Books: It's Time The Tale Were Told "A People's History Of The Smiths"

 

It's Time The Tale Were Told – A People’s History of The Smiths is the story of the UK’s most influential indie band. This book collects together 500 first-hand memories from fans, support acts, promoters, fanzine writers, record store owners and the band's lighting designer of the band in action. From the earliest club shows through to the final gig at London's Brixton Academy, and including memories of more than 20 North American dates, this is a portrait of The Smiths painted by those who were there. With personal photographs, memorabilia, anecdotes and first-hand accounts of over 150 gigs in total, readers get a front row view of Manchester’s indie music legends in action.

The Smiths were indeed a moment in time marking a point in the early 80s when "Indie" moved from being "small audience material on minor record labels" to a crossover into the mainstream.
This is not intended to be a definitive history but a history across 300 pages told by those who were involved, were there, bear the scars, and still hold the highest esteem for an outspoken (some would say odd-ball) singer, musical partner in crime and tune, plus backing from a solid if un-noticed (until the court case) rhythm section.

The stories range from their fist gig at The Hacienda when Morrissey got annoyed with the crowd and the poster stating “We are THE Smiths, not just Smiths”, to first appearances on The Tube and Top Of The Pops (not as many stories of people going home, buying a deaf aid and waving gladioli about as I though there may have been), to the last recording sessions in Streatham, before Johnny Marr quits and the NME publish the “Smiths To Split” headline.

The band's time was brief (effectively 1983 to 1987 as a recording unit), but in the same time it took Yes to go from 90125 to Big Generator, The Smiths had formed, released 4 albums, 2 compilations and 20 singles, and disbanded. Indeed, they started something that they couldn’t finish. Didn’t hang about to actually finish it, and have spent years fighting each other to make sure they don’t actually finish it.

 

Title: It's Time The Tale Were Told "A Poeple's History Of The Smiths"

Author: Iain Key & RIchard Houghton

Pages: 300

Publisher: Spenwood Books

Language: English

Format: Paperback 

Books: The World Was A Mess But His Hair Was Perfect "The Last Indie Music Scene 2000-2010"

The first, cohesive account of a seminal period in UK music history affectionately referred to as ‘Indie Sleaze’. At the turn of the millennium, Britain was suffering from a post-britpop hangover. The whirlwind successes of Oasis and Blur had fizzled out and the British music industry, stagnant and directionless, was churning out bland singer-songwriters, identikit girl-groups and boybands – music culture was a vacuum, waiting to be filled.

However, across the Atlantic, something was brewing. In New York City, The Strokes were exploding across the music scene, igniting a new wave of rock’n’roll that catalysed and inspired a new genre: indie rock. Suddenly, kids from both sides of the Atlantic wanted to pick up an instrument, cause a ruckus and join a band. Spawned out of regional D.I.Y scenes and the success of genuinely independent labels and venues, this is the story of ‘the last indie scene’ in the UK.

Based on thrilling, informative and often hilarious interviews, The World Was A Mess But His Hair Was Perfect chronicles the legendary gigs, records, parties, drugs and cheap decadence that coalesced to form a messy, dissolute movement and subculture. An impactful and entertaining social history, author Janine Warren conducts personal interviews with core movers and shakers from the era: from members of the Libertines, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party and The Cribs, as well as pivotal figures such as controversial NME editor Conor McNicholas and superstar producer Paul Epworth.

 

Title: The World Was A Mess But His Hair Was Perfect "The Last Indie Music Scene 2000-2010"

Author: Janine Warren

Pages: 336

Publisher: Omnibus Press

Language: English

Format: Hardback 

Books: Manchester Must Dance

 

Beginning on the night in November 1963 when his mum took him to see the Beatles live at Manchester’s ABC Cinema, Mike Pickering takes the reader through sixty years of clubs, clothes, gigs, record labels, football matches and politics.

Pickering has lived through decades of rapid change in popular music. As an influential DJ he introduced house music into the legendary Haçienda. He signed Happy Mondays and James to Factory Records before working with Kasabian, Gossip and Calvin Harris at Sony. His Mercury Prize-winning, multi-million-selling group M People transformed the music industry's attitude to dance music. As he tells his remarkable story he introduces an array of friends and collaborators, many of whom would become important – and sometimes notorious – figures in music history.

Manchester must dance is a revelatory insider’s account that moves from the cramped back streets of 1950s north Manchester on a journey deep into music, the city and the wider world. It features forewords from some of those Pickering inspired: Martin Fry, Johnny Marr, Noel Gallagher and Calvin Harris.

