Before It Went Rotten

Before It Went Rotten takes a trip back to the world before punk.

When Anarchy in the UK appeared, London enjoyed one of the most vibrant music scenes in the world. A network of mainly Irish-owned pubs and clubs provided music every night, much of it free of charge, whilst working as a testing ground for up-and-coming talent. This book traces the evolution of what was quickly labelled 'pub-rock': from rock and roll revival acts via late blues bands, country rock, funk, soul, and art school bands to the sound that eventually burst on the scene as punk rock in 1976.

Specific chapters cover the career of Brinsley Schwarz, the Southend bands, and the step-by-step rise of the Sex Pistols. Among those interviewed are former members of Fumble, Darts, the John Dummer Blues Band, Blue Goose, Legend, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Brinsley Schwarz, Bees Make Honey, Ducks de Luxe, Kokomo, Roogalator, Burlesque, Kilburn and the High Roads, GT Moore and the Reggae Guitars, Clancy, the Fabulous Poodles, the Sex Pistols, and Meal Ticket. With acts like Dire Straits, Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, and Graham Parker all emerging from this terrain, the reader is asked to consider, what, if anything, would have been different if McLaren's band had never been around.

Extensively researched, and drawing on contemporaneous reviews and articles from the music press of the time, Before It Went Rotten bids fair to be the definitive study of an overlooked era.

'Addresses everything with a thoroughness and eye for detail that's hugely impressive' Irish Times

'[An] absorbing, fact-filled book' Herald

'Simon Matthews's comprehensive and enjoyable overview... excels as a gazetteer of film genres as varied as black cinema, dystopian futures, the rise and fall of punk rock, 1980s agitprop, and the big-screen careers of Joan Collins and David Bowie' Spectator

'A must-purchase for fans of British films and pop music' Goldmine