Daniel Rachel

Hackney History Festival: Rock Against Racism in Victoria Park
2026-05-17 12:00 - 13:00 (Europe/London)
Rock against Racism in Victoria Park.

1978. 100,000 music fans walked seven miles from Trafalgar Square to Victoria Park. To protest against the National Front. To rejoice in the music of punk and reggae. And to watch X-Ray Spex, Steel Pulse and the Clash. This was Rock Against Racism. Anti-racist, Anti-sexist. And a warning to the divisive rhetoric of rock gods like Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart and David Bowie.
Daniel Rachel, author of Walls Come Tumbling: the music and politics of Rock Against, 2 Tone & Red Wedge in conversation with Andrew Harrison.
Sun 17 May 2026 12:00pm
Buy tickets

Manage tickets

NOTE: Hackney Half takes place in the morning with some road closures and disruption to buses, so you are advised to travel by train to Homerton Station or walk/cycle.

Location
Chat’s Palace, E9 6DF

Oasis night
2026-04-23 19:00 - 21:00

BBC 5 Live - Paul McCartney
2026-04-14 00:00 - 00:30
What are the greatest non-Beatle Paul McCartney songs?
Daniel joins the panel and selects his Top 5 Macca tracks…
Monday night feature “The Greatest”

Mike Joyce (The Smiths) in conversation
2026-03-28 20:00 - 22:00
The Drums: Mike Joyce – Book Tour

As a band, The Smiths need no introduction. Formed in 1982 and disbanded in 1987, all five of their studio albums reached the top five in the UK charts. They are widely lauded as one of the most influential bands of all time.

This is Mike Joyce’s open-hearted story of what it was like to play the drums in The Smiths. Throughout his honest and witty reflections, Mike answers the question ‘where did it all go right?’ – a question he and
bassist Andy Rourke used to often ask each other.

Rather than simply retelling the well-documented iconic moments of the history of The Smiths, in The Drums, Mike conveys ‘the feeling’ of his time in the band. His off-piste, frank perspective allows him to recontextualise the canonised stories with beautifully vulnerable, human insight.

Mike’s honest, entertaining and deeply human memoir truly conveys what it felt like to be a member of The Smiths when you are the self-confessed biggest Smiths fan in the world. He shares stories from his new book, in conversation with Daniel Rachel.

The Hub at St Mary’s
Lichfield

The Laugharne Weekend with Robin Ince
2026-03-22 12:00 - 13:00
Fountain Inn
12.15 Daniel Rachel Discusses his provocative study of pop’s flirtations with Nazi imagery and ideology, This Ain’t Rock’n’Roll

Crouch End Political Festival
2026-03-21 10:00 - 12:00
With Vera Baird KC

Saturday 21 March
Hornsey Library
London N8

Art & Talking: Chipping Norton
2026-03-14 19:00 - 21:00
Saturday March 14 2026 7-9pm Daniel Rachel– will discuss his new book
This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika and the Third Reich.

“Rachel is not looking to cancel or absolve but instead explore the musical obsession with atrocity and how it relates to rock history in general. A sadly rather timely book.” NME

https://www.artandtalking.com/books-authors

JW3 Abraham Debating Club
2026-03-05 13:30 - 14:30
The Abraham Debating Club
60 minutes
Thursdays at 1.30pm

Delivering a talk on This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll

Box Office
(020) 7433 8988
341-351 Finchley Road, London, NW3 6ET
JW3 – Helping to create a vibrant, diverse and proud community, inspired by and engaged in Jewish arts, culture and community

Jewish Book Week with Rosie Goldsmith SOLD OUT
2026-03-01 15:30 - 17:00
Jewish Book Week 2026!

Pop Music, the Swastika & the Third Reich

01/03/2026|

3:30 pm

St Pancras room, Kings Place

Price: £10.00

Book now

From Lennon and Bowie to punk and beyond, some of rock ’n’ roll’s biggest icons have toyed with the aesthetics, hysteria, and even ideology of Nazism. Whether through shock, ignorance, or misguided attempts at provocation, pop music has explored these associations in ways rarely seen in other art forms. In his meticulously researched and sensitively told This Ain’t Rock ’n’ Roll, best-selling author Daniel Rachel examines these often-overlooked actions in conversation with Rosie Goldsmith.
Rosie Goldsmith

Rosie Goldsmith is a journalist and presenter. With the BBC for 20 years, today she combines journalism with chairing and curating arts and literary events in the UK and across the world. She is Director of the European Literature Network, Artistic Director of the European Writers’ Festival, and presenter of the Slightly Foxed books podcast.
Buy a copy of This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll by Daniel Rachel

Dave Rowntree (Blur) in conversation
2026-02-26 20:00 - 22:00
Dave Rowntree: No One You Know – Book Tour

Dave Rowntree joins host Daniel Rachel to talk about his new photography book No One You Know, which contains exclusive, intimate, never-seen-before photos of Blur at the start of their career.

With hundreds of previously unseen photographs, a personal foreword and detailed quotes of memories attached to the images, No One You Know is a unique visual insight into the first few years of one of Britain’s most successful and well-loved bands, from one of the only four people who knows what it was really like.