 

Title: Manchester Must Dance

Author: Mike Pickering

Pages: 416

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Language: English

Format: Hardback 

Books: Still In A Dream "Shoegaze, Slackers And The Reinvention Of Rock 1984-1994"

The definitive story of the slackers and shoegazers who reinvented rock. Twenty years after his acclaimed postpunk best-seller, Rip It Up and Start Again, Simon Reynolds tells the tale of what happened next: the underground explosion of noisepop, shoegaze, slacker rock and grunge that reverberated through the mid-Eighties into the early Nineties.

Capturing the musical exhilaration of the era along with the alienation of youth during a period of ascendant conservative politics and glitzy mainstream pop, Still in a Dream celebrates a golden age of guitar reinvention, a second psychedelia of mind-blowing sounds pioneered by bands like My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth. In Britain, groups like Cocteau Twins and Slowdive escaped into shimmering dreamworlds while American underground rockers like Dinosaur Jr. and Pavement blended apathy and urgency into thrilling noise.

A propulsive and personal account from a journalist who covered this music in real time from the frontlines, Still in a Dream vividly recreates a period that was the last blast for the analogue culture of vinyl records and music papers, before the Internet changed everything. 

 

Title: Still In A Dream: Shoegaze, Slackers And The Reinvention Of Rock 1984-1994

Pages: 464

Author: Simon Reynolds

Publisher: White Rabbit

Format: Hardcover 

 
 

Books: "The Smiths: A Novella"

Intense and wildly inventive and magnificently surreal, The Smiths: A Novella recounts the impact of an unconventional pop group from Manchester on one man's life. Taking the form of a flâneuring journey through the landscape of memory, our anonymous protagonist is accompanied by the iconic French actress Carole Bouquet, who becomes his guide and interlocutor, asking about his life during the years The Smiths were together and the profound effect of their music upon him.

As the unlikely couple perambulate from the old Selfridge Hotel to West Hollywood by way of a park bench in Cavendish Square, their conversation interrogates and celebrates the joys of outlandish pop genius, the zealous dedication of fans and the cult of outsider disaffection given uproarious voice. As such, this is not a book about The Smiths but one that emerges from their music, their emotional register and their literary resonance.

Michael Bracewell's novella-cum-fairy tale is at once deeply romantic and laced with comedy - not unlike the band themselves - and perhaps (in fictional form) the most astute and celebratory portrait of The Smiths to date. 

 

Title: The Smiths: A Novella

Author: Michael Bracewell 

Pages: 128

Publisher: White Rabbit

Language: English 

Format: Hardcover 

Books: Truly Gifted Kids: A Book About A Band Called Prefab Sprout

 

A celebration of a much-cherished pop group and a long-overdue companion to their unique musical output. 

The Rolling Stone Magazine called him ‘the last pop genius’, while Richard Osman claimed he is ‘the most unfairly overlooked lyricist of his generation’. Talking about some guy named Paddy McAloon which is undoubtedly one of the great songwriters of the last half-century. As the leader of Prefab Sprout, he's overseen ten heavily praised albums.

 

Including the classic Steve McQueen, along with a trail of hit singles, among them ‘When Love Breaks Down’ and ‘The King of Rock ’n’ Roll’. His songs have been sung by Kylie and Cher. Others were written for Madonna, Sinatra and Streisand.

 

But despite the commercial success and abundant critical acclaim, McAloon remains an enigmatic figure within the bright, brash world of pop. The semi-reclusive Prefab Sprout have seldom followed paths trod by others. They rarely toured. They took their time to make records. They always danced to their own drum.

 

As a lifelong fan of the band, acclaimed writer Nige Tassell attempts to illuminate the mystery, to uncloak the enigma. Truly Gifted Kids is the deepest dive ever made into McAloon’s craft, exploring the motivations and methods of a man who, 13 years since the band’s last album, still obsessively marries melody to words on a daily basis, in the process building up an enormous stockpile of songs that no one will hear. Occasionally esoteric and freeform, and always original. 

 

Truly Gifted Kids pulls together stories, interviews, analysis, history and travelogue to fashion a fulsome portrait of the band, with its chief creative force at the very centre. During his investigations, Tassell both acts as an ad-hoc roadie for solo Sprout Martin McAloon and goes undercover in search of pop music’s most famous motorbike.

 

At its beating, romantic heart, Truly Gifted Kids is a celebration of a much-cherished pop group, a long-overdue companion to their wonderful music. The book will be available on 13 August 2026.

 

Title: Truly Gifted Kids: A Book About A Band Called Prefab Sprout

Author: Nige Tassell

Pages: 400

Publisher: New Modern

Format: Hardcover

The List: Books Of The Year 2025

Another year has come to an end, and now it's time to take a look back at our favourite books of the 2025, according to us, the most captivating, notable, brilliant, an exciting in terms about music, photography, art, & fashion statement; we hope you love 'em: 

1. Mike Joyce   "The Drums"   (New Modern)

Mike Joyce, the last member of the band to release their autobiography and this is his no-holds-barred story of what it was like to play the drums in the Smiths. Throughout his honest and witty reflections, Mike answers the question he and bassist Andy Rourke used to often ask each other: ‘Where did it all go right?.  In The Drums, Mike Joyce finally gives us the perspective of the self-confessed biggest Smiths fan in the world who from the start was just some lad from the suburbs of Fallowfield who played the drums. This book truly conveys what it felt like to be a member of the Smiths.

