What's it about?

Small Town England is a book about growing up in a tiny town (Market Rasen, Lincolnshire) in the outer reaches of the rural suburbs and having only a cheap electric guitar and some cut out pictures of Glenda Jackson to keep me going. Set between 1978 and 1983, it harks back to a lost age of black white telly, punk and 50cc motorcycles with the silencers taken off.


"A warm, kaleidoscopic romp of a reminiscence"
Stuart Maconie

The Secret Supergroup of the Forbidden Music Room

A short animation adapted from one of the graphic chapters in Small Town England, this one highlights the slight culture clash between crap teen windbandery and groovy East Midlands hard rock combos. It's all true except for my hair - in reality it wasn't quite that yellow.

Low (ie. no) budget promotional video that doesn't actually mention the book

'(Planet Rock is) Out of Stock' by Temple of Ying

This is a first draft doodly animation for a song I did with mate (and sound engineer/producer) Tony Salter of T-Bone Tunes. Set in North Lincolnshire in 1982 it tells the story of a teenager trying to find an Afrika Bambaataa 12 inch single in the wilds of the rural suburbs and its adapted
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"Like Adrian Mole with an electric guitar.
Great fun "
Danny Kelly

Er, what's it about again?

It's is a story about suffocating British smalltown life at a particular time in the late-mid 20th Century. It's a universal tale about dreams, ambitions, brass bands, cubs, rugby songs, football stickers, tractors, young love and valve amplifiers connected up to cheap distortion pedals, set at a time of political change and pudding basin hair. And it's all true. Apart from the stuff about girls fancying me.

"A warm, laugh-out-loud tale "
John Robb

Where can I get it?

At most good bookshops, hopefully - certainly Waterstones and also Amazon. I have about ten copies left but I'll have to give them to my mum.