The Last Mad Surge of Youth
Pomona
Set in both the present day and the early 1980s, when Maggie Thatcher ruled the world (or thought she did) and new wave kids were dreaming up insurrection, The Last Mad Surge of Youth is a novel about bands, growing up, moving away and getting famous, suicide, staying at home and getting bored, fanzines, the bomb, love, alcoholism, egotism and self-doubt.
The narrative begins with the D-I-Y ethos of punk, steering through major label hype, to tired aftermath. While the protagonist, John Barrett, holds centre stage, his boyhood pal, Dave Carey, who opted out of the band for fear of playing live, is left at home, to brood. The pair meet up years later in controversial circumstances and ponder how now became then, and what they do next.
Reviews
The Times
Mojo
The Observer
Q
R2
Word, interview
Left Lion
The Quietus
Big Issue, interview
David Hepworth blog
Manchester Evening News
Just Backdated (Chris Charlesworth)
3:AM (Ben Myers)