Dave Rowntree: No One You Know – Book Tour

Dave Rowntree joins host Daniel Rachel to talk about his new photography book No One You Know, which contains exclusive, intimate, never-seen-before photos of Blur at the start of their career.

With hundreds of previously unseen photographs, a personal foreword and detailed quotes of memories attached to the images, No One You Know is a unique visual insight into the first few years of one of Britain’s most successful and well-loved bands, from one of the only four people who knows what it was really like.

Date

26 02

Time

8:00 pm

Cost

£18.00

More Info

Book Now

Location

The Hub

St Mary’s
Lichfield

City Lights: San Francisco
2026-02-21
Saturday, February 21, 2026, 11:00 am PST
Daniel Rachel / This Ain’t Rock‘n’ Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika, and the Third Reich
Price: Free (Registration Required)

City Lights and Akashic Books celebrate the publication of This Ain’t Rock‘n’ Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika, and the Third Reich – by Daniel Rachel (introduction by Billy Bragg) – Published by Akashic Books
Register

Daniel Rachel discusses his new book with Swedish punk rocker Dennis Lyxzen discussing This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll.

This is a virtual event
Over the last seven decades, some of rock ’n’ roll’s most celebrated musicians have flirted with the imagery and theater of the Third Reich. From Keith Moon and Vivian Stanshall donning Nazi uniforms and terrorizing Jewish neighborhoods to Siouxsie Sioux and Sid Vicious brandishing swastikas in the pomp of punk, generations of performers have associated themselves in troubling ways with the aesthetics, mass hysteria, and even ideology of Nazism. Whether by shock factor, stupidity, or a crass attempt at subversion, rock ‘n’ roll has indulged these associations—whimsically, carelessly, occasionally malevolently—in a way not accepted by any other artform. But how accountable should fans, the media, and the music industry be for what has often seemed a sleazy fascination with the eroticized perversions of a fascist regime?
In This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll, award-winning music historian Daniel Rachel navigates these turbulent waters with extraordinary delicacy and care, asking us to look anew at the artists that have defined us, inspired us, and given us joy—and consider why so many have been drawn to the imagery of a movement responsible for the twentieth century’s worst atrocities. Alongside a sensitive history of the Holocaust and an examination of the place it holds in our cultural consciousness, Rachel asks essential questions of actions often overlooked or underplayed, while neither casting sweeping judgement nor offering easy answers. In doing so, he asks us to reassess the history of rock ’n’ roll, and sheds new light on the grim echoes of the Third Reich in popular culture—and the legacy of twentieth (and twenty-first)-century history as it defines us today.
Daniel Rachel is a Birmingham-born, best-selling author whose previous works include: Too Much Too Young: The 2 Tone Records Story; Oasis: Knebworth: Two Nights That Will Live Forever; and The Lost Album of the Beatles: What If the Beatles Hadn’t Split Up?. He is also coauthor of Ranking Roger’s autobiography, I Just Can’t Stop It: My Life in the Beat. In 2021, Rachel was a guest curator of the “2 Tone Lives & Legacies” exhibition as part of Coventry Cultural City 2021, and he curated the anniversary edition of the Selecter’s debut album, Too Much Pressure. He lives in London.
Made possible by support from the City Lights Foundation

Tune in to the City Lights podcast for recordings of our recent events, and an archive of past highlights. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Stitcher.

City Lights Events are sponsored by the City Lights Foundation

Bookish
2026-02-20 16:00 - 17:00
Welcome to The San Diego Union-Tribune “Bookish” virtual event series which is in partnership with the Southern California News Group and the Bay Area News Group. Hosted by special projects editor and author Samantha Dunn, Bookish is a free, interactive salon-style program on books, authors and the literary life.
February 20, 2026, 4:00 P.M.

Martyn Burke is a Peabody Award-winning filmmaker and journalist recently featured on the Netflix documentary “Mafia: Most Wanted.” The author of six books, he’ll join us to discuss his new historical novel, The Gossip Columnist – In Nazi-era Germany, a writer harboring a dangerous secret struggles to counter the powerful propaganda of the Third Reich.
Daniel Rachel, musician-turned-bestselling author whose works include Isle of Noises: Conversations with Great British Songwriters, examines rock music’s enduring and problematic fascination with the swastika in his new book This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika and the Third Reich.

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

Debsey Wykes (Dolly Mixture) In conversation
2026-02-19 19:00 - 22:30
The Long Play Sessions presents: Debsey Wykes in conversation with Daniel Rachel
Thu 19 Feb 2026 7:00 PM – 10:30 PM Venue and Cafe, ICMP Queen’s Park Campus, NW6 6PA

Join us for a special evening with musician, writer and feminist activist Debsey Wykes, as she discusses her acclaimed book Teenage Daydream: We Are the Girls Who Play in a Band, a Rough Trade and The Times Book of the Year 2025.

