Viv Albertine

Kicking off the literature strand of this year’s Brighton Festival, this former punk, integral member of the tiny class of ’76 and former Slits member – the first all-girl ‘punk’ band – Viv Albertine entertainingly regaled a full house about ‘those days’, her subsequent years as a film maker and the recent rediscovery of her inner anger and need to express herself. This culminated in what seems to be a very honest and well written biography (Clothes Clothes Clothes, Music Music Music, Boys Boys Boys) which will be available in a few weeks’ time. Very adeptly hosted by music journalist Simon Price, Albertine neatly punctured a few myths as well as enhanced the mystique of the time, which she maintains was a very important time in UK cultural life – it was so much more than just three chords and a sneer. As she says (without boasting) of people now: ‘people are now goal orientated; I was a visionary’.

The Old Market, Sunday 4 May 2014

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