols’firstManchesterLesserFree

TradeHalland100Clubdateswerebooked.WiththeexceptionofWorley’s

explorationoftheemergenceofaNorwichpunkscene(Worley2016a)and

Savage’sbriefconsiderationoflocalStAlbansaudiences(2005:190)therehas

beenlittleinvestigationintopeopleattheband’searliestgigs.Thatthesegigs

convertedaudiencesintheirwakehasbeenseenasagiven.

Usingthesegigs,IarguethatHighWycombehadastrongproto–andpunk

network.Ithaditsownclearlydefinedlociofvenues,pubs,bands,clothing

market-stalls,schoolsandaninfluentialcollege.Furthermore,ithadkeyactors

includingmusicians,promoters,artists,fashiondesignersandfanzineproducers.

However,thetown’spunkidentitywasinitiallyunderminedthroughitsclose

proximitytoLondon.HighWycombepresenteditselfasaculturalcommuter

scenewithmanyproto-andfirstwavepunksdefiningthemselvesthrough

activitiesinboththeirhometownandthecapital.Despiteanearlyembraceof

punk,theformationofaclearHighWycombepunkidentitytooksometime.

Itshouldbenotedthatnopubliclyavailablerecordedevidenceexistsofthefirst

gigunderinvestigation,althoughPaulMorley(2008)claimsfutureBuzzcocks

membersHowardDevotoandPeteShelleytapedtheSexPistols’performance

andstudiedit‘extremelyclosely,asifitwereascripture,aseriesofcodesto

decipher’(2008:63–64).ThesecondSexPistolsgigconsideredherewasfilmed

byaFrenchTVcompanyandtheperformanceof‘AnarchyintheUK’wasusedin

thefilmTheFilthandtheFury(Temple,2000).Onlythevisualswereused,with

sounddubbedfromtheScreenOnTheGreengigon29August1976.This

investigationisprimarilyconstructedthroughjournalisticaccounts,personal

testimoniesinprintandonline,andthroughparticipantinterviews.

ItisworthnotingthatGavinWatsonphotographedHighWycombe’spost-1979

skinheadcommunitiesextensivelyandhelpedcodifythatscene.Althoughhe

alsophotographedpunksofthesamepost-1979period–insodoingrevealing

aspectsoftherelationshipbetweenpunkandskinheadculturesinthetownat

thattime–hewasnotactiveduringthispre-punkphase.TheHighWycombe,

MarlowandAylesburypunkscenesfromearly1978weredocumentedby

ColleenWatts,whosephotographshavebeenusedextensivelyonlineandin

post-humousrecordreleases.However,neitherWatsonnorWattswereactive

duringthepre-punkperiodunderinvestigationandthereforeneitherattended

ordocumentedeitheroftheSexPistolsgigs.

Proto-punkdiaspora

Respectedretrospectiveanalysesoftheproto-punkperiodhavearguedforthe

primacyofasmallselectionofkeypeople,stylesandplacesintheearlyUKpunk

story(Hebdige1979;Marcus[1989]1990;Savage[1991]2005;Nehring1993).

Hebdigedistilspunkauthenticitythroughconsumptionpracticesthatprioritize

theauthenticityofthecapitalcityanditskeyactors.Hearguedthatonce‘the

originalinnovationswhichsignify“subculture”aretranslatedintocommodities

andmadegenerallyavailable,theybecome“frozen”’(1979:96).Lohmannotes

thatHebdigesetupahierarchythat‘recognisedonlythosepunkswhoshopped

inLondon’sKingsRoadas‘original’punks’(2017:28).Shefurtherarguesthat

suchapositiondeniedregionalpunktheagencytoproduceitsownmeanings,

thereforerenderingitsubordinatetoasmallgroupofmeaningmakersin

London.Cobley(1999)arguesthatSavage’swidelycelebratedaccountEngland’s

Dreaming(Savage2005)dismissesthepunkstorybeyondLondonandits

suburbofBromley.Hearguesthatthebookpresentsastoryinwhich‘King’s

RoadsupplantsBloomsburyand,insteadofwhatVirginiasaidtoLeonard,we

areofferedwhatViviennesaidtoMalcolmastheauthenticandoriginalmeaning

ofpunkrockthroughouttheland’(Cobley1999:170).IndeedSavage’smain

acknowledgementofactivitybeyondLondonislimitedtoearlySexPistolsgigs

(2005:144–45,153)asthey‘pickedupsupportfromLondon’sdormitorytowns’

(Savage2005:145)andabriefcoverageoftheManchesterpunkscene.

Thisisnottosaythatpunksintheprovinceshavebeenignored.Morerecent

workhasshonealightonaregionalpunkdiaspora(Bestley2011:41–71),

throughwhichpunk’smigrationfromcapitalcityouttotheregionscanbe

viewed.Worley(2017)arguesthat‘theSexPistols’culturalinterventionwas

interpretedandreimaginedthroughtheurban,socioeconomicandcultural

landscapesofplaceslikeManchester,Leeds,Liverpool,Sheffield,Bristoland

Coventry’(2017:9).Regionalmeaningsofpunkwerethusformulated.Abrief

surveyofthemediationofaregionalpunkdiasporarevealsnumerous

journalisticrepresentationsofManchesteraspunk’ssecondcity(Haslam[2000]

2010;Morley2006;Owen2015;etc.).Radioandtelevisiondocumentarieshave

focussedonnorthernindustrialcitiessuchasHuddersfield,Northallertonand

Manchester(Temple2013;Hodkinson2016;etc.),whileseriousstudieshave

exploredpunklifeinspacesasdisparateasSouthampton,Brighton,Wigan,

Belfastand,again,Manchester(O’Brien1999:186–98;Medhurst1999:218–31;

Cobley1999:170–85;Albiez2006:92–106;etc.).

Muchoftheworkintoregionalpunkpracticesoutlinedherehasobserved

locationsthataregeographicallydistancedfromLondoninperiodsafterapunk

subculturehadgainedsomeself-definingclarity.However,therehasbeenlittle

investigationintothesatellitetownsthatlayjustbeyondLondon’ssuburbs.