This event forms part of The Long Play Sessions, a curated series hosted by ICMP celebrating some of the most acclaimed and influential authors writing about music today. Each session goes beyond the page, bringing live conversation, cultural context and creative insight to the stories that shape music history.
Debsey will be joined in conversation by award-winning author and broadcaster Daniel Rachel, one of the UK’s leading voices in music writing. Known for his sharp, empathetic interviewing style and deep cultural knowledge, Rachel brings a vital perspective to the discussion and will also appear as a featured guest in The Long Play Sessions in February 2026 (view event).
Teenage Daydream is part memoir, part cultural history, celebrating the untold stories of girls and women who formed bands, picked up instruments, and carved out space in a music industry that rarely made room for them. Through personal experience and wider reflection, Wykes explores creativity, friendship, rebellion and music as a force for self-expression and resistance.
The book shines a light on the realities of growing up in bands, navigating gender expectations, and finding your voice both on and off stage. It is an essential contribution to conversations around youth culture, feminism and popular music history.
What to expect

Screening of Take Three Girls: Dolly Mixture Story (40mins)
An inspiring talk from Debsey Wykes on the stories and themes behind Teenage Daydream
In-depth conversation with Daniel Rachel on music, gender and creativity
Audience Q&A
Book signing opportunity. Bring your copy or purchase one on the night

We look forward to welcoming you to The Long Play Sessions for what will be a fascinating evening with two outstanding voices of music culture.

Location
Venue and Cafe, ICMP Queen’s Park Campus, NW6 6PA

Institute of Contemporary Music: Long Play Sessions
2026-02-12 19:00 - 21:00
The Long Play Sessions : Daniel Rachel with This Ain’t rock and Roll
An Evening with Daniel Rachel: Exploring “This Ain’t Rock ’n’ Roll”

Date & Time: 12th February, 7:00 PM onwards
Venue: ICMP Queen’s Park Campus
Open to: ICMP students, staff and the general public
Join us for an exclusive evening with award-winning author Daniel Rachel as he discusses his groundbreaking new book, This Ain’t Rock ’n’ Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika and the Third Reich. This compelling work delves into the complex and often troubling relationship between popular music and fascist imagery, tracing seven decades of rock and pop’s fascination with the aesthetics and ideology of the Third Reich.
With an introduction by Billy Bragg, Rachel’s book asks urgent questions about accountability, cultural memory, and the legacy of music icons who flirted with Nazi symbolism—from punk provocateurs to rock legends. It’s a thought-provoking exploration of art, rebellion, and responsibility in the face of history’s darkest chapters.
What to Expect:

A captivating talk by Daniel Rachel on the themes and stories behind the book
Interactive Q&A session
Book signing opportunity—bring your copy or purchase one at the event

Don’t miss this chance to engage with one of Britain’s most acclaimed music historians and gain fresh insight into the intersections of music, politics, and culture.

Location
The Venue and Refectory, ICMP (Queens Park Campus), NW6 6PA

Home » News » ICMP to welcome music book authors for the Long Play Sessions

ICMP is delighted to announce a new event series with music writers visiting our campus to share the stories behind their books, insights and music industry experiences with students.
The Long Play Sessions will be held at ICMP’s Queen’s Park campus and begin on 12th February with writer Daniel Rachel visiting to discuss his book, ‘This Ain’t Rock’n’Roll – Pop Music, the Swastika and The Third Reich’.
Other authors already confirmed for our 2026 events include Debsey Wykes, Keith Cameron, Huey Morgan and Will Hodgkinson, the writer behind the acclaimed, ‘Street Level Superstar – a Year with Lawrence’.
The Long Play Sessions launched in 2025 with an inaugural event featuring music journalist Miranda Sawyer, who discussed her book ‘Uncommon People: Britpop and Beyond in 20 Songs‘.
Ace, Head of Industry and Brand Partnerships at ICMP, said: “The Long Play Sessions is a fantastic event series and we’re thrilled to welcome these literary talents to ICMP to talk about their brilliant books.”
There’s an increasingly exciting array of books, authors and writers out there exploring stories within contemporary music and beyond. We’re looking forward to many of them visiting ICMP to share their stories.”
All events will start at 7pm and are held at our Queen’s Park campus in London. The Long Play Sessions are open to the public for a small fee and are free to ICMP students.
UPCOMING EVENTS

US Publication: This Ain't Rock 'n' Roll
2026-02-03
This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika, and the Third Reich
Hardcover – February 3, 2026

by Daniel Rachel (Author), Billy Bragg (Introduction)

A meticulously researched and sensitively told history examining pop music’s enduring and problematic fascination with the swastika―and Nazism itself
OVER THE LAST SEVEN DECADES, ome of rock ’n’ roll’s most celebrated figureheads have flirted with the imagery and theater of the Third Reich. From Keith Moon and Vivian Stanshall kitting themselves out in Nazi uniforms to Siouxsie Sioux and Sid Vicious brandishing swastikas in the pomp of punk, generations of performers have associated themselves in troubling ways with the aesthetics, mass hysteria, and even ideology of Nazism. Whether shock factor, stupidity, or crass attempts at subversion, rock ‘n’ roll has indulged these associations in a way not accepted in any other art form. But how accountable should fans, the media, and the music industry be for what has often seemed a sleazy fascination with the eroticized perversions of a fascist regime?
In This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll, award-winning music historian Daniel Rachel navigates these turbulent waters with extraordinary delicacy and care, asking us to look anew at the artists who have defined us, inspired us, and given us joy―and consider why so many have been drawn to the imagery of a movement responsible for some of the twentieth century’s worst atrocities. Rachel asks essential questions of actions often overlooked or underplayed, while neither casting sweeping judgment nor offering easy answers. In doing so, he asks us to reassess the history of rock ‘n’ roll, and he sheds new light on the grim echoes of the Third Reich in popular culture and the legacy of twentieth (and twenty-first) century history as it defines us today.nd sheds new light on the grim echoes of the Third Reich in popular culture―and the legacy of twentieth (and twenty-first)-century history as it defines us today
.

