Cultural original still biting back

Britain’s best loved and most important performance poet, John is as vital now as he was in the 70s; His biting, satirical, political and very funny verse, delivered in a unique rapid-fire performance style, resonated with the punk movement. JCC toured with all the seminal bands; The Sex Pistols, The Clash & Buzzcocks, and in the USA with Elvis Costello. He began to draw large crowds in his own right. Joy Division were proud to frequently support JCC and New Order later opened for him on their first Australian tour.
John Cooper Clarke SUS-140804-154459001John Cooper Clarke SUS-140804-154459001
John Cooper Clarke SUS-140804-154459001

In 1978 JCC signed a major album deal with CBS Records. His records with the Invisible Girls, produced by Martin Hannett, are acknowledged as masterpieces. The unique fusions of JCC’s poems and The Invisible Girls’ highly original music, created influential records still name checked by people as diverse as Alex Turner, Plan B, Jarvis Cocker and Steve Coogan.

He also released a massive collection of his poetry and words “Ten Years In An Open Necked Shirt”, which became the bestselling poetry book of the 1980s, and is reprinted every few years.

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A figurehead for the movement and all that it encompassed. He found himself as one of the leading voices of punk and youth culture of the late 70s. He became known as the “Punk Poet” or “The Bard of Salford” . Live, he was performing to thousands across the UK.

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