Thosetownswhichwerecloseenoughtothecapitaltoenableeasyaccessto,and

eventualimpactsonLondon’sculturalshifts,buttoofarawayforitsproto-punks

tobecentraltothekeynetworks.ThroughinvestigationintotheSexPistols’

interactionswithHighWycombe,itisalsopossibletoseehowboththe

narrativesaroundthebandbegantoformandhowtheformationand

disseminationofproto-andearlypunktookplaceinLondon’scommutertowns.

HighWycombe

LocatedinthehighlyaffluentcountyofBuckinghamshire,thetownitself

appearedtooutsiderstobeindirectoppositiontoCoonetal’sclaimsforpunk’s

workingclassheritage.Fromtheperspectiveoftheleft-leaninglate-1970s

ideologicalmusicpress,post-industrialnortherntownslikeManchesterwerea

perfectculturalhomelandforthepunkscene’ssocialnarrative.HighWycombe

seeminglywasnot.Huq(2007)outlinescommonassociationsofsuburbandcity

inwhichthesuburbsaredepictedas,amongotherthings,white,quiet,

aspirational,conformist.Thecityontheotherhandispresentedasaspacewith

ethnicmix,noise,multipledeprivationanddecay,andbohemianattitudesetc.

(Huq2007:38).RonWattsarguedthatmostofWycombe’spunkswere

middle-classkidsplayingatbeingrebels.Wycombe’saniceplacetolive,

it’snoconcretejungle.It’shardtopresentyourselfastheauthenticvoice

ofthestreetswhenyourfather’sabankmanager,youmother’sa

headmistressandyouliveinanicesemiinthesuburbs.(2006:180)

Watts’commentwastypicalofthepopularnotionofpunksfromthehome-

counties.Toanextent,thiswasindeedthecase.Jamesoutlinestheimpactof

punkonaffluenttownsontheedgesofHighWycombe,notingthatamonghis

owngroupofpunkfriendswerethechildrenofheadteachers,areamanagers

andcompanydirectors.Infactamonghisownpunknetworkweremultiple

OlympicgoldmedallistSteveRedgrave,aswellasRoaldDahl’sgrandsonwho

wasoneoftwopunksfromEtonCollege(James,inpress).

Aswithmanysimilartownshowever,HighWycombecontainedhighlevelsof

deprivationlinkedtolong-term,generationalunemployment.Asatownitwas

dominatedsociallyandeconomicallybythefurnitureindustrythatwentinto

declineinthelate1970s.Theareasubsequentlyexperiencedconsiderable

unemploymentandsocialproblems,particularlyinthoseplacesinthe

outreachesofHighWycombe,suchasCastlefield,Micklefield,Terriersand

Totteridge,whichGavinWatsonhasdescribedas‘bleak’(2008:11).Theseareas

notonlyhousedalargenumberofthepopulationofwhiteindigenous

unemployed,butwerealsohometosignificantnumbersofCaribbean

(Vincentian)andPakistaniimmigrants.Furthermore,thetownalsoincludeda

largepopulationofJamaicanimmigrantsalsolivinginthesepoorerareas.

Sociallyandculturally,HighWycombehadmuchincommonwiththeareasof

LondonthatthemembersoftheSexPistolshadgrownupin.Indeed,suburban

spacessuchasHighWycombeprovedaspotentabreedinggroundforpunkas

innercityLondon.ItwassimilarlyaspacewherepunksandRastafariansfounda

commonground.Oneofthefewpubsthatwaswelcomingtoyoungpunkswasa

Jamaican-ownedhostelry,theRedCrossKnightatTempleEnd,closetothetown

centre.‘ItwasoneofonlytwopubsinBritainthathadablackpublican.The

otheronewasinLondon’,statesAdrianSherwoodofOn-USoundfame,whofirst

startedDJ’ingaged13atsoundsystemclashesintheNewlandsCentre.Thebar

ontherighthandsideoftheRedCrossKnightwasfrequentedbymembersofthe

Jamaicancommunity.Thesoundsystemplayedanendlesslover’srock

soundtrackincludingtheworkoflocalproducerClement‘Clem’Bushay,best

knownforTapperZukie’sManAWarrior(1973).Crucially,punkswereaccepted

and,inashiftthatcanbeviewedascolonialismtopost-colonialism(Adams

2008:469–88)becameadvocatesofreggaeandRastafarianism.

AnotherimportantaspectofHighWycombe’ssocio-culturalterrainwasthe

centralpositionofBuckinghamshireCollegeofHigherEducation.Thecollege

boastedtwovenues:thetowncentrestudentunionbarsituatedinacarpark

separatetothecollege,andalargerhallspacewithinthecollege’smainbuilding

wheretheSexPistolsfirstplayed.ThefactthattheSexPistolsgigtookplaceina

FurtherEducationinstitutionwithanartfoundationcoursethatwasafeederfor

StMartin’sandChelseaartschoolscannotbeunderstated.‘WewereatHigh

Wycombebecauseitwasanartschool’(Matlock2017).Commontomanyliberal

artcollegesinthe1970s,HighWycombehadareputationfordeveloping

creativeexpressionamongitsstudents.Unusually,itwasanapproachthat

extendedtoteachinginthefurnituredepartmenttoo.Formerfurnituredesign

studentJonathanMoreexplains:‘OneofourtutorswasLucianErcolani,ofHigh

Wycombe’sErcolFurniturecompany.Hereallyencouragedafree-thinking

environment.IthoughtIwastheretolearntocreatedovetailjoints,butinsteadI

wasallowedtomakeprettyweirdthings.TheatmospherethattheSexPistols

conjuredcertainlyinspiredthis’(More2018).

