Music

Soundtrack: Gavin Watson

The Skins & Punks photographer talks to us about the track that captured his imagination and submerged him in the ska subculture

I’ve given this a lot of thought, and the piece of music I keep coming back to as (probably) the most important song of my life is a tune that changed my path and sent me on a journey that is still resonating with me now. It’s not the music my natural choice – when I was young (from 12 years onwards) I was listening to classical box sets I got for Christmas. Those, and soundtracks like Jaws and Fist Dull of Dollars, I had no interest in what was going on around me. Then I fell in love with electronica – Gary Newman – but living on a tough estate and looking like Newman wasn’t really an option. Then one day, when I was hanging out with my mates, l came in and caught the last song on Top of the Pops. Madness were performing . In that moment, I became a part of something bigger – my zeitgeist. Even though my tastes are still romantic, still epic, it still has to be the music that changed my life – that was madness.

Watch Madness performing The Prince

Madness The Prince

Gavin is a photographer, most notable for his work photographing subcultures