 

2. Scott Schuman   "The Sartorialist MILANO"   (Taschen)

 

Fashion’s original social media master Scott Schuman, aka The Sartorialist, hits the streets of one of Europe’s most stylish cities for this tailor-made collection of Milano’s visually charismatic people. Schuman, who now calls Milano his home, combines portraiture with dazzling cityscapes and revealing reportage.

 

3. Paul McCartney   "Wings: The Story Of A Band On The Run"   (Allen Lane)

 

This is the story, in their own words, of a band that came to define a generation. Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run tells the madcap history of Paul McCartney and his newly formed band, from their humble beginnings in the early 1970s to their dissolution barely a decade later. Drawn from over 500,000 words of interviews with McCartney, family and band members, and other key participants, with a cast of characters including John Lennon, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Chrissie Hynde, Mick Jagger and more, Wings recounts the musical odyssey taken by a man searching for his identity in the aftermath of The Beatles’ breakup. Soon joined by his wife – American photographer Linda McCartney – on keyboard and vocals, drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist Denny Laine, McCartney sowed the seeds for a new band that would provide the soundtrack to the decade. 

 

4. Paul Vallely   "Live Aid: The Definitive 40-Year Story"   (New Modern)

 

For the first time, Vallely gives his full eye-witness account of those 40 years. The book, which has a foreword by Bob Geldof, is crammed with stories of how pop, poverty, politics and power are interwoven in the Live Aid story. Geldof encounters presidents, prime ministers and popes as well as the pop heroes who adorned his bedroom wall as a boy. Bob drinks late-night whisky with Margaret Thatcher, is forced to write a grovelling apology to Bill Clinton and meets Vladimir Putin on a boat in the Mediterranean. He pressurises The Who, sweet talks Pink Floyd, and is awestruck by Bowie. Is Bob Geldof a bully or a charmer, saint or ‘white saviour’, or simply a force of nature?   

 

5. Jonathan Gould   "Burning Down The House: Talking Heads And The New York Scene That Transformed Rock"   (Mariner Books)

 

New Yorker contributor Jonathan Gould offers an authoritative, deeply researched account of a band whose sound, fame, and legacy forever connected rock music to the cultural avant-garde. From their art school origins to the enigmatic charisma of David Byrne and the internal tensions that ultimately broke them apart, Gould tells the story of a group that emerged when rock music was still young and went on to redefine the prevailing expectations of how a band could sound, look, and act. At a time when guitar solos, lead-singer swagger, and sweaty stadium tours reigned supreme, Talking Heads were precocious, awkward, quirky, and utterly distinctive when they first appeared on the ragged stages of the East Village. Yet they would soon mature into one of the most accomplished and uncompromising recording and performing acts of their era.

 

6. Charlie Burchill, Graeme Thomson & Jim Kerr   "Our Secrets Are The Same: Friendship & Fame At The Heart Of Simple Minds"   (Constable)

 

A candid, moving and kinetic story of self-realisation through the power of music, Our Secrets Are The Same is the remarkable joint memoir by Simple Minds' founder members, Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill. It not only reveals the inner workings of one of the most innovative and successful British bands of the past half-century, but the deeply personal tale of an extraordinary friendship which powered teenage dreams into visionary action 

 

7. Dan Jennings   "Paul Weller: Dancing Through The Fire"   (Constable)

 

Across musical history, certain artists have transcended their craft to become cultural icons, leaving an indelible mark on the world of sound and style. Paul Weller, the legendary British musician, singer and songwriter, stands among the select few whose influence spans generations. His enduring popularity, traversing the explosive energy of The Jam to the sophisticated sounds of The Style Council and a prolific solo career spanning over thirty years, underscores the timeless appeal of his work. Weller also holds a unique position in music history: he shares the rare distinction with Lennon and McCartney as one of the few artists to achieve Number 1 albums in five consecutive decades. Dancing Through the Fire explores the fascinating narrative of Paul Weller's musical career, weaving together never-before-told stories, intimate insights and perspectives from the man himself and those who have been integral to his remarkable journey. 

