The Grey Topper opened in 1969 and closed after a fire in 1981. It was run by Alf Hyslop and was a popular venue for a variety of acts on the clubland circuit but also featured some rock and punk bands too. It was the amazing list of punk bands who visited this almost forgotten area of the Notts/Derbyshire border that prompted Tony Hill to write an extensive history of this venue in his book ‘The Palace and the Punks’ and I recommend it highly. It has correlation with other venues of the era like the Retford Porterhouse and the Golden Diamond in Sutton.

I could add a few insights into the lesser known groups that Tony lists in his book and I may well add them at a further date.

“Alf Hyslop built it – the Grey Topper music venue in Jacksdale, an obscure Nottinghamshire pit village – and they came – glam kings Sweet, Mud, Bay City Rollers, Hot Chocolate, soul legends Ben E king, Geno Washington, Edwin Starr, reggae greats Desmond Dekker and Jimmy Cliff, heavy metal acts UFO, Judas Priest, Saxon. Then came the punk rock and new wave explosion – The Stranglers, The Vibrators, UK Subs, The Members, The Ruts, Angelic Upstarts, Ultravox, Adam and the Ants, The Pretenders, Toyah, The Specials, Simple Minds. Inevitably with punk, violence flared, culminating in the Angelic Upstarts riot gig that has gone down in Jacksdale folklore. The Palace and the Punks tells the amazing, hilarious (imagine a 1970’s Phoenix Nights if Top of the Pops was filmed there), and occasionally sad, true story of the Grey Topper, centred around its last rise and fall and pogo in 1979.The book contains original interviews with and the memories of – Jet Black who talks about The Stranglers as an unsigned band in 1976 (using his ice cream van as a tour bus) punk and the Pistols, The Members (‘Sound of the Suburbs’), Andy Scott and Steve Priest of glam kings Sweet, Chris Fenwick manager of Dr Feelgood (who played their first gig outside of London at the Grey Topper when called The Pig Boy Charlie Band as featured in Sex Pistol film maker Julien Temple’s Oil City Confidential), Roddy Radiation of The Specials, the UK Subs, Depeche Mode’s Alan Wilder, Eddie from punk originals The Vibrators describing being there at the one of the most famous moments in rock history – the Sex Pistols debut gig at St Martins college of art in 1975! The legendary punk rock festival at the 100 Club. Plus loads more first hand Topper tales.*in punk fanzine style From the same author of the acclaimed If the Kids are United. www.manutdbooks.com ‘It was as likely as finding a diamond in your dustbin. There it was in the heart of a scruffy, coal-scarred mining village whose narrow, terraced streets had no-nonsense names like Edward and Albert. Inside an old converted cinema, beneath a nicotine-stained ceiling, a local entrepreneur named Alf Hyslop opened a music venue called the Grey Topper. Somehow this nondescript, unvarnished venue managed to become part of music history. Tony Hill’s book is a must-read for any muso who boogied, rocked or pogo-ed at anytime from ’69 to ’81.’ Nottingham Evening Post. ‘A very good and interesting perspective of those times.’ Andy Scott, Glam Rock band Sweet. ‘You can see the sweat dripping off the ceiling, sense the globule of spit skimming past your cheek, feel the poke in the eye of a spiky mohican or hear the rattling of bondage straps on pogoing punks. Tony Hill’s book paints such a vivid picture of the Grey Topper that you’re in there, sharing the hopes of the bands on the threshold of stardom or the despair of those on their way down. A compelling read.’ Derbyshire Times. ‘Endlessly gobsmacking…piss yourself laughing…like music books? Buy this.’ Left Lion magazine. ‘Highly recommended, very entertaining.’ Pete Davies, drummer UK Subs. ‘A great little piece of highly personal, social history of which we should see more. I would recommend it very highly to anyone with a passing interest in the history of the late 70’s UK punk scene.’ Aural Sculptors“

Here are some photos from inside the venue with Welsh rock group Sassafras on stage. They were fronted by Terry Bennett from Carlton, Nottingham and they often played in the Notts area giving him the chance to see family and friends. The photos were posted by Ann Wilson on the Sassafras Appreciation Society sometime in 2025.

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