British Library with Jon Savage & Pauline Black
2026-01-29 19:00 - 21:00
Pop music, the Swastika and the Third Reich

Daniel Rachel and Jon Savage with Pauline Black.
Thursday 29 January 2026 19.00

Some of rock ‘n’ roll’s most celebrated figureheads have flirted with the imagery and theatre of the Third Reich. From Keith Moon and Vivian Stanshall kitting themselves out in Nazi uniforms to Siouxsie Sioux and Sid Vicious brandishing swastikas in the pomp of punk, performers have associated themselves in troubling ways with the aesthetics, mass hysteria and even ideology of Nazism. Whether shock factor, stupidity, or crass attempt at subversion, rock ‘n’ roll has indulged these associations in a way not accepted by any other artform.
In his new book This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll award-winning music historian Daniel Rachel considers why so many have been drawn to the imagery of a movement responsible for the twentieth century’s worst atrocities.
For this vital conversation, hosted by Pauline Black (The Selecter), he is joined by acclaimed cultural commentator and journalist Jon Savage, author of the classic England’s Dreaming: Sex Pistols and Punk Rock and This Searing Light, the Sun and Everything Else: Joy Division, the Oral History.
Followed by a book signing.

Daniel Rachel

Daniel Rachel is a former musician-turned-award-winning and bestselling author.

Jon Savage

Jon Savage is the author of numerous books on popular culture.

Pauline Black

Performer, singer, actress, author, bandleader and songwriter who in 1979 co founded, and, alongside Gaps Hendrickson, fronted seminal 2-Tone band The Selecter.

Credit: Dean Chalkley

Thursday 29 January

Book now

Pigott Theatre, British Library, London
19.00 – 20.30
Price £12

Cover image from This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika and the Third Reich Credit: White Rabbit Books

Rock 'n' Roll Book Club
2026-01-22 19:00 - 23:00
This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll: DANIEL RACHEL, CAROLINE COON & EMMA FORREST

Rock ‘n’ Roll Book Club
Walthamstow Trades Hall

22 January 2026
7pm

Daniel will be joined by writer/artist and Clash manager Caroline Coon in a discussion chaired by novelist/film director Emma Forrest.

Overview

Rock’s flirtation with fascism examined

Music historian Daniel Rachel returns to Walthamstow with his timely book exploring rock and pop music’s fascination with the swastika and the Third Reich
Over the last seven decades, some of rock ‘n’ roll’s most celebrated figureheads have flirted with the imagery and theatre of the Third Reich. From Keith Moon and Vivian Stanshall kitting themselves out in Nazi uniforms to Siouxsie Sioux and Sid Vicious brandishing swastikas in the pomp of punk, generations of performers have associated themselves in troubling ways with the aesthetics, mass hysteria and even ideology of Nazism. Whether shock factor, stupidity, or crass attempt at subversion, rock ‘n’ roll has indulged these associations in a way not accepted by any other artform. But how accountable should fans, the media, and the music industry be for what has often seemed a sleazy fascination with the eroticised perversions of a fascist regime?
In This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll, award-winning music historian Daniel Rachel navigates these turbulent waters with extraordinary delicacy and care, asking us to look anew at the artists that have defined us, inspired us and given us joy – and consider why so many have been drawn to the imagery of a movement responsible for the twentieth century’s worst atrocities. Alongside a sensitive history of the Holocaust and an examination of the place it holds in our cultural consciousness, Rachel asks essential questions of actions often overlooked or underplayed, whilst neither casting sweeping judgement nor offering easy answers. In doing so, he asks us to reassess the history of rock ‘n’ roll and sheds new light on the grim echoes of the Third Reich in popular culture and the legacy of twentieth (and twenty-first) century history as it defines us today.
Links
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1977486173377?aff=oddtdtcreator
https://www.carolinecoon.com/
https://www.emmaforrest.com/

How To Academy with Robin Ince
2026-01-05 18:00 - 19:00
Mon, 5 January 2026
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm GMT
Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Nazi Problem
Daniel Rachel In Conversation with Robin Ince

Join Buy Livestream

A fascinating and unsettling look at how pop and rock music have repeatedly collided with Nazi imagery- sometimes as critique, sometimes as provocation, and sometimes through sheer ignorance.
Award-winning music Historian Daniel Rachel joins us to uncover pop music’s complicated history with fascism and the imagery surrounding it. Whether due to shock factor, malevolence, or a crass attempt at subversion, some of rock ’n’ roll’s most celebrated figureheads have flirted with the theatre of the Third Reich- from John Lennon’s ink drawings of himself saluting “Heil John” to Joy Division’s Auschwitz-inspired name, to Kanye West’s controversial fashion line. Daniel will reassess the history of rock ’n’ roll and shed new light on the grim echoes of the Third Reich that still resonate in popular culture today.
But how accountable should fans, the media, and the music industry be for what has often seemed a sleazy fascination with the eroticised perversions of a fascist regime?
Packed full of little-known facts about our favourite musicians, this eye-opening conversation will invite us to look anew at the artists that have defined us, inspired us, and given us joy.