Figure2

Figure3

Figure4

Friday,20February1976

Friday20February1976.HighWycombe’sBuckinghamshireCollegeofHigher

EducationbroughtitsragweektoaclosewithaFridaynightstudentdiscoanda

gigheadlinedbyScreamingLordSutchandtheSavages.Supportcamefromthe

SexPistols,whohadturnedup‘verylate’(Lassen2018)‘unheraldedand

unannounced’(Savage2005:145)andwereplayingwhatwasonlytheirtwelfth

gig.Theirfeeforthegigwasonecrateofbeer,althoughsocialsecretaryTony

Wilkins,whobookedtheband,hassubsequentlyclaimedheknockedtheirfee

downtohalfacrateofCarlsberg(Lewis2016).Thebandsounded‘unbearably

mid-range,justacacophony,butreallyexciting’(Sawney2018).Theyplayedfor

nomorethanfifteenminutes(Jones2017;Lassen2018)withasetthatcertainly

included‘NoFun’(Boon2017).Reportsthatthebandalsodebuted‘NewYork’

and‘Submission’(ParkerandO’Shea2011:66)areunlikely,duetothebrevityof

band’sset.Theirperformanceenduredanumberofinterruptionsfromthe

audienceandorganizers.Rotten’saggressive,anti-studenttauntsand

destructionofamicrophoneresultedinsomeonepickinghimup‘bythebackof

hisbeltandscruffofhisneck’,andthrowinghim‘intothesparselyfilled

“auditorium”likeasmallsackofpotatoes’(Lewis2016).Rottensubsequently

deniedsmashingthemicrophone(Lewis2016;ParkerandO’Shea2011:67;

Heylin2017:62;Boon2017).ThedisruptionresultedintheDJtryingtoputa

recordonastheband’sperformanceof‘NoFun’cametoashambolicclimax.

‘Rottenjustshouted“fuckoffwe’lldowhatwewant”’(Lassen2018).Inwhatwas

tobeonlythesecondprintedreviewoftheSexPistols,juniorreporterJanice

Raycroft(neeMcKelvie)notedthatRottendenouncedthecollege,ragcommittee

andtheaudience‘inasteamoflanguage’beforeannouncing‘that’sitwe’regoing

home.’(McKelvie1976).ThepowerwaspulledandthestudentunionDJstarted

playing,

somethingbyJackson5,orwhatever[…]andtherewasabsoluteuproar

becausebythistimetherewasawholeloadofusthatwantedtheSex

PistolsandtherewasawholeloadofthemthatwantedJackson5,and

thensuddenlysomeonebackstageworkedouthowtogetthePistolsback

on,andtheywerepluggedbackin,wegotmoreofthem.(Raycroft2018)

FollowingonemoresongthebandwerefinallycutshortbytheSocialSecretary

TonyWilkins,whopulledtheplugsonceandforall.TheDJ,AssistantSocial

SecretaryPatrickGraham,replacedthebandwithadiscotrack,announcing:‘Oh

yer,intheNMEtheysay“we’renotintomusic,we’reintochaos[…]”andIthink

weknowwhattheymean.Harhar’(Savage2005:153).

Amongtheband’sentourageinHighWycombewereMalcolmMcLaren,tour

managerNilsStevenson,BernieRhodes,SidVicious,SEXemployeesJordanand

HelenWellington-Lloyd,andfuturememberoftheNippleErectorsShanne

Hasler.Significantly,intermsofpunkmythology,theaudiencealsoincluded

HowardDevoto(neeTrafford)andPeterShelley(neeMcNeish),whohad

travelleddownfromtheBoltonInstituteofTechnology.TheirfriendRichard

BoonhadalsotravelledfromnearbyReadingUniversity.Thethreesomehadmet

upatSEXthatafternoontotryandfindoutmoreabouttheSexPistolsafter

readingthedebutreviewofthebandtwodaysearlierintheNME.Thereview

itselfwasoftheband’ssupportslotwithEddieandtheHotRodsattheMarquee.

Spencerbarelymentionedtheheadliners,insteadchampioning‘aquartetof

teenagemisfitsfromthewrongendofvariousLondonroads[…]’(Spencer1976:

31)whodeclaredthemselvestobeinto‘chaos’ratherthanmusic.

AnothernotableattendeetotheHighWycombegigwaspromoterRonWatts,

whowastheretomeetthecollegesocialsecretarytodiscussbookingastripper

forthem(Watts2006:145).HisownbandBrewer’sDroop,featuringHigh

WycomberesidentMarkKnopfleronguitar,hadplayedtheRagWeekafewdays

earlier,ashadHatfield&theNorth,andKilburn&theHighRoadsfeaturingIan

Dury,whohimselfhadbeenapupilatHighWycombe’sRoyalGrammarSchool.

TheimpactthegighadontheDevoto,ShelleyandWattswassignificanttoboth

theSexPistols’developmentandthedisseminationofpunk.Boonstates:

We’dneverseenanythinglikeit.Itwasagigthatchangedand/orruined

ourlives,thereafter.Howard,PeteandIwenttoWelwynGardenCityfor

Pistolsopeningforsomeoneelse(onthefollowingevening).Notso

dramatic[…].(Boon2017)

Indeed,Boonwassoenthralledbythegigthathebookedthemtoplayat

ReadingUniversity’sArtExchangeeventon30May1976whereRottengreeted

thetwenty-strongcrowdwiththestatement:‘Artstudents?We’veseenyour

paintings[…]’(Worley2016b).Post-HighWycombe,ShelleyandDevotowere

movedtoformtheBuzzcocksandinvitedtheSexPistolstoplayattheircollege

inBolton.However,whenthisvenueprovedtobeunavailabletheyshiftedthe

bookingtoManchester’sLesserFreeTradeHallinJune1976.Buzzcockswere

penciledinassupport.Boontookontheroleoftheirmanager.

RonWatts’presenceattheHighWycombegigwouldalsobesignificantforthe

crystallizationofpunk.Afewdaysafterthegig,MalcolmMcLarenapproached

WattstobookthebandtoplayLondon’s100Club.AccordingtoWatts,‘McLaren

couldn'tbelieveI’dalreadyseenthebandandstillwantedtobookthem’(Watts

2009).DespiteknowingthePistolshadalreadybeenbannedfromalmostevery

othervenueinLondon,Wattsgavethebandaone-offgigon30March1976

followedbyaTuesdaynightresidencystarting11May1976.‘Ihadn’tseen

anythingattheHighWycombegigIdidn’tthinkIcouldhandle’(Watts2006:

147).RonWatt’sendorsementofSexPistolsandthebandsthatemergedaround

themculminatedinthe100ClubPunkSpecialon20and21September1976.

