The Best Seat In The House - the Cock Sparrer Story [Steve Bruce]

Cock Sparrer are widely considered to be one of the most influential streetpunk bands in history, and helped pave the way for the late-1970s punk scene and the significant Oi! subgenre. After battling through the 1970s and 1980s, the 1990s’ punk revival saw them rediscovered by hordes of fans old and new and, as a result, they now enjoy huge success as a live attraction, particularly in the UK and Europe, and find themselves headlining festival bills and performing their own shows to large ecstatic crowds all over the western world. Best Seat In The House tells the band’s story from the perspective of drummer and driving force, Steve Bruce. From their beginnings in London’s East End, through the mid seventies’ punk boom, Malcolm McLaren’s attempts to mould them prior to his adventures with The Sex Pistols and entanglements with Carrere Records, into the eighties and the reality of civvy street, and on into the nineties and beyond, a period which sees them as surprised as anybody to find themselves touring the world, releasing new material and enjoying the respect and love of the punk and Oi! Community. The book is packed with photographs, memorabilia, tales and anecdotes – a must for any fan. Its initial run will feature a numbered limited edition of one thousand copies, with advance mail order buyers being named in a special section at the back of the book. In Steve Bruce’s own words: "I'm 54 years old and am a founder member of the band that was to become Cock Sparrer, which we formed at school in the year 1972. The four original members are still together as friends and a band today. We’ve never been on "Top of the Pops", but these days we seem to be Top of the Bill".