Tickets to this online event are free for members of How To +.

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Books

Books are supplied by Primrose Hill Books. Pre-ordered copies will be dispatched shortly after the event. UK delivery only.

Price
Individual tickets are £15, or free for subscribers to How To +. How To + is £9.99 + VAT for the first month, thereafter £17.50 + VAT. Cancel anytime.

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A link to replay the event will be made available 48 hours after the event is over to enjoy without a time limit.

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Daniel Rachel
Author, Musician, Historian

Daniel Rachel is a former musician turned award-winning and bestselling author. His previous books include Too Much Too Young: Rude Boys, Racism and the Soundtrack of a Generation (a Sunday Times, Uncut, Rough Trade US and Resident Music book of the year) and Isle of Noises: Conversations with Great British Songwriters (a Guardian and NME book of the year). He lives in London.

Robin Ince
Comedian, Actor and Writer

Robin Ince is a comedian, actor and writer. The Guardian once declared him a ‘becardiganed polymath’ which seems about right. He is the author of several acclaimed books, including The Importance of Being Interested and I’m a Joke and So Are You.
With Professor Brian Cox, he created and presents the award-winning BBC Radio 4 show The Infinite Monkey Cage, which ranks among the most popular science podcasts worldwide. He also won Celebrity Mastermind but forgot that calcium was the dominant element of chalk. After being diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 52, he finally has an excuse.

Flipside Radio
2025-12-03 19:00 - 21:00
In conversation with Aidea McManus about This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll and playing records.

FlipsideLondon Radio

Aidan McManus is a local historian & guide. He’s been well groomed for the job having grown up in the Ladbroke Grove area (Portobello Road’s ‘Bookie Man’) & doesn’t live too far from us now. Honing his social skills in the US he has returned to London to nurture his roots, indulge in his passion for local history & feed his hunger for pop culture.

A total London lover, Aidan offers walking tours in West London, taking clients around all the notorious sites in Notting Hill, Portobello Road & the surrounding area. Discussing the nuances of a particular moments in history, ‘did Lemmy drink in Finches or the Portobello Star?’, ‘where was Joe Strummer’s first digs in London?’ & ‘was Kelso Cochrane murdered on the corner of Southam Street or where the little garden is on Elkstone Road?’ these are the types of conversation you’d engage with Aidan.

Turku University, Finland
2025-11-27 16:30 - 17:30
The fascination and affective legacy of fascism: final seminar
Daniel will give a keynote speech on his new book, This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Thursday 27 November 2025, 2–6 pm, Tauno Nurmela Hall (I, Main Building of the University of Turku)
The seminar is organized by the research project Fascism’s Lume and Affective Heritage in Finnish Culture (Koneen Foundation, 2021–2025) at the University of Turku in collaboration with the International Institute for Popular Culture (IIPC) and the Centre for the Study of Storytelling, Experientiality and Memory (SELMA) research centers.
The purpose of this multidisciplinary project, combining science and art, has been to focus on the cultural legacy of Finnish fascism after World War II, and especially its affectivity. The recycling of fascist material has created an emotional climate in which different manifestations of patriotism, fascism, and the idea of ​​nationalism are mixed together.
The seminar will feature speeches from the project’s researchers, a performance by a theatre group working as part of the project, and a speech from an English non-fiction writer examining Nazism and popular music.
The event will be held in Finnish, except for Daniel Rachel’s presentation in English.
Admission to the event is free.
Program
2 p.m. Opening remarks
Fascism and Esotericism
Docent Kimi Kärki
Composer Yrjö Kilpinen – from political activist to “harmless” artist
MSc Susanna Waldén-Antikainen
The fascination of fascism in Finnish black metal
FT Aila Mustamo
Voices of confrontation in the documentary Boiling Point: Whose Finlandia is it?
Docent Anna-Elena Pääkkölä
At 4 pm They said: borders closed
Performance of the theatre piece and panel discussion (the project’s researchers and theatre group provide background on their work and discuss with the audience)
Theatre group:
Directed by Fiikka Forsman. Script by Fiikka Forsman, Paul Olin and the working group. Performers: Anu Almagro, Paul Olin, Terhi Suorlahti and opera singer Volodymyr Andrushchak as well as sound designer, composer Pertti Grönholm. Scenographer Jaana Kurttila. Lighting designer Eero Erkamo. Producer-choreographer Anja Lappi.
Short break
Klo 17 IIPC Debate 129:
THIS AIN’T ROCK ‘N’ ROLL: Pop Music, the Swastika, and the Third Reich
Daniel Rachel
Over the last seven decades, some of rock ’n’ roll’s most celebrated figureheads have flirted with the imagery and theatre of the Third Reich. From Keith Moon and Vivian Stanshall kitting themselves out in Nazi uniforms and terrorising Jewish neighbourhoods to Siouxsie Sioux and Sid Vicious brandishing swastikas in the pomp of punk, generations of performers have associated themselves in troubling ways with the aesthetics, mass hysteria and even ideology of Nazism. Whether shock factor, stupidity, or crass attempt at subversion, rock ‘n’ roll has indulged these associations – whimsically, carelessly, occasionally malevolently – in a way not accepted by any other artform. But how accountable should fans, the media, and the music industry be for what has often seemed a sleazy fascination with the eroticised perversions of a fascist regime?
Bio: Daniel Rachel is a former musician turned award-winning and bestselling author. In his latest book, This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll, award-winning music historian Daniel Rachel navigates these turbulent waters with extraordinary delicacy and care, asking us to look anew at the artists that have defined us, inspired us and given us joy – and consider why so many have been drawn to the imagery of a movement responsible for the twentieth century’s worst atrocities. Alongside a sensitive history of the Holocaust and an examination of the place it holds in our cultural consciousness, Rachel asks essential questions of actions often overlooked or underplayed, whilst neither casting sweeping judgement nor offering easy answers. In doing so, he asks us to reassess the history of rock ’n’ roll and sheds new light on the grim echoes of the Third Reich in popular culture and the legacy of twentieth (and twenty-first)-century history as it defines us today. Rachel’s previous books include Too Much Too Young: Rude Boys, Racism and the Soundtrack of a Generation (a Sunday Times, Uncut, Rough Trade US and Resident Music book of the year) and Isle of Noises: Conversations with Great British Songwriters (a Guardian and NME book of the year). He lives in London. Please note that some copies of This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll should be available from the author at the event.
More information:
Project leader, docent Kimi Kärki
kimi.karki@utu.fi , +358505766668
Daniel Rachel:
https://danielrachel.com/
Fascism’s Allure and Affective Legacy research project:
https://fasiaffekti.wordpress.com/
They said: borders closed at Tampere Theatre Festival 2025:
https://www.teatteritelakka.fi/ohjelma/he-sanoivat-rajat-kiinni/

