10 Must-Read Music Books That Will Rock Your World

In Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys., Viv Albertine, best known as the guitarist of the ground-breaking ‘70s all-female punk band The Slits, offers a raw and unflinching account of her personal journey as a musician, artist and woman navigating a male-dominated industry. From her early days as a rebellious teenager, to the trials and triumphs of punk’s heyday, packed full of humour and razor sharp wit, Viv reveals taking on a career in film, the pain of IVF, illness, and divorce.

Through her vivid storytelling, readers are given a sincere account of what it was like to be a woman in a band surrounded by the harsh realities of sexism in punk. Founding The Slits and creating a record that packs a punch in terms of experimentation, while leaning into the feminine in unexpected ways like no one had done before, this book is a story of friendship, heartbreak and the brutalities of growing up an outsider.

Written in a candid manner, we are given an abundance of punk anecdotes, from Viv's close relationship with The Clash guitarist Mick Jones, to running around the streets of London handcuffed to Sid Vicious. This is an absolute must-read that finally gives a much needed voice to not just the story of punk and femininity, but to the British rock narrative. No one quite embodies the feminine punk ethos quite so unapologetically as Viv Albertine.