On 20 January 1978, XTC released their debut album with its defiant cry of This Is Pop! In the first of a two-part conversation for What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, five fans, journalists and photographers recall what it was like to witness XTC explode onto the scene with White Music.

 

Tony Mitchell, editorial staffer on Sounds, followed XTC to Hamburg, Amsterdam and Japan. Photographer Jill Furmanovsky was on the same trip to Hamburg in 1978 and subsequent publicity sessions. Beverley Glick, who wrote for Sounds under the name of Betty Page, joined XTC in New York in 1980. Paul Burgess and Andy Poulton were at school at Headlands in Swindon, where the caretaker was Colin Moulding's dad.

 

Music by Jon Bicknell.

 

What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book available from www.xtclimelight.com 

 

If you’ve enjoyed What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, please show your support at https://www.patreon.com/markfisher

 

Thanks to the Pink Things, Humble Daisies and Knights in Shining Karma who’ve done the same.

 

 

 

Swindon Works: XTC 1978 Hanging Around books 

 

 

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