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Rough Trade East: with Billy Bragg & Miranda Sawyer + Signing
2025-11-24 19:00 - 21:30
Daniel Rachel: Q&A with Billy Bragg & Miranda Sawyer + Signing

Rough Trade East London
Mon, 24 Nov, 7:00 pm
£25 The price you’ll pay. No surprises later.

Buy now

About

Rough Trade East is very excited to present a Q&A with Daniel Rachel, Billy Bragg and Miranda Sawyer and signing from Daniel Rachel. This unique event celebrates the release of his new book ‘This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll : Pop Music, the Swastika and the Third Reich’ released via White Rabbit.
Tickets for this event include a physical copy of the fantastic book to be collected from Rough Trade East on the day of the show.
More product information can be found HERE >> https://www.roughtrade.com/product/daniel-rachel/this-aint-rock-n-roll-pop-music-the-swastika-and-the-third-reich#51911517274443
Accessibility:
For accessible tickets, free PA/Carer tickets and other accessibility requests please go to dice.fm/contact. Rough Trade is wheelchair accessible with step free access.

All ages

Presented by Rough Trade.

You can get a refund if:

It’s within 24 hours of buying tickets
This event is rescheduled or cancelled

You can’t get a refund within 24 hours of the event start time.

Rough Trade East London
The Old Truman Brewery, 150 Brick Lane, London E1 6QL
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Write Idea Festival
2025-11-23 13:00 - 14:00
Daniel Rachel

This Ain’t Rock N Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika and the Third Reich
Sunday 23 November 1.00pm
Daniel Rachel is a former musician turned award-winning and bestselling author. This Ain’t Rock N Roll is a shocking and absorbing chronological account of pop music’s complicated history with fascism and the imagery surrounding it. Whether shock factor, stupidity, or crass attempt at subversion, rock ‘n’ roll has indulged these associations in a way not accepted by any other artform.
Daniel will be in conversation with Sean Hannam who is a freelance journalist specialising in retail, tech and music.

https://www.ideastore.co.uk/whats-on/writeidea-festival

Writeidea Festival 2025
The 2025 Festival will take place at The Tower Hamlets Town Hall, Whitechapel, 21-23 November.
All the events are FREE.
Most events will be very popular and we strongly advise booking a ticket in advance. We allocate more tickets than there is capacity in order to allow for the high number of no-shows that unfortunately happen when events are free of charge. Please arrive early as entry to events is on a first come, first served basis.

Louder Than Words
2025-11-15 20:00 - 21:00
This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika and the Third Reich

Daniel Rachel’s shocking & absorbing chronological account of pop music’s complicated history with fascism & the imagery surrounding it.

Louder Than Words Festival
Saturday, November 15 · 8:15 – 9:30pm GMT
INNSIDE Manchester

1 First Street Manchester M15 4RP

Over the last seven decades, some of rock ‘n’ roll’s most celebrated figureheads have flirted with the imagery and theatre of the Third Reich. From Keith Moon and Vivian Stanshall kitting themselves out in Nazi uniforms to Siouxsie Sioux and Sid Vicious brandishing swastikas in the pomp of punk, generations of performers have associated themselves in troubling ways with the aesthetics, mass hysteria and even ideology of Nazism. Whether shock factor, stupidity, or crass attempt at subversion, rock ‘n’ roll has indulged these associations in a way not accepted by any other artform. But how accountable should fans, the media, and the music industry be for what has often seemed a sleazy fascination with the eroticised perversions of a fascist regime?
In This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll, award-winning music historian Daniel Rachel navigates these turbulent waters with extraordinary delicacy and care, asking us to look anew at the artists that have defined us, inspired us and given us joy – and consider why so many have been drawn to the imagery of a movement responsible for the twentieth century’s worst atrocities. Alongside a sensitive history of the Holocaust and an examination of the place it holds in our cultural consciousness, Rachel asks essential questions of actions often overlooked or underplayed, whilst neither casting sweeping judgement nor offering easy answers. In doing so, he asks us to reassess the history of rock ‘n’ roll and sheds new light on the grim echoes of the Third Reich in popular culture and the legacy of twentieth (and twenty-first) century history as it defines us today.