 

8. Debsey Wykes   "Teenage Daydream: We Are The Girls Who Played In A Band"   (New Modern)

 

Debsey Wykes was the bass playing singer in the first all girl punk group Dolly Mixture. Thrown into the musky, misogynistic, male dominated world of the UK music industry in the late 1970s, they enjoyed unlikely #1 success alongside Captain Sensible of The Damned on1982’s even unlikelier cover version of ‘Happy Talk’, whilst fame and success on their own individual terms alluded them. Debsey went onto greater prominence with Saint Etienne with who she has performed since 1992, whilst in 2025, desirable Dolly Mixture reissues sell out around the world as quickly as they are printed.

 

9. Hans Werner Holtzwarth   "Georg Baselitz"   (Taschen)

 

From existential paintings and motifs painted upside-down to rough-hewn wooden sculptures and remixes of earlier paintings—the art of Georg Baselitz is consistently challenging. With 400+ images from 1960 to the present, this updated monograph presents the full range of his work in stunning depth and detail. 

 

10. Evan Dando   "Rumours Of My Demise: A Memoir"   (Faber & Faber)

 

Rumours of My Demise is Evan Dando's story - raw, wild, unfiltered and straight from the source. A privileged kid who snuck into gigs and crashed on whatever floors he could find. A stunningly gifted rocker who propelled his high school band into the highest reaches of indie fame. The industry's favourite 'alternahunk' until he wasn't, who all the same burned through the 90s like he owned them. A guitarist and singer who racked up struggles punctuated by some striking successes in the internet hashtag decades that followed, before making a wholly new home and life in Brazil.

News: Pet Shop Boys Announces "Annually 2026"

Pet Shop Boys today announce the 2026 edition of “Annually” which will be published on 16th April and is now available to pre-order at the link:   Annually 2026

 

The 64-page, hardback book will include:

• Archive: A history of the Pet Shop Boys in 20 objects. Chris and Neil talk about a selection of random but revealing items pulled from their studio basement.

• Chris Heath documents PSB’s summer weekend in Warwickshire during which they performed Dreamworld Live at historic Warwick Castle.

• A feature on an iconic 80s moment (which one you’ll have to wait and see).

• Plus exclusive photographs, your letters answered, news and more.

Annually 2026 is exclusively available from the official PSB store for £20.00 (plus P&P) and will ship from the UK on April 16th. Please note delivery dates will therefore vary depending on local postal services

Books: The Sartorialist Milano

Fashion’s original social media master Scott Schuman, aka The Sartorialist, hits the streets of one of Europe’s most stylish cities for this tailor-made collection of Milano’s visually charismatic people. Schuman, who now calls Milano his home, combines portraiture with dazzling cityscapes and revealing reportage.

Back in 2005, Scott Schuman transformed fashion photography forever when he founded the blog The Sartorialist. The idea was simple: to open a dialogue between fashion and daily life, by shooting locals in public spaces. But in the lineage of Bill Cunningham and August Sander, that unpretentious, radical emphasis on "real people"—off the runway, out of the studio—elevated people-watching to an art and street style to high fashion, long before Instagram. In Milano, Schuman found a muse dressed for the task. 

Milano chronicles nearly twenty years of his devotion to the inimitable Milanese and their bustling, stylish city, first as a visitor, then as a local. Featuring a foreword by the late Giorgio Armani and an extensive interview unpacking Schuman's unique approach to capturing fashion in the wild, the photos are so cinematically composed, it's a wonder they were shot on the move. Schuman seems to pause Milano, not only those shoppers, skaters, and smokers who might have the time but those without it: Miuccia Prada, Emiliano Salci, Luciano Barbera, the Sozzani sisters, all caught here in the same streets and caffés. What emerges is a street-view history of modern Milanese fashion, by an American with the open mind to see the elegance overlooked by locals born to it and missed in stiffer fashion shoots—the beauty in the authentic, unpredictable styles combined only by those under no pressure to conform.  

 

Young and old, they pose while Milano flies by on bikes, Vespas, and trams, amid a dazzle of marble, frescos, sculptures, spires, columns, ornate palazzi and brutalist facades, local markets, florists, vertical gardens, iconic hangouts like Bar Basso and Marchesi 1824, espressos, handbags, high heels, and suits in every color imaginable. From the canals of Naviglio Grande to the cobblestones of Via Brera to the glass ceiling of “the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II” and Milano Centrale, the city’s blend of architectural styles is seen as a radiant reflection of its people.

 “Milano does not lend itself to superficial, fleeting acquaintances,” Armani notes in his foreword; part travelogue, part style bible, here is an exclusive chance to tune into the city’s rhythms, energy, and soul as intimately as Schuman has, to discover what makes it one-of-a-kind. For admirers of fashion, photography, and la dolce vita, this is the authentic street-style of the fashion capital of the world that won’t be found on Instagram, captured by the pioneer who made it cool and meaningful. In Schuman’s words, these aren’t just clothes, they’re clothes that tell you “who the people are”.

