Five terrific punk songs which deserve to be played more often 

The Adverts - “Gary Gilmore’s Eyes”

A bit of controversy was rarely far from most punk bands. The Adverts were no different, especially with this song’s title and lyrics. The debate at the time this song came out was sparked by Sounds magazine asking in a review if it was the sickest or cleverest of the new wave records. 

The song, written by frontman Tim T.V. Smith, refers to Gary Gilmore who had been executed in the US for a double murder. Several of his body parts had been kept at his request for possible transplants, including his corneas. Which prompted the song to speculate what it might be like to have received those and be looking out at the world with them. You can see how that Sounds magazine question fits in.

It’s a great tune though and fairly rocks along, it feels like a punk classic. The chorus line has a great and memorable hook in tune and those words. Gaye Advert, one of the early female punks, has a great bass line running through the song. If there is a punk sing-along and punch-the-air song list then this one has to be on it.

Skids - “Into the Valley”

This is such a great tune. A terrific intro, plenty of pace, and that memorable Ahoy! Ahoy! chorus. The Skids had a reasonable amount of success in the late 1970s. Several hit singles were released in 1979 and did well in the charts. This is probably their best-known song and hit number ten in the UK. Their third album, The Absolute Game, followed in 1980 and also reached number ten.

The band is still playing live, although the line-up has changed. The biggest loss was Stuart Adamson who had his own inimitable guitar style and songwriting and left to form Big Country. Adamson sadly took his own life in 2001. But the song “Into The Valley” which he co-wrote with singer Richard Jobson still resonates very well, live or recorded. It’s an absolute classic but also sadly, one which gets overlooked a lot.