We have two ticket options available: * Event Only and *Event with Discounted Book Combo deal – books will be available for collection at the Festival.
Our event will be followed by a dedicated signing event with Daniel. RRP books will also be available for purchase on the day.
About the Author:
Daniel Rachel is a former musician turned award-winning and bestselling author. His previous books include Too Much Too Young: Rude Boys, Racism and the Soundtrack of a Generation (aTimes, Uncut, Rough Trade US and Resident Musicbook of the year) and Isle of Noises: Conversations with Great British Songwriters (a Guardian and NME book of the year). He lives in London.

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Specialized Big One Experience
2025-11-09 11:00 - 12:00
The Big One Presents…LITERARY Q & A AND BOOK SIGNINGS!

The Q & A sessions have always been a popular addition to the Specialized Big One Experience and this year is no different.
On Sunday 9th November, your compere and host is of course top raconteur himself Nick Welsh AKA King Hammond and he will be delving into the words and minds of four subculture authors.
Renowned poet and author TIM WELLS will be joining us.Tim is respected in his field and has cut a niche in the literary world with his pulp Skinhead novellas such as “Shine On Me” and “Moonstomp” – Skinhead werewolves anyone?
Also joining us football subculture icon, and now writer and film director CASS PENNANT. Cass is a British football institution, famed for his days with the West Ham Crew, He will have many a story to tell about this and his biography
and making the Ska music heavy “Beverley” movie which will be showing in the Main Arena at The Big One over the weekend.
Specialized’s very own PAUL WILLO will be joining the panel in conjunction to the final issue of the revamped full circle story of The Specials “You’re Wondering Now – The Specials – An Encore”
and finally author DANIEL RACHEL will be in attendance as he discusses his book “Too Much Too Young – The story of 2 Tone Records”
After the Q & A , there will the chances to purchase the books and if needed, get them signed.
THIS WILL KICK OFF JUST AFTER THE REMEMBERANCE EVENT,
SPECIALIZED BIG ONE TICKETS

British Music Experience Liverpool
2025-11-06 19:30 - 22:00
This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll
Book event with author, Daniel Rachel in conversation
Thursday 6 November, 7.30pm
​
Pop Music, the Swastika and the Third Reich
Over the last seven decades, some of rock ‘n’ roll’s most celebrated figureheads have flirted with the imagery and theatre of the Third Reich. From Keith Moon and Vivian Stanshall kitting themselves out in Nazi uniforms to Siouxsie Sioux and Sid Vicious brandishing swastikas in the pomp of punk, generations of performers have associated themselves in troubling ways with the aesthetics, mass hysteria and even ideology of Nazism. Whether shock factor, stupidity, or crass attempt at subversion, rock ‘n’ roll has indulged these associations in a way not accepted by any other artform. But how accountable should fans, the media, and the music industry be for what has often seemed a sleazy fascination with the eroticised perversions of a fascist regime?
In This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll, award-winning music historian Daniel Rachel navigates these turbulent waters with extraordinary delicacy and care, asking us to look anew at the artists that have defined us, inspired us and given us joy – and consider why so many have been drawn to the imagery of a movement responsible for the twentieth century’s worst atrocities. Alongside a sensitive history of the Holocaust and an examination of the place it holds in our cultural consciousness, Rachel asks essential questions of actions often overlooked or underplayed, whilst neither casting sweeping judgement nor offering easy answers. In doing so, he asks us to reassess the history of rock ‘n’ roll and sheds new light on the grim echoes of the Third Reich in popular culture and the legacy of twentieth (and twenty-first) century history as it defines us today.
Join us as Daniel discusses the themes in his latest book with author, visual artist and musician Zoë Howe. Books will be available to buy and can be signed on the evening. Daniel and Zoë will be further supported by the Merseyside branch of Stand Up to Racism who will be selling merch and giving out information.
All tickets £8.
​Book Now
​​Daniel Rachel
​Daniel Rachel is a former musician turned award-winning and bestselling author. His previous books include Too Much Too Young: Rude Boys, Racism and the Soundtrack of a Generation (aTimes, Uncut, Rough Trade US and Resident Musicbook of the year) and Isle of Noises: Conversations with Great British Songwriters (a Guardian and NME book of the year). He lives in London.
​Zoë Howe
Zoë Howe has produced acclaimed biographies of The Slits, Poly Styrene, the Jesus & Mary Chain, Wilko Johnson, Stevie Nicks, Florence + The Machine, Lee Brilleaux and others. Zoë was part of the founding team behind the award-winning documentary Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché, and she has made radio programmes for Absolute Radio, Resonance FM and Soho Radio amongst others; she currently presents the Rock ’n’ Roll Witch show on Soho Radio. Musically, Zoë has worked with Viv Albertine, Helen McCookery Book, Steve Beresford, Mick Jones & others. Zoë is a Royal Literary Fund writing Fellow at Newnham College, University of Cambridge, and her debut novel Shine On, Marquee Moon was shortlisted for the Virginia Prize for Fiction in 2016.
​Please note, our museum galleries are closed during events.
​

