A Punk’s Progress

At the end of June 1978, Roland along with some fellow punk rocker mates went on a coach from Hull to Leeds Queens Hall to see their favourite band, The Clash.

Two days prior, Roland’s mother had told him he had to leave the family home. She said having him in the house as a 17-year-old would affect her benefits and he had to go.

Once they arrived at Leeds Queens Hall, the opening act for the tour were the Coventry Automatics who played a mix of punk and reggae. Although they hadn’t heard of the group, Roland and Steve danced all the way through their set. Very soon after the tour they became known as The Specials.

Chelsea was the second act and, as they finished, the friends made their way to the front of the stage in readiness for The Clash.

Not far into The Clash’s act, the lead singer, Joe Strummer's trousers began to split and he asked the crowd if anyone had a safety pin?

Roland didn’t usually wear safety pins but that night he had one in his leather jacket - a nappy pin with a blue plastic head. He removed it from his jacket and held it out shouting “Joe, Joe.” Joe Strummer reached down and took his pin.

“With Punk I found a family, a lifestyle, creativity, a way to be. I might not have appreciated it consciously but when Joe Strummer took my pin he gave me fraternity.” Roland Gift says.

After the show, they decided to follow the band to their next gigs, first to Sheffield then on to Leicester. And so the road trip begins. On the way, they find themselves jumping on trains without tickets, spending nights in all-night greasy spoons, getting chased by Rockers, hitching lifts, and sleeping rough in the cold and rain before finally being offered a lift in a transit van by a bunch of heavies.

Naïvely, they risk their lives and get in….

Cast:
ROLAND (Narrator)……………….Roland Gift
ROLAND (Young).……………....Aron Julius
STEVE ........……………………………Perry Jaques
DICK ………......………………………Louie Threlfall
LYNNE ………….....…………………Jessica Clark
JOHNNY GREEN.………….……..Ben Crowe
PAULINE ………….…………….….Hazel Ellerby
MICHELLE ……….…………….….Laura Elsworthy
MAXINE…………….……………...Katja Quist
JOE STRUMMER.....................Finlay Paul
COACH DRIVER…………….....Richard Tate
YOUNG PUNKS......................Played by the year 12 drama students
at Wyke Sixth form College, Hull.

Written by Roland Gift
Sound Design by David Chilton
Directed by Celia de Wolff

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4