MuchofthenarrativethathasemergedaroundthefirstSexPistolsgiginHigh

Wycombehasbeenthroughthebinaryofcosmopolitanismversusprovincialism

(Savage2005;ParkerandO’Shea2011;Heylin2017).HistorianPaulLewis’

claiminhisoverviewofthegigthat‘therewasno“punkscene”inWycombeat

thetime’(Lewis2016)ismisleadingas,infact,atthistimetherewasnomorea

self-identifyingpunkrocksceneinevidenceinLondonthantheonethathad

attendedtheHighWycombegig.The60strongaudienceatthefirst100Clubgig

(30March1976)consistedofWestwoodandMcLaren,Jordanandsomeofthe

SEXcrew,‘afewhippies,straights,passers-bywhowantedtoseewhateverwas

onatthe100Clubandsomecuriousgig-goerswonderingwhattheSexPistols

wasallabout’(Savage2005:148).ThefirstHighWycombegigincludedasimilar

audiencemakeup–butwithfansofdiscoandsoulinsteadoftourists.Shanne

Hasler’sdepictionoftheHighWycombevenuebeing‘packedwithpeoplesitting

cross-leggedonthefloor,studentswithlonghairandjosssticks,shoutingabuse

atthe(theSexPistols)’(Heylin2017:62)issimilarlymisleading,asitimpliesa

homogenizedmass.Indeed,thelocalaudiencemakeuphasparticular

significancetotheHighWycombepunknarrative,asthetensionsbetweenthose

subculturesthatwerepresentwouldofferaforewarningofhowlocal

subculturalgroupswouldrespondtopunksinthetown.

ThatnighttheHighWycombecrowdconsistedofdisparategroupsofpeople,the

majorityofwhomhadboughtticketsforthedisco.Amongthelivemusicfans

werebluesrockersandHellsAngelswhowerethereforSutch,andaselectionof

‘curious’rockfanswhohadalsobeeninspiredtoattendasaresultofreadingthe

NMEtwodaysearlier.AccountsoftheHighWycombeshowrevealahugely

dividedaudiencereaction.JaniceRaycroft,juniorreporterforthelocalpaper

BucksFreePressrecalls:

Theaudiencewascompletelydivided.Iwasmesmerised.Iwasoneofthe

peoplewhofeltmyselfsortofmagnetisedtowardsthefront.My

boyfriendwasinthe‘boo,getthemoff’crowd.Andtherewastherestjust

‘thinkingwhatthehellwasgoingonhere’.(Raycroft2018)

JimLassen,whowaschargedwithlookingafterSutch’sequipment,describesa

sceneofbottlesandinsultsbeinglaunchedintheband’sdirectionastheyplayed

(Lassen2018).Stephen‘Bruv’Sawneyrecallsbeingshunnedbymanyofhis

friendsafterbuyingRottenadrinkafterthegig.‘Theywereopenlyagainsthim

becausethey’dhatedthePistolssomuch.Theyfeltsothreatened.I’dneverseen

suchanextremereactiontoabandbefore.Thatreallyexcitedme’(Sawney

2018).

Amongtheother‘excited’attendeeswerestudentsJonathanMore,whowould

latercreatehouseoutfitColdcutandtheNinjaTunelabeland‘Big’PaulFerguson,

whowouldlaterbecomebetterknownasthedrummerofKillingJoke.Atthat

timehewasinaprogressiverockbandcalledBeowulf,thatincludedRoyand

MartinJones,brothersof1980spopstarHowardJones.

SomeoftheartschoolstudentspresenthadcloselinkstotheLondonartand

fashionscenesandwerealreadyinformedby,andrespondingto,thecultural

energyaroundtheMcLarenandWestwood’sSEXboutique.Notunlikethe

Bromleycontingentthis,albeitverysmall,groupself-identifiedasBowieand

RoxyMusicfreaks.AmongthesewasStephenJones,whowouldbecomeakey

actorinthenewromanticsceneandarenownedmilliner.Anotherlocalwith

linkstoLondon’sproto-punkactivitieswasSharon‘Charlie’Greenfromnearby

Marlow-on-Thames,whowasaregularatLouise’snightclubinSohoinearly

1976andwouldlaterbecomeconsideredan‘ace-face’attheRoxy,featuringin

numerousearlyphotos.

Throughtheaudience’sresponsestothisgig,weareabletoseetheimmediate

impactofthebandonHighWycombe.Thedivisionsbecamequicklysolidified

withastronglyanti-Pistolscohortamongthediscofans.Thesesamepeople

wouldsubsequentlybecomeextremelyanti-punkoncethesubculturehad

becomeframed.Theviolentreactiontothebandbythebluesrockersbecamea

regularfeatureinHighWycombe,eventuallyresultinginonekeyvenueclosing

itsdoorstopunk.

Theembraceofproto-punk’spossibilitieswasalsoquicklyevident.Manyofthe

provincial‘long-hairs’notedinmostdepictionsofthisgig(Savage2005;Parker

andO’Shea2011;MatlockandSilverton2006;Heylin2017;etc.)wouldquickly

adoptRotten’scharityshopclothingchicandharshlychoppedhair.Thegigalso

actedasaninspirationforbandstoform.Manyofthesewereinnameonly,but

somewouldeventuallyplaylive.TheseincludedTheUn,whowouldchangetheir

nametoPersonalHygienefortheirsolitarygiginsupporttoWayneCountyand

theElectricChairsattheAlexandriaClubinCardiff,1977.Anotherfledglingband

conceivedintheaftermathofthecollegegigwasThePinkParts,whichwould

eventuallyincludeKillingJoke’sPaulFergusonandStephenJones,whowas,by

September1976,astudentatStMartin’s.OthermembersofthePinkParts

includedformerPinkFairiesguitaristMartinStone,JohnChivertonwhowould

becomeasculptoronSpittingImageandChrissyAtkinson,whoisacostume

designerformajortelevisionandfilmproductions(Jones2017).Theywouldnot

playtheirfirstgiguntilearly1977.

