Listen: King Of The Bop / The Nipple Erectors NipsBop.mp3

Somewhere I have a photo of Shane MacGowen pogo-ing at The Roxy in London, March ’77. Corinne snapped it, and I’ve asked her seemingly a million times since to pull out the negative. It’s not looking good.

The Jam and The Rejects were sharing the bill. The place was packed and on such a cold, damp night seemed like the only place in London that had any heat. At one point, Shane jumped onstage and sang a cappella. Damn if I can remember what song it was. The best part was his Union Jack shirt, between that and his aura, he literally commanded more attention than Paul Weller.

A year or so later, Howard sent me the debut 7″ by The Nipple Erectors. Hold on, there’s that guy from The Roxy. Yes, it was Shane’s band, and we finally figured out who he was.

‘King Of The Bop’ was a one play single – so simple and swinging, you never wanted it to end. Who’d have thought it would stand the test of time, but it has.