Gob On The Tyne is a book about the North East Punk & Post-Punk scene 1976 – 1980. It was originally to just include bands who were based in and around Newcastle (hence the title) but after discovering that there were also thriving Punk / Post-Punk scenes in Sunderland, Durham and Middlesbrough, etc. we decided that the book should cover the whole of the North East.

We've been working on the book for over five years and have interviewed many ex-members of bands who were active then, some of which (Penetration, Angelic Upstarts, The Proles, Murder The Disturbed and Uproar, to name a few) are still active. With so many bands / artists to cover the book obviously wasn’t going to happen overnight. In addition to the interviews we have many photos, posters, tickets and other memorabilia to sift through and select for inclusion. As well as covering NE bands, the book will include an in-depth feature on the Sex Pistols in the North East (1976 / ’77.) Contrary to popular belief, the Pistols’ first gigs outside London were in the NE, not Manchester. The feature includes input from several ex-Pistols themselves, the gig promoters and some of those who were lucky enough to have witnessed the band live. Also included will be features on local fanzines (for example, ‘Deviation Street,’ 'Bored Stiff,’ ‘Garage Land,’ ‘Genocide,’ and ‘Gabba Gabba Hey!'), the Listen Ear record shop and venues such as The Rock Garden in Middlesbrough which put on hundreds of Punk gigs between 1976 - 1980, Gatsby's, a short-lived Punk club in Whitley Bay and The Garage in Newcastle. There will also be a series of Punk Profiles (Punk from the fans’ perspective.) In short, Gob On The Tyne is the definitive history of the North East Punk / Post-Punk scene by those who were there.

The book was originally planned to be published in 2016, Punk’s 40th anniversary. However, due to the number of bands covered and work involved that didn’t happen. The publication date hasn’t been set as yet but the book will be available as soon as possible.

In addition, the book will come with a compilation 2CD including some of the bands featured, many tracks of which are previously unreleased.

Contact: gobonthetyne@hotmail.com