Figure5

Thursday,2September1976

‘ForsomereasontheyouthofHighWycombe[…]hadanelementofyouththat

wereintothenewscenemuchearlierthanelsewhere’(Watts2006).

Crossleypointstotheimportanceofthephenomenonoftransivitytothegrowth

ofpunkLondon(2015:144).Hesuggeststhisoccursinthewaythatactorswho

aretiedtoeachothertendtocluster,sharecontactsandthengrowthroughthe

accidentalcontactofpeople‘bumpingintoeachother’.Whenappliedtothe

highlymediatedformationsoftheLondonpunkcanonitiscleartoseehowthis

transivityoccurredthroughthefociofSEX,specificgigs,squatsandartschools.A

‘networkofsound’basedonHighWycombeintheproto-punkperiodwould

showsimilaractivitytoLondon:however,itwouldalsorevealahighdegreeof

fluiditythroughcommuteractivities.Significantlythisincludedmembersofthe

HighWycombecommunitywithastrongclaimtoaplaceinLondonpunk’s

formativeyears,suchasBillyWatts,theoriginalvocalistwithanembryonic,pre-

StrummerincarnationoftheClash(James2017).Thiswouldalsohighlightsome

ofthosepresentattheearliestSexPistolsgigasbeingapartoftheLondon

network,butwithaleveloftransivityassociatedwithtourism.Theysimplydid

notlivetheirdailyliveswithintheclustersofLondon’sproto-punkactivities

untilpost-studiestheymovedtoLondontobeapartofthecapital’spunkscene.

ThisproximitytoLondonposedathreattothedevelopmentofaHighWycombe

scene,asmanyoftheearlyaudiencewouldspendalargeamountoftheirtimeat

venuesinthecapital.Conversely,itwasafeatureofregionalpunkscenesthat

existedfurtherawayfromthestereotypicalpunk‘centres’suchasLondonand

Manchester,thattheywereabletodevelopmorecohesively,inpartbecauseof

theirapparent‘isolation’andtheneedforthelocalpunkcommunityto

cooperateinordertobuilda‘scene’.Manyofthepartisanmembersofthefirst

gig’saudiencewerecontemporariesoftheLondonsceneandweresubsequently

respondingtomanyofthesameconcernsandconditions.However,thenextSex

PistolsgiginHighWycombewouldrevealasecondwaveaudiencewhowere

moreclearlymadeupofthepunkidentifiedandpunkcurious.Theband’s

dissenterswerenotablebytheirabsenceatthisgig.

On2September1976,eightmonthsafterthatWycombeCollegeSexPistolsgig,

andnineteendaysbeforepunk’scomingofagegig,the100ClubPunkSpecial,

thebandwouldplayatHighWycombe'sNagsHead.Thelocalpunkaudiencehad

bythenswelled,thanksinparttoRonWattsputtingassociatedbandssuchas

theDamned,theVibratorsandtheStranglersonatthepubintheintervening

months.

RonWattsusedtobookbandstoplayattheNagsHead,UxbridgeCollege

and100Clubsoitwaslikealittletour.Wycombegotallthesepunkbands

reallyearlyon–evenbeforethemusicpresswroteaboutthem.

(Sherwood2018)

‘ItseemedlikeweweregettingbandsattheNagsbeforeanyoneelse.Iwasa

glasscollectorthereandsawsomanyamazingearlypunkbands[...]Itwasa

reallyinfluentialtimetobeinHighWycombe’(More2018).

AFrenchtelevisioncompanyfilmedthegigforadocumentarythatwasnever

broadcast.Filmingtookplaceononecamerasothebandhadtoplaynumerous

takesofatleastonesongtoprovidemultipleanglesforthefinaledit(Watts

2009).SomeofthefootageoftheoftheSexPistolsperforming‘Anarchyinthe

UK’atthisgigwasusedinJulianTemple’sTheFilthandtheFuryandclearly

depictslocalsHughGarrety,AdrianCampbell,MarkWhite,CarltonMounsher

andKrisJozajtis(akaKrisKarisma).Thelatterthreeweremembersoflocal

schoolbandDeathwish.

Jozajtisexplains:

(We)formedwhatbecame‘Deathwish’basedaroundoldR’n’Bcoversbut

consciousthatsomethingdifferentwas‘happening’.Thepivotalmoment

forourselvescamewhenthePistolsplayedtheNagsthatSeptember.We

became‘punks’virtuallyovernight’.WithGranadaTV’sSoItGoes

broadcastoftheSexPistolsperforming‘AnarchyintheUK’onlytwodays

later,Deathwishsetaboutadding‘self-pennedpunkmaterialplusacover

of‘Anarchy’toourrepertoire’.(Jozajtis2017)

Cruciallytheyoungermembersoftheaudiencehadalreadypickeduponthe

stylecuesofpunkpresentedthroughthemedia.Theemergenceoftheterm

‘punk’hadbeenabattlegroundintheUSAoveradecadeearlier(Laing2015:21–

24,55–56).TheUKpunkscenewasonlyfullydefinedinthemainstreampressas

bothgenreandsubculturesomethreeweeksbeforetheNagsHeadgigvia

CarolineCoon’sMelodyMakerpiece‘PunkRock:Rebelsagainstthesystem’

(Coon1976).Jozajtis’conversionwasalreadybeingenactedbysimilarlyminded

youthsthroughouttheUnitedKingdom.

On30October1976,DeathwishwouldplayattheListonHallinnearbyMarlow-

on-Thames.Theemergenceofself-promotedgigsinvillagehallsandunusual

spaceswouldbecomeaclearandincreasinglycommonexpressionofDIY

activitycentraltothepunkcommunitiesintheHighWycombeandbeyond.