 

Scott Schuman: The Sartorialist Milano

Edition: English

Hardcover, 24 x 32.7 cm, 1.64 kg,  

Pages: 248 

News: Obscure Pet Shop Boys/Volume

The Pet Shop Boys have announced a five-show run in London dedicated to the most obscure corners of their catalog. Aptly titled "Obscure Pet Shop Boys", the shows at Camden's 1,500-cap Electric Ballroom will see Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant perform non-album singles, B-sides and other deep cuts. 

 

The residency runs from April 6th through 10th next year, and all profits from the April 8th show will go to War Child. In a statement, Lowe and Tennant said they're "very excited at the prospect of going deeper into our song catalogue in these shows." 

The run follows Pet Shop Boys' greatest hits tour in 2023, which saw the duo play in Glasgow, Manchester, Belfast and more last year. Their July 2023 show at Copenhagen's Royal Arena was turned into a concert film, Dreamworld, which premiered in August 2024.

Also, marking the 40th., anniversary of the release of their first album, Please, in 1986,  the beloved Pet Heads are announcing "Pet Shop Boys Volume" which is the definitive retrospective and complete visual record of the duo’s career, presented year by year in a contemporary literary format. The limited edition of 750 is now sold out.

Pet Shop Boys:  Three-time Brit Award winners and six-time Grammy nominees, have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, including No. 1 hits ‘West End girls’, ‘It’s a sin’ and ‘Always on my mind’, and platinum-selling albums Please, Actually, and Very. Uniquely spanning the worlds of music, art, film, theatre, design, and fashion, Pet Shop Boys have forged an identity as unforgettable as their sound. From the seminal graphic design of their record sleeves to their groundbreaking videos and innovative stage shows, they have set the bar for the visual presentation of pop.

Expanding upon Pet Shop Boys Catalogue, published two decades ago, this book presents their entire visual output to date year by brilliant year. Sleeve artworks and packaging, stills from every video, film, and performance, stage sets and costume designs, photoshoots, publications and even Christmas cards all feature, as does every collaboration with luminaries including Mark Farrow, Wolfgang Tillmans, Martin Parr, Bruce Weber, Sam Taylor-Johnson, Scott King, Zaha Hadid, Tom Scutt and Es Devlin.

Concise commentaries by Chris Heath and Philip Hoare provide illuminating insights into the genesis of each project. Hoare’s original introduction is accompanied by a new introduction from Libby Sellers, who considers the importance of Pet Shop Boys within the history of design, while a new foreword by Jeremy Deller reflects on the enduring impact of their music and image. 

With a cover and slipcase designed by Farrow and a brand-new conversation between Heath, Tennant and Lowe, Pet Shop Boys Volume is a visual feast and a sumptuous tribute to four decades of creative innovation.

Specification:

234 × 156 mm
592 pages
Hardback
Slipcase

Books: The Drums

 

The Smiths need no introduction. Formed in 1982 and disbanded in 1987, all four of their studio albums reached the top five in the UK charts. They are widely lauded as one of the most influential groups of all time.

Mike Joyce is the last member of the iconical band to release their autobiography and this is his no-holds-barred story of what it was like to play the drums in the Smiths. Throughout his honest and witty reflections, Mike answers the question he and bassist Andy Rourke used to often ask each other: 'Where did it all go right?'

A lot of the Smiths' past is already canonised. Rather than retelling those well-documented iconic moments, in The Drums, Mike conveys 'the feeling' of his time in the band. His off-piste, frank and witty perspective allows him to re-contextualise fan favourite moments through a beautifully vulnerable, human insight into his life.

The written history of the Smiths is not missing an encyclopedic account of everything that happened over the years; but Mike's honest, entertaining and deeply human memoir is what Smiths fans have been waiting for. This book truly conveys what it felt like to be a member of the Smiths.

In The Drums, Mike Joyce finally gives us the perspective of the self-confessed biggest Smiths fan in the world who from the start was just some lad from the suburbs of Fallowfield who played the drums.

Title: The Drums

Author: Mike Joyce

Language: English

Publisher: New Modern 

Pages: 272

Books: Live Aid "The Definitive 40-Year Story"

 

The authoritative, official inside story of 40 years of Live Aid, from Band Aid to today.

In 1985, with £100+ million in his back pocket from Live Aid – the greatest rock concert the world had ever seen – Bob Geldof took a trip across Africa to decide how to spend the money he had raised for the Ethiopian famine. He asked Paul Vallely to go with him. Over the next four decades Vallely became one of Geldof’s closest advisers – travelling with him to meet the world’s top rock stars and politicians. 

