Band’s protest song record of the week: Bragg (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Band’s protest song record of the week: Bragg

8:03pm Friday 6th July 2007 in News By Jonathan Moyes

PROTEST singer Billy Bragg has hailed a Waltham Forest band's tirade against spiralling house prices as his "record of the week" on a radio show.

Tom Pounds, of St John's Road, Walthamstow, singer and guitarist in The Starts, wrote a song called I Can't Afford to Live in the South East.

Billy Bragg liked it so much when he played it live on air that he named it record of the week while he was filling in for fellow DJ Danny Baker on a BBC Radio London afternoon show.

Mr Pounds said: "We were stunned but delighted when we heard our song on the radio. Billy Bragg said there should be more songs like ours.' "I was really pleased because I think we sound quite like Billy Bragg. Tom Hingley who was the singer in Inspiral Carpets during the late 1980s has praised us recently as well."

He added that the band's singer and bass player Paul Offord, of Epping, gave Mr Bragg a demo tape.

The other band members are drummer Dan Dare, of Station Road, Chingford, and lead guitar Rob West, Malvern Avenue, Highams Park. They will be performing at The Dublin Castle pub, Parkway, Camden, on August 1. For information visit www.myspace.com/thestarts.