The man, the legend. Graham Parker, arguably one of the great punk and post-punk songwriters, is once again on tour with the original Rumour line-up, and is coming to the O2 Bournemouth Academy on the 30th of May. The question is, of course, why should you go to see a band that cut its teeth in the late 1970s?
The answer is simple; the man is a musical legend. His first album Howlin’ Wind pre-empted the punk scene by a year, with lashings of class-conscious bile meted out over a mix of rock’n’roll and bluesy riffage. As the new musical scene developed so did Parker’s style, with Squeezing Out Sparks delivering more of the reggae-influenced New Wave sound he was known for both creating and inspiring. His energetic live performances, caustic lyrics and oft-controversial interviews were heavily influential on the personas of Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson, both of whom also went on to have highly successful careers – clearly Graham was doing something right.
Since his reforming of the original band in 2011, Parker has toured extensively to bring the bile back to British rock, and it would be a grievance against culture to miss out on this slice of music history, especially for any listeners with a keen eye for snappy songwriting and a great live persona.
Tickets are available here.
