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1976-1985 Tribal Gatherings

Lead singer of ska group The Selecter Pauline Black will present the third episode of BBC Four's People's History Of Pop, looking at the years 1976-1985, when punk hit Britain and a staggering array of rival tribes exploded onto the high street. This is the era when people's lives were changed by the Sex Pistols, when pop kids went wild for Duran Duran and we all came together for Live Aid to help the Ethiopian famine. The programme uncovers rare treasures: a gig promotor who has saved the mint-condition posters from the Sex Pistols' Anarchy In The UK tour in 1976 after the date was cancelled by the venue; a man who auditioned to sing on the Sex Pistols The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle and has some mementoes from the day including a tambourine which Sid Vicious punched his fist through while they were performing; and the son of artist Ray Lowry shares his father's beautiful sketchbooks from The Clash's tour of America in the summer of 1979, when Ray was asked to go on tour with the band as their 'war artist'. And curator Gordon McHarg shares an extraordinary discovery from Joe Strummer's personal archive, his handwritten notebook for the making of Combat Rock, packed full of his thoughts, alternative lyrics and songs that didn't end up getting on the final album. Contributors include a Durannie who shares her love of the Rio album to the horror of her fiancé, a die-hard punk; a Smiths fan who still has the original set list from the band's 1983 Dingwalls gig in Camden; a former punk who's saved all his Rock Against Racism posters; a man who recorded his Records For The Day every day in an amazing picture diary; and a woman shares the story of a magical night out with Steve Strange and the Blitz Kids.

English
  • Originally Aired October 7, 2016
  • Runtime 60 minutes
  • Production Code b07ycbr8
  • Network BBC Four
  • Created October 9, 2016 by
    Administrator admin
  • Modified October 9, 2016 by
    Administrator admin
Name Type Role
Pauline Black Guest Star
Zoe Jewell Director