Simon Le Bon said they were the first band he ever saw, Paul Simonon of The Clash remembered them as “a great live band with good songs”, and Simon Napier-Bell described them as “the band that blew my bloody ears off!”
An illustrated history of the cult band London, including a song-by-song breakdown of their albums, a detailed discography, complete gig listings and over 300 photos, ‘Everyone’s a Winner, The Story of a Punk Band Called London‘ by John Van der Kiste is out NOW!
Find out why Paul McCartney made a beeline for singer Riff at his Buddy Holly night, and discover how London tried to pinch Captain Sensible from The Damned, only to have him steal their own drummer a few weeks later to replace Rat Scabies. Read about punch-ups on tour with The Stranglers, rubbing shoulders with all the punk greats of the day, and the time Sting nicked their original guitarist for The Police two days after he had joined London. Hear about their unlikely comeback 30 years later and their rock opera about 1960s gangland Soho.
Formed in 1976, London were Riff Regan (vocals), Steve Voice (bass/vocals), Dave Wight (guitar), and Jon Moss (drums). They quickly secured a contract with MCA Records, an experienced manager in Simon Napier-Bell, and the support slot on the Stranglers’ notorious Rattus Norvegicus tour. From this they built up a following that ensured enthusiastic audiences to this day.
They split just as their album ‘Animal Games‘ was released early in 1978. Drummer Jon Moss went on to form Culture Club with Boy George, and Riff Regan, under his real name Miles Tredinnick, became a comedy writer for Frankie Howerd. Regan and Voice then reformed the band in 2008 with Hugh O’Donnell (guitar) and Colin Watterston (drums). New albums followed with the release of ‘Reboot‘ in 2012 and ‘The Hell for Leather Mob‘ in 2020.
This illustrated history, including recollections from members of both line-ups, recounts the rollercoaster tale of a band who were there at the beginning of punk and reappeared 30 years later to take their place in a musical landscape that had changed beyond recognition. Their debut single says it all. Everyone’s a Winner!
Main Photo Credit: JOHN ANDOW
Follow London on Their Socials:
Need more Punk In Your Life?
Album Review: Spit Takes release brand new album ‘Teeth’ on Whiplass Records
Whiplass Records are big supporters of their local burgeoning femme-scene, and this is their very first album release:./ ‘Teeth’ collects together all of Spit Takes’
Exclusive Video Premiere – LiVES & Dolium Collide on ‘Shame!’
Blurring the line between collaboration and confrontation, Dolium x LiVES collide on ‘Shame!’, a high-friction joint single. Rooted in indie rock and sharpened by punk
Shadow Shuffle 3 – Reading Facebar, 3rd May 2026
Sixteen bands – two stages – no clashes! Shadow Promotions put on a memorable and mighty varied Punk Festival in the form of Shadow Shuffle
Screeching Weasel, London Electric Ballroom, 9th May 2026
Cynics might say that the Screeching Weasel of today are really The Ben Weasel Band, following the departure of then sole remaining co-founder John Jughead,
Album Review : Ancient Lights treat us to their debut LP ‘Reclamation’ – fusing folklore with anarcho-punk
This unique band – Ancient Lights – is based between Brighton, London and Exeter. ‘Reclamation’ is their debut album, and I can safely confirm that
Album review: Social Distortion – ‘Born To Kill’
Although it may not scale the heights of my personal Social D favourite (that would be their 1990 self-titled record), ‘Born To Kill’ is an
Usually found jumping around down the front at gigs, I also relish taking photos and videos, singing, speaking with fellow music fans, and asking musicians the questions nobody else does. Writing about my favourite bands and connecting with people who love music too keeps me more-or-less sane! I’ve worked for over 25 years at a video production company, mainly filming live music events, therefore I have an additional backstage perspective on the scene.
Did you know that we are 100% DIY? We run our own game. No one dictates to us, and no one drives what we can or cannot put on our pages – and this is how we plan to continue!
