Generation X

Named after a sociology book by Jane Deverson, Generation X were born out of the punk movement but crossed over into the mainstream when front man Billy Idol became the bleach blonde, gurning face of 1980s MTV. Idol was originally a member of the Bromley Contingent gang who followed the Sex Pistols around and he played in the raucous punk band Chelsea with Tony James and drummer John Towe, before leaving to start Generation X in 1976. Whereas most of their peers took a strict anti-establishment stance, Generation X were fiercely ambitious, becoming the first punk act to appear on Top of the Pops (performing debut single Your Generation) and adopting a more commercial sound on debut album Generation X (1978). They scored their biggest hit with the double A-side of single King Rocker and John Lennon cover Gimme Some Truth, but split after third album Kiss Me Deadly (1981) amid rows about the direction of their sound. Idol went on to become a huge solo star in the US scoring big hits with White Wedding, Eyes Without A Face and Mony, Mony.