Ravinia 2026 Issue 5

“ Punk opened the door and all sorts of bands came through with different ideas . We found our own space in it. ” Joining them for this spirited retro rout are two British early-’ s pop VIPs: the stylish New Romantic pirate Adam Ant (“Stand and Deliver,” “Goody Two Shoes,” “Strip”) and fully reunited fellow new wavers Haircut , best known for their hits “Love Plus One” and “Favorite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl),” on the heels of their rst album as a foursome in years. Squeeze found initial success in England in with its self-titled debut album produced by former Velvet Under- ground impresario John Cale. e suc- cessive years’ creative streak yielded three consecutive critically acclaimed releases: ’s Cool for Cats , which yielded a pair of number-two UK hits (the title track and “Up the Junction”), ’s cherished Argybargy (“Another Nail In My Heart” and “Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)”), and ’s diverse departure, East Side Story , co-produced by Elvis Costello and o ering an assorted mix of R&B, blue- eyed soul, rockabilly, and psychedelia. Other quality cult classics from the ’ s and ’ s included “Take Me I’m Yours,” “Black Co ee in Bed,” “Goodbye Girl,” “Labelled with Love,” “Hourglass,” and “Annie Get Your Gun.” Di ord recalled to Songwriting Mag- azine the ease and whimsy of writing what has become a special Squeeze fave: “ ‘Cool for Cats’ has the most famous story, I suppose. Glenn had already written the tune, but [the original lyric] was unrecognizable and a completely di erent melody. So, he persuaded me to rewrite the lyric. I went back to my at, put the cassette on, watched Benny Hill on television, and then the lyric just fell out on the table.” said Di ord, downplaying his achievement. e rock music of – remains a woefully underappreciated period. Culturally, it was a uid time. Popular music was transforming toward more varied tastes and in uences. Disco undisputedly dominated global dance oors and dictated liberated lifestyles and fashion trends. However, slowly bubbling and burning in Britain, the rougher, angst- lled, ironic edge of punk rock became all the rage (literally). British punk was a social reaction to the country’s economic struggles, unemployment, questionable foreign policies, and a youth and class rebellion demanding the government provide a viable future. But punk’s aggressive cacophony simultaneously made an abrasive statement against the estab- lished heavy metal gods, progressive rock elites, and amboyant pop super- stars of the day. It was anarchy in the UK. Punk and power pop trailblazers on both sides of the Atlantic included e Ramones, New York Dolls, e Sex Pistols, e Clash, e Jam, e Boomtown Rats, e Modern Lovers, Television, Adam and the Ants, Blondie, e Tubes, e Specials, e Pretenders, e Stranglers, e Damned, e Buzzcocks, Siouxsie and the Banshees, e Records, e Shoes, e Jaggs, Bram Tchaikovsky, and many others. Also, British pub rockers like Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds (who both also formed Rockpile), and Brinsley Schwarz were stripping down their sound to blend rootsy rock and folk with pop. Many UK imports were introduced under the disenfranchised, lovelorn, “an- gry young man” punk banner between and , including Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, Lowe, Edmunds, and Gra- ham Parker. However, many so-called RAVINIAMAGAZINE • AUGUST 24 – SEPTEMBER 6 , 2026 12 PREVIOUS SPREAD AND THIS PAGE: DEAN CHALKLEY