Indeed,asimilarstorycanbeseenintownsacrosstheUnitedKingdom.Thegig

itselfbecamenotablelocallyforfirealarmsbeingsetoffasDeathwishplayed

theircoverof‘AnarchyintheUK’.Formanyofthegig’sschoolageattendeesthis

representedafirstexperienceofbothpunkandtheSexPistols’music.Among

theaudienceattheMarlowgigandasubsequentregularattheNagsHeadwas

JonFugler,whowouldlaterformelectronicbandFluke.Withinmonthsaraftof

youngschoolagedpunkbandssuchasNagasakiTwistandGlasVosichthad

formedinthearea.Theheadliningband’sdrummerthateveningwasalong-

hairedDylanJones(noweditorofGQ)whowouldlaterclaimtohavebeena

roadieforDeathwish(Watts2006:backmatter;Jones2009)andamemberof

art-punkbandtheUn.

Theincreasednumberoflocalself-definingpunksattheSexPistols’NagsHead

gighighlightedtheexistenceofacommutertransivityamongactorswhodivided

timebetweenHighWycombeandLondon.AmongthesewereNigelMartinand

‘Marmite’who,likeSharonGreen,hadalreadybeenregularsatLouise’sandlater

TheRoxy,GlobalVillageandTheVortex.Theywouldalsobecomeregularly

featuredinearlyphotographsof‘London’punks.Marmitewasa‘blackPunkin

Wycombe[…]Hehadblackhair,withasilverzigzagstripeinit’(Watts,in

Maddison2006).NigelMartinalsoworkedafewSaturdaysatSEXin1975andin

1976,wasphotographedtherebyHoneymagazine(Martin2015).Afteraone-gig

spellwithDeathwish,hewouldformTheXtravertsin1976,whichfeaturedMark

Reillyonguitar.ReillywasanotherHighWycombelocalwhowasalsopresentat

theSexPistols’NagsHeadgigandwouldbecomeanotheroft-photographed

regularatTheRoxy.Inthe1980’shewouldbecomebetterknownamemberof

BlueRondoalaTurkandlaterasthemainsinger-songwriterinMattBianco.

TheaudienceassociatedwiththesecondSexPistolsgigcanbeviewedasthe

‘secondwave’oftheformationofalocalpunkidentity.Itwasamoreclearly

visuallydefinedsceneandincludedmembersoflocalpunkbandsthat

congregatedaroundaverysmallselectionofpunkfriendlypubsandvenues,

whilesomewerealsoactiveparticipantsintheLondonscene.Muchofthenew

punkaudienceandthekeylocalbandshademergedthroughthepubrocksound

thathadbeenaregularfeatureattheNagsHead.Theperiodalsosawa

significantriseinschool-agedpunkswhohadbeeninspiredbythemedia

interestintheSexPistolsandtheframingofthepunksubculture.Overthe

eighteenmonthsfollowingthesecondSexPistolsgig,manyofHighWycombe’s

keyfirstwaveproto-punksandsecondwavepunkshadmovedtoLondonto

becomepartofpunk-associatedactivitiesbeforetakingdefiningrolesinpost-

punkclusters.TheseincludedStephenJonesandthenewromanticscene;Mark

ReillyandtheWagClubscene;JonathanMoreandtheartrock/industrial

electronicmusicscene;DylanJonesandiDmagazine;andfinallyKrisJozajtisand

HughGarrety(FolkDevils),PaulFerguson(KillingJoke),andMajidAhmed,Roy

Joneswithbrothers,MartinandPaul(RedBeat)whowouldallbecomeapartof

theLadbrokeGrovepost-punksquatnetwork.

Wednesday17August,1977,Nag’sHead,HighWycombe

Midweekonahotsummerseveningandaqueueofpunksstretchedfor300

yardsalongtheLondonRoad,allhopingtogetintotheNag’sHead’sBluesLoft

towitnesstheSexPistolsperformingontheirinfamouspseudonymousS.P.O.T.S.

tour.ThepunkfraternityhadgrownsignificantlyinHighWycombethanksto

punk’slargescalemediaexposureandappearancesbytheClash,GenerationX,

theDamned,SiouxsieandtheBansheesandtheJamatthevenueintheeleven

monthssincethelastSexPistolsappearance.Theyoungpunkssubsequentlyhad

aneasilyaccessiblelivesoundtracktoaccompanythereportsinthemusicpress

andmainstreammedia.UnliketheearliergigsbytheSexPistolsinthetown,the

hopefulS.P.O.T.S.audiencesportedaclearpunk‘look’andbehavioursthatdrew

heavilyonthemediatedstylesofpunk.ItwasthesummeroftheQueen’ssilver

jubileeandpunkwasdeeplyetchedintotheconcernsoftheculturalmainstream.

Thebandfailedtoappear.

Infactitwasdoubtfulthatthebandwouldeverhavebeenbooked.RonWatts

hadbeenforcedtobanpunkbandsfromthe100Clubinthewakeofanincident

atthepunkfestivalinwhichSidViciousthrewaglass,hitamemberofthe

audienceandblindedherinoneeye.WattssubsequentlybannedViciousfrom

anyofhispromotions.ItisthereforeunlikelyhewouldhavebookedtheSex

PistolswhileViciouswasintheband.TwoweeksaftertherumouredS.P.O.T.S.

gig,punkwouldalsobebannedfromtheNagsHeadfollowinghighlevelsof

audienceviolenceatagigby999andtheXtraverts.InthewakeoftheBill

Grundyshowpunkshadstartedtoattractviolentreactionsfromother

subcultures.InHighWycombebluesrockersandHell’sAngelsexertedahuge

presenceatlivemusiceventsandon1September1977decidedtoteachthe

punksalesson.NagsHeadLandlordMickFitzgibbonssubsequentlybannedall

punksfromthepremises.Bythisstage,however,Wattshadalsostarted

promotinggigsattheHighWycombeTownHall,whichhadasignificantlylarger

capacitythatcouldsupportthegrowingpopularityofpunk.Manyofthesmaller

localbandsalsostartedtoputongigsinhallsinsurroundingtownsandvillages,

whileNigelMartinwouldalsostartpromotingpunkgigsatHighWycombe’s

Multi-RacialCentreandtheNewlandsCentre.

