The Pop Corporation

There’s so many documentaries about musicians that focus on inevitable success or how lonely it is at the top, which is fine and all – but there’s more interesting stories than that.

And so, to 1976 documentary about Bradford wannabes Punch.

A Close Up North feature called Punch On The Road, it’s 30 minutes of a group of working class lads who have gambled and quit their jobs in a bid to make it as full time musicians.

It’s a beautiful, charming snapshot of Northern working clubs and a life of grinding out applause and sharing a van in ’70s England, failure, comradeship and working class hope.

The group themselves aren’t at all bad (killer harmonies, seriously), but what’s so interesting is watching someone chase the dream just as punk was about to rampage across the country.

They’re good, honest lads. The fashion is wonderful. Seeing inside working clubs, the patrons, it’s all perfect.

You better press play on this, seriously. This is the nuts and bolts of pop music.