Canvey may not be the centre of the universe but to lovers of pub rock music it is the Holy Land.

One man who recognises the importance of Canvey and the surrounding area to the wider musical world is songwriter and drummer with Southend band the Kursaal Flyers, Will Birch.

Will, 51, who has written articles for the respected music magazine Mojo, embarked on his new book, entitled No Sleep Till Canvey Island, four years ago.

It was during an interview with Charlie Gillett, manager of Ian Dury's first band, Kilburn and the High Roads, that a book about the great pub-rock revolution was first aired. Pub rock later gave birth to punk rock.

He said: "Charlie suggested the pub rock story was worth more than just a feature, it should be a whole book. It was a bit daunting, but I thought I'd write the book because it was an important and underrated time in British pop music."

Will, who has been the stand-in drummer for Canvey's favourite sons Dr Feelgood in his time set about his research. It took 70 painstaking in-depth and revealing interviews with the main players of pub rock in the late Seventies. These included Elvis Costello, Dr Feelgood, Ian Dury, Nick Lowe, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Jake Riviera and Brinsley Schwarz who toured with Paul McCartney's Wings in 1973.

Will who still lives in Southend, said: "The complete story has never been put together. I think that era has got a bit of a bad press over the years and everyone concentrates on just the punk era, not what came before.

"There was not a lot of reporting in the musical press at the time, but there was a lot on the internet and I have tried to reconstruct the whole era chronologically. For some of the interviewees they had to go back to significant incidents from over 20 years ago which wasn't easy."

Will feels the importance of the bands which created pub rock has been glossed over in favour of other more image-conscious genres.

He said: "For instance, the influence on the scene by Dr Feelgood has never really been properly credited. Hopefully, my book will redress the balance."

The book, published by Virgin is available from today at a cost of £12.99.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.