The Palace and the Punks

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. From the same author of the acclaimed If the Kids are United. www.manutdbooks.com