I’ve been reading a great new book by Daniel Rachel – Walls Come Tumbling Down: the Music and Politics of Rock Against Racism, 2 Tone and Red Wedge, which tells the story of that moment from the late Seventies to the mid-Eighties when pop and politics seemed intertwined. The narrative is told entirely through direct quotations from participants – including yours truly, talking about my early experiences at RAR gigs and the big Anti-Nazi League rally in Victoria Park, as well as my involvement with Red Wedge, the loose collective of musicians who supported Labour in the lead-up to the 1987 election.
The book has a glorious stream of behind-the-scenes anecdotes. One of my favourites is told by Billy Bragg, recalling the time on tour when he and his mates were partying in a hotel room directly above mine, causing me to go into full Angry Mum mode and ask them to turn that racket down.
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