Forthcoming Attractions
Billy Bragg – A People’s History is an oral history of the British singer-songwriter and political activist in the words of people who have been moved by his music. Containing over 500 fan memories of seeing Billy in concert, on a demonstration or on TV, Billy Bragg – A People’s History is the story of the Bard of Barking as it’s never been told before. Whether singing about love in ‘A New England’, domestic violence in ‘Levi Stubbs Tears’ or political activism in ‘There is Power in a Union’, Billy Bragg has been inspiring fans through his music and sparking political debate with his opinions for more than 40 years. With memorabilia from Billy’s personal archive and contributions from the man himself, Billy Bragg – A People’s History spans Billy’s career in music, from his days with the punk-inspired Riff Raff through to the present day. The book includes anecdotes from fans, friends and collaborators of seeing Billy in concert or encountering him as an activist, as well as Billy’s reflections on his long career.
(Published October 2025) Join our mailing list for news on publication of this and other Spenwood titles:
Welcome Back My Friends – A People’s History of Emerson, Lake & Palmer is an oral history of one of the giants of the British progressive rock world. As ELP, Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Carl Palmer had five Top Ten UK albums, including a No. 1 with 1971’s Tarkus, and a UK No.2 single with 1977’s ‘Fanfare for The Common Man’. With an estimated 48 million album sales worldwide, including nine RIAA-certified gold albums in the USA, ELP remain one of the biggest bands of the 1970s. Famed for the flamboyant stage antics of Emerson on the Hammond organ and Moog synthesiser, and mixing elements of classical and jazz music with symphonic rock, over 100 different ELP concerts are remembered through the memories of more than 400 fans in this fully authorised history of the band. Compiled by Bruce Pegg. Foreword by Carl Palmer.
Welcome Back My Friends – A People’s History of Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Spenwood books
(Published November 2025)
Sex Pistols – A People’s History is the story of the legendary punk band as told in the words of fans.
To be published in January 2026 by Spenwood Books of Manchester, UK, Sex Pistols – A People’s History will be a paperback book containing hundreds of fan memories showing the influence of the Pistols on generations of punks.
Compiled by Will Boisseau, this is a book for anyone who was inspired to form a band, write a fanzine, or become a punk after hearing the Sex Pistols.
Richard Sex Pistols – A People’s History – Spenwood books
(Published January 2026)
T. Rex – A People’s History will tell the Marc Bolan story in the words of 300 fans. Marc Bolan’s life tragically ended on 16 September 1977 in a car crash on Barnes Common in south west London. He left behind a musical legacy (four UK No.1 singles & three UK No.1 albums) and a legion of heartbroken fans. T. Rex: A People’s History recalls the Bolan legacy through the memories of over 300 fans, from his days with John’s Children and Tyrannosaurus Rex in the late 1960s, his shift towards a more pop-oriented approach that horrified his early fans as he embraced glam rock, the heady times of ‘T.Rextasy’ through to his career resurgence on the back of his own TV show, Marc, where he was an early champion of the emerging punk scene, and the fateful events of that day in 1977.
Compiled by music business legend Dylan White, this book will take you back to the heady days of the 1960s and early 70s.
T. Rex – A People’s History – Spenwood books
(Published September 2026)