ThequeueattherumouredS.P.O.T.S.gigrevealedathirdwaveofHighWycombe

punks.BythisstageHighWycombehadbecomeamagnetforpunksfrom

neighbouringtownsandvillages.Afavouritemeetingpointwasthetown’sbus

stationandcaféwhichhighlightedatransienceamongtheHighWycombepunks.

Thisspacewasthecommonpointofarrivalanddepartureformpunks

throughoutSouthBuckinghamshireandtheadjacenttownsofBerkshire.Despite

theiractualhometown,everyonecongregatingatthegigs,pubs,cafesandother

‘punkfriendly’spacesincreasinglyidentifiedasWycombePunks.Amongthese

existedahierarchythatprioritizedthoseearliestpunkswhohadnotleftthe

townfornewlivesinLondon.ThusNigelMartinandmanyofhisfriendsbecame

centraltothetown’spunksubculturalactivities.Thisgroupoffriendshailed

fromthetown’smoredeprivedareasandincludedMarkGodard,‘leaderofthe

Wycombeskins’(Watson2008:128)amongothers.

ThequeuethatformedfortheS.P.O.T.S.gigclearlydepictedamomentof

subculturalcohesion,withacollectionofpunksthatincludedthemiddle-class

childrenofthemanagersandheadteachersasdepictedbyWatts,alongside

workingclassyouthfromthedeprivedareasofHighWycombeoutlinedhereand

latercodifiedthroughGavinWatson’spunkandskinheadphotography.The

ritualaggressionbetweenneighbouringrivaltownswasbrieflyforgottenas

punkscongregatedenmasseasawayofbelonging.Muchofthistemporary

cohesionquicklybecamefocussedaroundtheXtravertsandagrowingsenseof

regionalidentity.Thiswasmanifestedthroughhighlevelsofgraffitibearing

theirnameandincreasedchantingoftheband’snamethroughoutsetsby

nationalbands.

MuchoftheXtraverts’authenticitycameviaanassertionoftheirpunkidentity

throughanassociationwiththesubculturelongbeforeitunderwentalabelling

process.Furthermore,theband’sclaimfortheregionasanauthenticsiteof

punk’semergencebecameexpressedthroughthenotionoftheWycombePunk

asbeingmore‘real’thanLondonPunk.AkeythemethatemergesfromBestley’s

workisthehypothesisthat‘beyondthecapitalcityanditssuburbs,punks

assertedtheirregionalidentitiesanddifferencethroughtheuseofdesignand

lyricsthatprioritisedandcelebratedtheirnon-Londonstatus’(BestleyandOgg

2012;Bestley2011:41–71).TheXtraverts’regionalidentitybecamefurther

expressedthroughlyricsthatreferredtolocalpunkincidents.Forexample,the

band’secondsingle,‘PoliceState’(1978)wasinreferencetooneparticular

officerofthelawwhotookituponhimselftocleanthestreetsofthescourgeof

punk.Indeed,anelementofbeingpunkinsmallertownssuchasHighWycombe

wasthatthelocalyouthandpoliceofficerskneweachotherbyname.

NoIdon’tlikewhereyoucomefrom,itisjustasatelliteofLondon

Despiteitslargelyworkingclasspopulationandhighunemploymentatthistime,

HighWycombecametorepresenttheepitomeofeverythingthatpunkwas

representedasbeingatwarwith,simplybybeingacommuter-belthome

countiesspace(Coon1976).Byprioritizingthesupposedworking-classregions,

anarrativeemergedthatromanticizedtheimportanceofselectedpost-industrial

towns.Andyet,HighWycombewasexactlythat;apost-industrialworkingclass

town.Throughoutthisarticle,Ipointtocomplexissuesofclassandthe

mediationofperceivedclassidentity.ThefinalstageofHighWycombe’scomplex

journeyfromproto-punktoaregionalpunkidentitysuggestsatemporary

cohesionbetweenclasses,asthoseidentifyingasWycombePunksunifiedfora

perceivedcommoncause.

GreilMarcussuggeststhathisbook‘isaboutasingle,serpentinefact:latein

1976arecordcalled“AnarchyintheU.K.”wasissuedinLondon,andthisevent

launchedatransformationofpopmusicallovertheworld’([1989]1990:18).

Thisarticleshowsthatinfactthistransformationwasalreadyinfullflowlong

beforethereleaseofthatsingle.OfgreatersignificancetoHighWycombewas

theband’stwogigsinthetown,theirTVperformanceof‘Anarchy’onSoItGoes

andacoverversionofthesongperformedbylocalpunkbandDeathwish.Each

oftheseeventsoccurredbeforethesingle’sreleaseon26November1976.

Inthetwelvemonthsthatfollowedthetemporarycohesionamongpunks

outlinedinthethirdphase,theHighWycombescenedisintegratedintoregion

onregionviolenceaspunksfromSlough,ReadingandNorthamptonwould

attendTownHallgigstotakeontheWycombePunks.Hugeshowsofbravado

tookplace,asarmiesofpunkswalkedthroughthetowngoadingeachother.This

wouldclimaxinsmallscalefightinginsideandoutsidethevenue.There-

emergenceoftheskinswouldalsohaveanimpactasgigsbecamemarredby

continualoutburstsofviolenceaimedinitiallyatpunksfromoutsideHigh

Wycombeandthenagainstpunksingeneral.Gigshadtobecurtailedas

membersofthelocalskinheadstooktothestageandattackedsupportbands.By

May1980allpunkgigsattheTownHallwerebannedfollowinganAdamandthe

Antsshowwhich‘startedoffasanotheranti-punkmini-riot,initiatedbythelocal

skinssiegheilingandthrowingchairs,butendedasaskinheadrout,astheyhad

underestimatedtheturnoutofLondonpunks,activelyencouragedbyAdam’

