Are you having a Turkish?

Mark Laff (right) up against the wall

If you were to believe Wikipedia (file under 'unreliable witness') then Mark Red Laffoley b.19.5.58 is a retired English rock drummer. Pah! Mark Laff, for it is he, best known as the tub thumper in Generation X, is going out on tour this November under the snazzy moniker XGenerationX (see what he did there) playing all the best bits from their first two albums - the blistering eponymous debut and (the Ian Hunter produced) Valley of the Dolls (as good as it is, the third doesn't really count).

Below is the itinerary c/w who he's going out on the road with: no Rob Derwood Andrews, sadly, but Elizabeth Westwood (she and Derwood were Westworld in the late 80s). Also the sax player from Spandau(!) - now on guitar - and some other gadgie on bass. It should be a hoot. 

Having seen both Generation X (in 1978) and Generation Sex (2023) - Billy Idol, Tony James and half the Sex Pistols - this will be the third iteration of a band that I thought (and still do think) absolutely defined the New Wave. (Older readers will know the new wave was no longer new after 1979.) So that in itself gives you an idea of the demographic, their core support, who will likely turn out for this tour. Well, there's me and Steve for starters - a sprightly 64 & 63 respectively. And I don't think for one minute we'll be the oldest people in the room; as we're going to three shows on the tour we'll be able to conduct a straw poll. I shall, of course, report back later in the year with our findings.