Here, for the first time, Vallely gives his full eye-witness account of those 40 years. The book, which has a foreword by Bob Geldof, is crammed with stories of how pop, poverty, politics and power are interwoven in the Live Aid story. Geldof encounters presidents, prime ministers and popes as well as the pop heroes who adorned his bedroom wall as a boy. Bob drinks late-night whisky with Margaret Thatcher, is forced to write a grovelling apology to Bill Clinton and meets Vladimir Putin on a boat in the Mediterranean. He pressurises The Who, sweet talks Pink Floyd, and is awestruck by Bowie. Is Bob Geldof a bully or a charmer, saint or ‘white saviour’, or simply a force of nature?   

But there is more to this than music. The journey from Live Aid to Live 8 was one from giving money to calling for action, from charity to justice – and an entire generation went on it with him. Live 8 in 2005 was the largest gathering in human history. Its eight simultaneous concerts created a seismic event which the leaders of the world’s most powerful nations could not ignore. It made a whole generation feel they could make a difference. In more ways than one, Live Aid rocked the world.

 

Title: Live Aid "The Definitive 40-Year Story

Language: English 

Hardcover, 15.32 x 2.79 x 23.42 cm

Publisher: New Modern

Pages: 590 

 

Books: Paul McCartney Wings "The Story Of A Band On The Run"

A landmark account of Paul McCartney’s triumphant musical reinvention in the 1970s and the rise of one of the decade’s most iconic bands

This is the story, in their own words, of a band that came to define a generation. Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run tells the madcap history of Paul McCartney and his newly formed band, from their humble beginnings in the early 1970s to their dissolution barely a decade later. Drawn from over 500,000 words of interviews with McCartney, family and band members, and other key participants, with a cast of characters including John Lennon, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Chrissie Hynde, Mick Jagger and more, Wings recounts the musical odyssey taken by a man searching for his identity in the aftermath of The Beatles’ breakup. Soon joined by his wife – American photographer Linda McCartney – on keyboard and vocals, drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist Denny Laine, McCartney sowed the seeds for a new band that would provide the soundtrack to the decade.

Organised chronologically around McCartney, RAM and nine Wings albums, the narrative begins when a twenty-seven-year-old superstar, rumoured to be dead, fled with his new wife to a remote sheep farm in Scotland amid a sea of legal and personal rows. Being there gave McCartney time to create and was where this new band emerged. Wings then follows the group as they play unannounced shows at university halls, tour in a sheared-off double-decker bus with their children, survive a robbery on the streets of Nigeria, and eventually perform blockbuster stadium shows on their world tour, all while producing some of the most enduring music of the time.

With extraordinary recollections collected by Oscar-winning director Morgan Neville and edited into a genre-defining oral history by Ted Widmer, Wings transports the reader to the grit and glamour of the 1970s. Introduced with a heartfelt foreword by McCartney, Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run contains 150 black-and-white and colour photographs, many previously unseen, as well as timelines, a gigography and a full discography, in an art form all its own.

 

Title: Paul McCartney Wings "The Story Of A Band On The Run"

Language: English

Hardcover, 16.2 x 4.8 x 23.7 cm

Publisher: Allan Lane

Pages: 576 

Books: Rumors Of My Demise

Evan Dando spills the true story of his band's tumultuous history and what it was like to be famous in the pre-internet days in this candid, colourful, and unputdownable memoir.

After Kurt Cobain died in 1994, everyone thought Evan Dando was next. The Lemonheads' frontman and songwriter had leapt from Boston's mid-80s punk scene into international grunge royalty. Two gold records, acting roles, glam photo shoots and a roster of celebrity drug buddies made Dando quickly into a poster boy for 90s analogue excess. He was so deep in it, some people believed a fake report that he had died from an overdose.

Rumours of My Demise is Evan Dando's story - raw, wild, unfiltered and straight from the source. A privileged kid who snuck into gigs and crashed on whatever floors he could find. A stunningly gifted rocker who propelled his high school band into the highest reaches of indie fame. The industry's favourite 'alternahunk' until he wasn't, who all the same burned through the 90s like he owned them. A guitarist and singer who racked up struggles punctuated by some striking successes in the internet hashtag decades that followed, before making a wholly new home and life in Brazil.

But you won't find a redemption arc here, and just a few regrets. At the end of it all, it's a manifesto. In this memoir, Evan Dando explains how and why he has always lived for the music.

Title: Rumors Of My Demise

Author: Evan Dando

Languge: English

Publisher: Faber & Faber 

Pages: 304 

Books: Our Secrets Are The Same

A candid, moving and kinetic story of self-realisation through the power of music, Our Secrets Are The Same is the remarkable joint memoir by Simple Minds' founder members, Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill. It not only reveals the inner workings of one of the most innovative and successful British bands of the past half-century, but the deeply personal tale of an extraordinary friendship which powered teenage dreams into visionary action.

