TONY FLETCHER - POW! WHEN UK PUNK WENT POP 1980-84

Schedule

Tue Sep 08 2026 at 07:00 pm to 10:30 pm

UTC+01:00
Location

Walthamstow Trades Hall | London, EN

Tales from the front lines of pop - running a record label with Paul Weller, publishing magazines and presenting acts on Telly.
About this Event

1980–’84 was an explosive time in British rock, as the disruptive energy of bands like the Clash and Sex Pistols gave way to more sophisticated and chart-friendly genres and bands. Fletcher was on the front lines, running a record label with the Jam’s Paul Weller, attending all the important concerts and meeting the top acts, many of whom became MTV regulars: Madness, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Wham!, Echo & the Bunnymen, Killing Joke, Adam and the Ants, the Smiths and more. Then there’s the time he interviewed Paul McCartney...


Before authoring eleven books, including best-selling biographies of Who drummer Keith Moon, R.E.M. and the Smiths, Tony Fletcher was a teenaged music magazine publisher. But, with a degree of industry that sounds absolutely exhausting, he also ran a record label, interviewed rock stars, led a band, promoted concerts, worked as an on-air TV interviewer — and still found time for romance.

Fletcher chronicled the early days of his life and career in Boy About Town (2013) but had enough extraordinary experiences left over for this colourful and engaging memoir.

POW! is a coming-of-age story, the tale of a naïve young man in a cultural whirlwind who learns some hard lessons about business, journalism, love and sex – all the while trying to get his own band a record deal.

In conversation with Alastair McKay, author Alternatives To Valium: How Punk Rock Saved A Shy Boy's Life.



Event Photos

Where is it happening?

Walthamstow Trades Hall, 61-63 Tower Hamlets Road, London, United Kingdom
Tickets

GBP 9.38 to GBP 33.22

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Walthamstow Rock 'n' Roll Book Club
Host or PublisherWalthamstow Rock 'n' Roll Book Club

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