6. The ByrdsTurn! Turn! Turn!

I think they were a massive band for all the bands in the 1980s – the C86 bands and The Smiths. I loved all the jangly noise stuff and The Byrds were the original jangly band. They wrote brilliant tunes and had the most amazing harmonies. I loved the way they looked. The reason why Slowdive had those stupid bowl haircuts is pretty much because of The Byrds. Our look was totally down to them. They excited me in the same way that The Monkees did. When I was a kid, it seemed like every Saturday morning The Monkees were on TV. It’s a peculiarly English thing for kids of our generation. It was Swap Shop and then The Monkees. I ended up loving that kind of music. It was different to all the 1980s stuff that was happening. It was fun. They were cultural beacons.