Exploring key songs, places, years and events in the Simple Minds story, and told in the distinct voices of both men, Our Secrets Are The Same explores a bond which has encompassed stratospheric highs and humbling lows, marriages and divorces, fatherhood, fickle fame, tricky inter-band dynamics, the occasional explosive bust up, and a ruthless streak to rival the Sicilian Mafia.

Their connection is grounded in shared experiences and a set of values and codes so deeply ingrained they don't need to be spoken. For Our Secrets Are The Same is not just the story of two rock stars, but of two sons, brothers, partners and parents who have never forgotten where they come from. Two men who have remained deeply bonded to their roots and each other, while fulfilling a teenage dream to form a world-class live band and take their music around the globe.

Fascinating and funny, evocative and inspiring, this unforgettable memoir captures a unique journey through life and music, and a friendship like no other.

 

Title: Our Secrets Are The Same / Friendship & Fame at the Heart of Simple Minds

Author: Jim Kerr And Charlie Burchill with Archie Thomson

Language: English 

Publisher: Constable

Pages: 352

Books: Teenage Daydream "We Are The Girls Who Play In A Band"

An evocative coming of age story from one of the UK’s first ever female post-punk musicians. Debsey Wykes was the bass playing singer in the first all girl punk group Dolly Mixture. Thrown into the musky, misogynistic, male dominated world of the UK music industry in the late 1970s, they enjoyed unlikely #1 success alongside Captain Sensible of The Damned on 1982’s even unlikelier cover version of ‘Happy Talk’, whilst fame and success on their own individual terms alluded them.

Debsey went onto greater prominence with Saint Etienne with who she has performed since 1992, whilst in 2025, desirable Dolly Mixture reissues sell out around the world as quickly as they are printed.

Featuring a cast of contemporary post-punk heroes – rom Paul Weller and the Jam (their first record label boss) to Madness and the Pogues – Teenage Daydream is a unique coming of age story of youthful ambition, enterprising DIY musical ethics and how an unlikely bunch of school-girl friends ended up on Top of the Pops in home made hula skirts.

Title: Teenage Daydream "We Are The Girls Who Play In A Band" 

Author: Debsey Wykes 

Language: English

Publisher: New Modern

Pages: 304 

Books: Paul Weller "Dancing Through The Fire" The Authorised Oral History

 

The groundbreaking oral history on one of the most legendary musicians of all time: Paul Weller. 

 

Across musical history, certain artists have transcended their craft to become cultural icons, leaving an indelible mark on the world of sound and style. Paul Weller, the legendary British musician, singer and songwriter, stands among the select few whose influence spans generations. His enduring popularity, traversing the explosive energy of The Jam to the sophisticated sounds of The Style Council and a prolific solo career spanning over thirty years, underscores the timeless appeal of his work. Weller also holds a unique position in music history: he shares the rare distinction with Lennon and McCartney as one of the few artists to achieve Number 1 albums in five consecutive decades.

Dancing Through the Fire explores the fascinating narrative of Paul Weller's musical career, weaving together never-before-told stories, intimate insights and perspectives from the man himself and those who have been integral to his remarkable journey.

With unique access to his inner circle - including family, friends, bandmates, producers, and long-time collaborators - award-winning broadcaster and journalist Dan Jennings weaves together over 200 hours of exclusive conversations, allowing exclusive access to the man behind the music, including his unparalleled drive, creative struggles and personal triumphs that have shaped his iconic career and legacy.

Endlessly candid, insightful and definitive in its approach, Dancing Through the Fire captures the essence of Weller's musical evolution through the voices of those who know him best.

 

Title: Paul Weller "Dancing Through The Fire" The Authorised Oral History

Language: English

Author: Dan Jennings

Publisher: Constable

Pages: 983 

Books: 168 Songs Of Hatred And Failure "A History Of Manic Street Preachers

Organised around 168 songs, in chronological order, about half of the band’s total output, each is given just a couple of pages, an unconventional approach to both the band’s catalogue and biography. Being written with the band’s involvement gives the author the chance to dig deeper into the origins and meanings of songs and, perhaps most importantly, the band’s state of mind when writing them.

This involvement doesn’t mean it’s a hagiography, acknowledging moments of imperfection like their inability to capture the live energy of Methadone Pretty in the studio, or Nicky Wire describing the lyrics to There By The Grace Of God as ‘flimsy’. Lyrical influences; largely politics and art are mostly unsurprising, but there are still a few surprises, such as finding out that Golden Platitudes began as a lullaby for Wire’s son.

It’s the glimpses behind the scene really catch your eye – yes, the band wrote a manifesto and actively engaged with the press in their early days, but you might be surprised that Nicky Wire still cared enough about chart positions to describe Lifeblood’s failure to reach the top as ‘bleak’ or that Masses Against The Classes was written because of perceived press backlash against the then ‘new’ post- Richey iteration of the Manics. There’s plenty of their thoughts on other bands (“Don’t be U2”), comparing a slump when tours weren’t selling out to The Clash.