(Vague2013:11).TheWycombeskinsinflictedtheirrevengebyattackingthe

Londonpunksastheyboardedtheirtrainhome.Itshouldbenotedthat

throughoutthegig,localpunksthattheyrecognizedweresparedanyspecial

attention.SimilareventstookplaceatgigsbytheXtraverts,whosefollowing

amonglocalskinheadsgrewsubstantiallyin1979.Thebandandmanyoftheir

originalfriendsandfanssubsequentlyadoptedtheskinheadstyle.Sherwood

notes:

IreallydislikedtheXtravertscrowdatthattime.WeputontheSlitswith

CreationRebelandMoaAmbassaattheTownHallin1979.Idon’tknow,

butmaybewewereworriedaboutticketssales,sowedecidedtobook

theXtravertstoo.Wethoughtthey’dbringinafewmorepeople,butthe

kindofpeopletheybroughtwerejustsodifferentfromthepunkswe’d

becomeusedtoatthebluesparties.TheseweremorelikeSham69yobs

andabunchofracistskins.Theychantedandsiegheiledallthroughthe

Slits.Ijustdidn’trecognizethatversionofpunk.(2018)

ThechangingfaceofpunkwasofcoursebeingenactedthroughouttheUnited

Kingdomasnewpost-punksubculturesstartedtoemerge.Thosefashion,artand

furniturestudentswhohadattendedthatfirstSexPistolsgighad,asalready

noted,movedtothecapitaltotaketheirowninfluentialplacesinarangeofpost-

punk‘scenes’.Theschool-agedbandsandtheircloseentourageswhowere

presentatthesecondgighaddoneexactlythesame.Butitwasthosewho

remainedthatcametodefineHighWycombepunkassiteofsecondwavepunk

andearlyOi.ThattheSlitsandSiouxsieandtheBansheeshadahardtimewasno

surprise.HighWycombe’shardcorealignedthemselveswiththemoredirectand

aggressive‘terrace’soundsofbandslikeSham69,AngelicUpstartsandUKSubs.

Lookingbackitwouldbetoosimplistictosaythatthedividethatoccurredin

HighWycombewasalonglinesofclass.But,asshowninthisarticle,itwas

largelythemiddleclassstudentsandpunksfrommoreaffluentlocaltownsand

villageswhowouldmoveaway.Thepunksthatremainedwerepredominantly

fromthesameestatesastheskins.Theywenttothesameschools,hungoutin

thesameparks,sprayedXtravertsonmulti-storycarparkwallstogether.Long

beforeandafterthebrief1977punkcohesion,thosepunksandskins

experienced‘boredom’together.

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Contributordetails

Prof.MartinJamesisProfessorofMusicIndustriesatSolentUniversity,wherehe

iscurrentlyprogrammeleaderofBA(hons)PopularMusicJournalism,andCreative&DigitalIndustriesPost-GraduateCoordinator.HisareasofspecialistinterestincludemusicjournalismandtheUK&USmusicpress,musicmemoir,socialmediaandidentity,latetwentieth-centuryalternativemusic,specificallypunk,postpunkandelectronicmusic.Heco-authoredUnderstandingtheMusicIndustries(Sage,2103)andhascontributedarticlestopublicationsincludingPopularMusicandCelebrityStudies.HehasalsocontributedchapterstoObliqueMusic(Continuum2016)andTheClashandAuthenticity(Manchester:ManchesterUniversityPress,inpress).Hisdoctoralthesisentitled‘VersioningHistoriesandGenres’wasaninvestigationofhisdefinitiveworkondrum&bassandFrenchTouch.Priortobecomingalecturerin2004,MartinwasaninternationallypublishedmusiccriticwhoworkedontheeditorialteamsofsomeoftheUK’sleadingmusicmagazines,includingMelodyMakerandVox.Healsoregularlycontributednumerousmusicandlifestylemagazinethroughouttheworld,andUKdailybroadsheetnewspapersincludingTheGuardian,TheIndependent&TheIndependentonSunday.Hehasalsowrittenseveralcriticallyacclaimedbooksaboutmusic,includingFrenchConnections:FromDiscothequetoDiscovery(SanctuaryPublishing,2003),StateofBass:Jungle–TheStorySoFar(Boxtree,1997).Hisbookshavebeenlicensedtofourteencounties.ThefirstbandMartinJamessawwasPinkFloyd–hewasbored.SoonafterhesawtheSexPistols–hewasinspiredtoformaband,startwritingforafanzineandfollowtheClash.Hewas14.

Contact:

SolentUniversitySouthamptonSO140YNmartin.james@solent.ac.uk

Notes

1Inoutliningthewaysinwhichnarrativescanbeappliedtoamechanismof

networkformation,Crossley(2015)suggeststhatthedifferentactorsinUK

punk’sformationcanbeanalysedthroughthetriumvirateoffoci,strategic

attachmentandtransivity.Fociaretheenvironments,suchasvenues,pubsand

recordshops,thatactorswithasharedinterestconvergeupon.Strategic

attachmentoccurswhereparticipantstargeteachotherinordertogainsome

formofadvantage.Transivityoccurswhereclusteredparticipantswithina

networkalsosharecontactswithinotherclusters.Thiscanresultinpreviously

unconnectedactorscomingtogetherwithdramaticoutcomes.

2S.P.O.T.S.isanacronymforSexPistolsPlayingLiveSecretlyandhasbecomethe

collectivenamefortheshortpseudonymoussixdateUKtourthebandplayedinAugust

1977.The‘secret’tourwasintendedtogetroundthecountrywidebanontheband

playingliveaspunk,andespeciallytheSexPistols,facedhostilityandoutragewithinthe

nationalmedia.ThebandonlyperformedasS.P.O.T.S.attheopeninggigthreedaysafter

thedeathofElvisPresleyatLafayetteClub,Wolverhamptonon19August1977,The

otherbandpseudonymsusedontourwere:TaxExiles,SpecialGuest,AcneRabble,The

HamstersandAMysteryBandofInternationalRepute.The‘secret’tourwasannounce

onthefrontcoverofMelodyMaker,howeverthereportgotmostofthedetailswrong,

suggestingthatitwouldbe20datetour.ThismaybewheretheHighWycomberumour

firstemerged.