FIND US

British Music Experience
Cunard BuildingPier Head
Liverpool, Merseyside
L3 1DS
United Kingdom
​
info@britishmusicexperience.com
​

THIS AIN'T ROCK 'N' ROLL: Publication date
2025-11-06
THIS AIN’T ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

Pop Music, the Swastika & the Third Reich

By Daniel Rachel
Published in hardback (£25), eBook and audio, 6th November 2025
A shocking and absorbing account of pop music’s complicated history with fascism and the imagery surrounding it from award-winning author Daniel Rachel. Introduction by Billy Bragg.
In this meticulously researched and sensitively told history, with an Introduction by Billy Bragg, Daniel Rachel examines pop music’s enduring and problematic fascination with the swastika – and Nazism itself.
Over the last seven decades, some of rock ’n’ roll’s most celebrated figureheads have flirted with the imagery and theatre of the Third Reich. From Keith Moon and Vivian Stanshall kitting themselves out in Nazi uniforms and terrorising Jewish neighbourhoods to Siouxsie Sioux and Sid Vicious brandishing swastikas in the pomp of punk, generations of performers have associated themselves in troubling ways with the aesthetics, mass hysteria and even ideology of Nazism. Whether shock factor, stupidity, or crass attempt at subversion, rock ‘n’ roll has indulged these associations – whimsically, carelessly, occasionally malevolently – in a way not accepted by any other artform. But how accountable should fans, the media, and the music industry be for what has often seemed a sleazy fascination with the eroticised perversions of a fascist regime?
In This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll, award-winning music historian Daniel Rachel navigates these turbulent waters with extraordinary delicacy and care, asking us to look anew at the artists that have defined us, inspired us and given us joy – and consider why so many have been drawn to the imagery of a movement responsible for the twentieth century’s worst atrocities. Alongside a sensitive history of the Holocaust and an examination of the place it holds in our cultural consciousness, Rachel asks essential questions of actions often overlooked or underplayed, whilst neither casting sweeping judgement nor offering easy answers. In doing so, he asks us to reassess the history of rock ’n’ roll and sheds new light on the grim echoes of the Third Reich in popular culture and the legacy of twentieth (and twenty-first)-century history as it defines us today.
Daniel Rachel said: ‘This has been a tremendously difficult book to write. But I believe necessary. As a teenage music fan, I struggled to reconcile rock ’n’ roll’s rebellious attitude with my understanding of the horrors committed by the Third Reich. The swastika links both as an emblem of Nazi oppression but also a leitmotif for rock ’n’ roll defiance. Today, the global rise of fascism challenges the defeat of Nazi Germany and the Axis powers in the Second World War. If rock ’n’ roll is to remain at the vanguard of the revolutionary spirit it needs to confront its shortcomings, stand against persecution, and address its historical failings.’

White Rabbit Books 30 October 2025

Order Now https://geni.us/ThisAintRockNRoll

#danielrachel #ThisAintRockNRoll

Talk Radio Europe
2025-11-03 10:30 - 11:00
Daniel will be discussing his new book, This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll with Giles Brown
https://www.talkradioeurope.com/presenters/giles-brown-presenter/

Launch Party w/Oysland Klezmer Trio
2025-10-27 06:30 - 22:30
This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll Book Launch + The Oysland Klezmer Trio

To celebrate the launch of his new book ‘THIS AIN’T ROCK ‘N’ ROLL’, join us for an evening of conversation with author Daniel Rachel and a unique live performance from the acclaimed Oysland Klezmer Trio .
Monday 27 October 2025
The night begins at 7.15pm
Doors: See footer | Entry: £10 advance
LONDON: Jamboree

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6 St Chads Place
London
WC1X 9HH

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www.jamboreevenue.co.uk/

!
02072786797

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Find us
We are a short walk from King’s Cross Station, down a cobbled street just off Gray’s Inn Road.
The venue is fully wheelchair accessible.

Louder Than War radio
2025-10-26 11:00 - 13:00
Daniel discusses This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll with Iain Key

Music played includes:
The Boomtown Rats – (I Never Loved) Eva Braun Leonard Cohen – Dance Me to the End of Love Alternative TV – How Much Longer Dead Kennedys -Nazi Punks Fuck Off The Style Council – Ghosts Of Dachau Joy Division – At A Later Date Skunk Anansie – Little Baby Swastika Siouxsie And The Banshees – Metal Postcard (Mittageisen) Woody Guthrie – All You Facists Manic Street Preachers – The Intense Humming Of Evil Adam & The Ants – Tabletalk The Fall – Who Makes The Nazi’s Indigo Girls – This Train Revised Chumbawumba – The Day The Nazi Died

BBC World Service: Cool Britannia is Back
2025-08-03 08:30 - 21:00
Daniel will be on Weekend discussing ‘the return of Cool Britannia’. Tune in at 8.30am

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w172zw8689y9jft