For me, it’s a book best enjoyed with YouTube and a streaming service open, investigating as the author mentions that live versions of early B-Side Tennessee are better than the record, understanding what makes a 1996 Later… performance of Australia so special or the differences in the demo of Motorcycle Emptiness. I spent a very pleasant afternoon wandering down the rabbit hole as I read and re-acquainted myself with the catalogue – and yes, reappraised some of the later albums that I hadn’t given as much time to.

If such a thing as a casual Manics fan exists, this probably isn’t for them, taking in as it does the more obscure corners of the Manics’ catalogue, and not being a straight cover-to-cover biography in the usual style. However, for fans seeking a deeper understanding of their songs’ gestation, meaning, and evolution, it’s incredibly rewarding. It burrows deep into the catalogue, featuring Japanese bonus tracks, soundtrack cuts, and even a song released on an EP that was only ever available at a single concert and encourages the reader to do the same.

It’s a book that rewards obsession, one that digs into overlooked corners of the catalogue, and in doing so, makes you want to dive back into the music all over again.

Title: 168 Songs Of Hatred And Failure "A History Of Manic street Preachers"

Author: Keith Cameron

Language: English 

Publisher: White Rabbit

Pages: 352 

Books: This Is What You Get

This retrospective catalogue is the first institutional show focusing on the visual works of art by Stanley Donwood and Thom Yorke. The majority of the paintings, drawings and digital works were specifically made for Yorke's internationally celebrated band Radiohead, formed in Oxford in 1985. This features iconic artworks from the 1980s until today, relating to Radiohead albums, their covers and promotional band images, as well as sketchbooks and rare materials from their archives that have never before been published. It offers fresh views on the art of album covers, exploring the complex relationship between visual art and music.

Radiohead was formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The collaboration with the artist Stanley Donwood began in 1994 when the band was developing their second album, The Bends, which was released on 13th March, 1995. 2025 is therefore the 40-year anniversary of the band and the 30-year anniversary of the release of The Bends. The catalogue’s focus is upon the art produced by both Stanley Donwood and the band’s lead vocalist, Thom Yorke presented chronologically. Radiohead’s popularity has never waned and they have a strong core following and new fans (many of who are the children of ‘original’ fans).

The high-quality reproductions are complemented by exclusive interviews with the artists, and essays by Alex Farquharson, Nico Kos Earle, Benjamin Myers, James Putnam and Jennifer Ramkalawon.

A major retrospective will be held at the Ashmolean Museum from August 2025 to January 2026.

 

Title: This Is What You Get 

Publisher: Ashmolean Museum

Binding/Pages: Hardback 256 Pages

Books: Burning Down The House "Talking Heads And The New York Scene That Transformed Rock"

On the 50th anniversary of Talking Heads, acclaimed music biographer Jonathan Gould presents the long-overdue, definitive story of this singular band, capturing the gritty energy of 1970s New York City and showing how a group of art students brought fringe culture to rock’s mainstream, forever changing the look and sound of popular music. 

Few musical artists have had the lasting impact and relevance of Talking Heads. One of the foundational bands of New York's downtown 1970s music scene, Talking Heads have endured as a musical and cultural force for decades. Their unique brand of transcendent, experimental rock remains a lingering influence on popular music—despite their having disbanded over thirty years ago.

Now New Yorker contributor Jonathan Gould offers an authoritative, deeply researched account of a band whose sound, fame, and legacy forever connected rock music to the cultural avant-garde. From their art school origins to the enigmatic charisma of David Byrne and the internal tensions that ultimately broke them apart, Gould tells the story of a group that emerged when rock music was still young and went on to redefine the prevailing expectations of how a band could sound, look, and act. At a time when guitar solos, lead-singer swagger, and sweaty stadium tours reigned supreme, Talking Heads were precocious, awkward, quirky, and utterly distinctive when they first appeared on the ragged stages of the East Village. Yet they would soon mature into one of the most accomplished and uncompromising recording and performing acts of their era.

More than just a biography of a band, Gould masterfully captures the singular time and place that incubated and nurtured this original music: downtown New York in the 1970s, that much romanticized, little understood milieu where art, music, and commerce collided in the urban dystopia of Lower Manhattan. What emerges is an expansive portrait of a unique cultural moment and an iconoclastic band that shifted the paradigm of popular music by burning down the house of mainstream rock.

 

Title: Burning Down The House: Talking Heads And The New York Scene That Transformed Rock

Language: English

Hardcover,  5.88 x 3.81 x 23.5 cm

Publisher: Mariner Books 

Pages: 512