An Anarchy of Demons
Charlie Harper, Earth Island Books, £24.99

THIS autobiography of one of punk’s most enduring figures, the lead singer and driving force behind the UK Subs, is a bit like the band in its early days — frequently shambolic and often all over the place, though not necessarily the worse for it.

Across the book’s 478 pages, Harper, now 81, leaves no stone unturned, from his early days in a residential school for “difficult” kids to hairdressing and busking in the 1960s, to playing in pub rock bands in the early ’70s and then latching onto the punk explosion in 1976.

In essence Harper has just dumped everything he can think of onto the page, with little concern for order or context. Flitting so often from one thing to another, and from one part of his life to the next, it’s sometimes unclear what follows what, and when.

As a result the reader has to stay afloat by holding on to various bits of flotsam and jetsam as they pass by, with pieces of relevant information appearing every now and then as the waves of narrative crash along.

Thankfully, each of the 136 chapters is only a few pages long, which makes everything a bit more digestible. But if ever a book was crying out for some judicious editing, then here it is.

That said, An Anarchy of Demons is entertaining enough to keep any UK Subs fan going, and for more general readers it has plenty of points to commend it, assuming a general interest in sex and drugs and rock ’n’ roll, which is a fairly common preoccupation.

The first half is the most chaotic and rambling, but at least gives us a good idea of how Harper came to be who he is. Paradoxically, while the second section is more structured, it’s actually less entertaining, as it mainly ploughs through an endless whirl of gigs while the band and its succession of 85 members (so far) travel the world, releasing album after album.

As enthusiastic as he ever was, Harper has astonishing levels of commitment and energy, which shows through clearly in this account. It would have been better, however, if somebody had got hold of him to impose a more focused approach to recording his memories.