Excellent condition

I was really looking forward to reading this book. I imagined a no holds barred, roller coaster ride through the thirty plus year’s career of one of our most enduring Punk bands.

Well, I’m pleased to report that I got all of that and a whole lot more too as Ross lays bare his life in GBH in a graphically illuminating manner, alongside decades of personal struggles, he is a true survivor. Steve Pottinger has done a fantastic job of bringing this often hilarious, but at times painful, story to life.

Falling in love with punk shortly before being expelled from school, Ross Lomas became fully absorbed in the Birmingham punk scene. One of the joys of this book is that it sheds a welcome light on the provincial post punk scene, which is always a refreshing change from some of the more well-trodden paths of punk history. Suffering from chronic shyness and an almost suffocating inability to relate to strangers were not qualities that I expected to find as this gripping, honest tale unfolds. However, what emerges amongst the often hair-raising tales of GBH’s progress around the world is a heartening tale of survival and that is what will stay with you on reading.

There’s no doubt that GBH are one of the true survivors in the history of punk, but the survival documented here is so much more than that of just a band. It is an uplifting story of the survival of friendship, principles and a whole way of life against sometimes overwhelming odds. Ross Lomas and Steve Pottinger have combined to produce a fascinating and essential read.