Gerry Brooke looks back on performances by The Clash, The Jam amd Emile Ford

There were just two bands really worth seeing this late November week in 1978 – The Clash, who were at the Locarno, and The Jam, on stage at the Colston Hall.

Led by the late Joe Strummer (pictured below) and fellow songwriter Mick Jones The Clash had first got together in 1976.

The following year the punk band had signed to CBS Records for £100,000 – a remarkable feat considering that they had only ever played a few minor gigs.

No wonder the fans accused them of “selling out.”

But given their leftist leanings and radical politics the band were soon forgiven.

The media went so far as to label them the “Thinking Man’s Yobs.”

In 1979 The Clash recorded their much acclaimed album London Calling, an energetic and mature piece of work that was a mix of punk, reggae and good old rock and roll.

Finally breaking up in 1986 amidst much acrimony, the band in its latter days had included guitarist Nick Sheppard, formerly of the Cortinas, a Bristol based band.

The Clash were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, the same year that Strummer, now living in Somerset with his family, died from a congenital heart defect.

A few years ago Rolling Stone magazine ranked the band No. 30 in their list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.”

Led by Paul Weller, The Jam had first got together in 1972 playing Chuck Berry and Little Richard numbers at local clubs.

Riding the punk wave – but deciding to wear suits – their debut single and album was released by Polydor in 1977.

Like fellow punk bands The Clash and the Sex Pistols, the lads featured fast, loud, political songs.

Their 1982 album The Gift included the No I hit “Town Called Malice” – a reality-based tale of the hardships of life in a small, downtrodden English town.

Feeling that he had done everything he could with the band Weller went on to form The Style Council.

After they split up in 1989 he pursued a solo career.

A reformed The Jam toured the UK, the US and Canada in 2007/8

If you weren’t a fan of punk, and many people weren’t, then there was always Peters and Lee at the Hippodrome, an amazingly successful middle of the road singing duo.

Failing that, and out of town, there UK singer Emile Ford in cabaret at The Queen’s Hotel in Burnham-on-Sea.

Born in the West Indies Emile had teamed up with the Checkmates to record “What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For? which went to No I in the charts in 1959.

Other hits soon followed.

A well act known through his frequent appearances on numerous TV shows, such as Oh Boy! and Six Five Special, Ford was the first black British artist to sell one million singles