Like a real life field of dreams Alf Hyslop built it - the Grey Topper music venue in Jacksdale, an obscure Nottinghamshire pit village - and they came - glam kings Sweet, Mud, Bay City Rollers, Hot Chocolate, soul legends Ben E king, Geno Washington, Edwin Starr, reggae greats Desmond Dekker and Jimmy Cliff, heavy metal acts UFO, Judas Priest, Saxon. Then came the punk rock and new wave explosion - The Stranglers, The Vibrators, UK Subs, The Members, The Ruts, Angelic Upstarts, Ultravox, Adam and the Ants, The Pretenders, Toyah, The Specials, Simple Minds. Inevitably with punk, violence flared, culminating in the Angelic Upstarts riot gig that has gone down in Jacksdale folklore. The Palace and the Punks tells the amazing, hilarious (imagine a 1970's Phoenix Nights if Top of the Pops was filmed there), and occasionally sad, true story of the Grey Topper, centred around its last rise and fall and pogo in 1979.
The book contains original interviews with and the memories of – Jet Black who talks about The Stranglers as an unsigned band in 1976 (using his ice cream van as a tour bus) punk and the Pistols, The Members (‘Sound of the Suburbs’), Andy Scott and Steve Priest of glam kings Sweet, Chris Fenwick manager of Dr Feelgood (who played their first gig outside of London at the Grey Topper when called The Pig Boy Charlie Band as featured in Sex Pistol film maker Julien Temple's Oil City Confidential), Roddy Radiation of The Specials, the UK Subs, Depeche Mode’s Alan Wilder, Eddie from punk originals The Vibrators describing being there at the one of the most famous moments in rock history – the Sex Pistols debut gig at St Martins college of art in 1975! The legendary punk rock festival at the 100 Club. Plus loads more first hand Topper tales.
*in punk fanzine style
From the same author of the acclaimed If the Kids are United. www.manutdbooks.com
The book contains original interviews with and the memories of – Jet Black who talks about The Stranglers as an unsigned band in 1976 (using his ice cream van as a tour bus) punk and the Pistols, The Members (‘Sound of the Suburbs’), Andy Scott and Steve Priest of glam kings Sweet, Chris Fenwick manager of Dr Feelgood (who played their first gig outside of London at the Grey Topper when called The Pig Boy Charlie Band as featured in Sex Pistol film maker Julien Temple's Oil City Confidential), Roddy Radiation of The Specials, the UK Subs, Depeche Mode’s Alan Wilder, Eddie from punk originals The Vibrators describing being there at the one of the most famous moments in rock history – the Sex Pistols debut gig at St Martins college of art in 1975! The legendary punk rock festival at the 100 Club. Plus loads more first hand Topper tales.
*in punk fanzine style
From the same author of the acclaimed If the Kids are United. www.manutdbooks.com
