Blowing up a Storm

In the middle of the punks vs Teds battles, Whirlwind became the go-to support act for the Clash, Blondie, Ian Dury and many others. With charismatic frontman Nigel Dixon’s pop star good looks and vocally channelling Billy Fury, this debut LP grabbed the sound of Whirlwind in the raw.

The look was encapsulated in the spectacular cover design by Barney Bubbles, which brought the 50s into the 70s. The sight of punks doing the Rock-A- Billy heel and toe skip dance in bondage trousers never ceased to amuse.

This all predated the amalgamation of the two into psychobilly and Blowing Up A Storm is now regarded as a quintessential album for every discerning punk hepcat...