I guess you'd have to be a hermit not to realise that this year is the 25th anniversary of the Year Of Punk...1977.

In fact you might have noticed while in your local newsagents or record shops a plethora of celebratory magazines (top efforts from both the NME and Q by the way) as well as many a CD release.

I myself am currently researching a programme telling the story of punk and celebrating its achievements and lasting influence, which is due to be screened to coincide with the Queen's Golden Jubilee at the beginning of June (talk about a labour of love for me, working on this programme. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven when they asked me!).

Looking back at old footage has brought home to me just how vibrant, exciting and different a lot of those bands looked at the time. And I'm not talking about that image perpetuated over the years by Fleet Street of a dopey-looking bored kid on the Kings Road in just a leather jacket and mohican!

Remember Dinosaur Style?
I'm talking about the premiership punk bands whose clothes and general look were quite unlike anything I'd ever seen before. You have to remember bands up until 1976 (bar the New York Dolls) just didn't look this sexy, this dangerous. I guess we forget that style to the old dinosaur bands didn't really stretch past cheese cloth shirts, tie dye t-shirts and denim flared jeans!

Each of the punk bands seemed to have its own fashion and vibe going. The Sex Pistols had their stylish Vivienne Westwood threads, The Clash had their urban/street military look, The Damned their exaggerated pantomime gear, The Buzzcocks their colourful Op Art shirts while The Jam looked spiffy in their razor sharp moddy black suits.

I still love bands and artists who give some thought to the way they look and how they put themselves across, for me it's always been an intergral part of what pop's all about. Sadly it has to be said a lot of bands nowadays look so BORING in comparison, donchafink? Or is that me getting old? Still one lives in hope.

Brightening Up The Battle of Life
So take a bow all the above as well as the young Elvis, Billy Fury, The Fabs, Marvin Gaye,The Stones, Marianne Faithful, The Who, The Kinks, Dusty, The Byrds,  Sly Stone, The Faces, Marc Bolan, Bowie, Roxy Music, Bob Marley,The Specials, the Beastie Boys, the Stone Roses, Oasis, The Strokes, Beck, The White Stripes, Destiny's Child and Weller, amongst many others who at one time have brightened up for me what Charles Dickens, that well known rock n roller, called the battle of life.

Take a Thames Tour of Rotherhithe including the home of London's whaling and timber trades

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