I was slightly too young for the Babysitters but discovered them via singer Buttz's later band, The Last Of The Teenage Idols. This film takes in both but is ultimately more than that, as it also tells the story of the London rock scene (or specifically the lack of one) in the early/mid-1980s and shows how determination could see an unsigned band headline a venue the size of the now-demolished Astoria.
Also under-pinning just how different an era this was is the concept of The Rock 'n' Roll Table - located in the Oporto pub in Holborn and effectively chaired by Carol Clerk, news editor at the Melody Maker. Countless musicians would drop by (and infamous criminals would occasionally phone in), stories would be swapped, gossip exchanged, friendships formed and every week a magazine would be published. Journalists claim that the time they spent at The Rock 'n' Roll Table enabled them to hone their writing skills. Like the Astoria, the Melody Maker is long-gone, having merged into NME in 2000. Carol Clerk too is no longer with us.
The closing scenes of the film bring these changes into stark reality. Soho is no longer what it was, with the likes of the Marquee (in both its Wardour Street and Charing Cross Road guises), Gossips (home to Buttz 'n' Spikes club night) and The Intrepid Fox all closed and redeveloped.
The highs and lows of life in The Babysitters and The Last Of The Teenage Idols weave throughout this broader story. The highs include holding the attendance record for the Marquee. And any band that's attempted to tour the nation's 'toilet' venues will sympathise with the, often hilarious, lows.
To buy the DVD of "Livin' Out Rock 'n' Roll" visit the film's Facebook page.
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The Last Of The Teenage Idols - Satellite Head Gone Soft
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