New Book Celebrates XTC. Published by Sorrento Books, XTC: I Am the Audience by David Marx launches on the 31st March 2026.

I’m happy to tell you that there’s a small contribution from yours truly in this publication. David approached me about writing a paragraph or two regarding the recently-deceased, Swindon artist Ken White and his association with XTC. Something I was glad to do.

About the book

From the Sorrento Books website:

‘XTC: I Am the Audience explores XTC’s remarkable legacy through in-depth conversations with over two hundred fans around the world.’

It’s a global fan-led tribute featuring:

• Unpublished interviews
• Unseen photographs and insights from acclaimed musicians, journalists, and producer Steve Lillywhite

The book offers an exploration of the remarkable legacy of XTC. One of the most inventive and influential bands in British music history. Built around conversations with more than two-hundred fans from across the world, the book captures the deep and lasting connection between the band and its audience.

Further, it features contributions from an exceptional lineup of artists and commentators, including:

• Pat Mastelotto
• Dave Mattacks
• Chris Difford
• Respected journalists Paolo Hewitt and Jon Robb and …
• … Grammy award winning producer Steve Lillywhite

At its heart, XTC: I Am the Audience presents previously unpublished interviews with XTC’s Andy Partridge and Dave Gregory. It offers fresh insight into the band’s creative process, evolution, and enduring influence.

Complementing these interviews are rare and unseen photographs by leading rock photographer Justin Thomas. All adding a rich visual dimension to the story.

More than a biography, XTC: I Am the Audience is a celebration of community and love for a band that consistently defied expectations and reshaped the possibilities of pop music.

XTC has always been an underrated gem, and it’s high time they got the recognition they deserve. 

Chrissie Hynde, The Pretenders 

Many a Swindonian would agree with Chrissie there I’m sure.

About the author

David Marx entered this world in Swindon, England to a Polish father, a Dutch mother and a Surinamese grandmother. All of which partly explains his speaking Dutch with an Amsterdam accent.

He fell in love with The Beatles at an early age. Then opened for The Clash whilst still at school and discovered George Orwell and Stevie Wonder shortly thereafter.

David moved to London in his late teens. There, songwriting became the norm, followed immediately by music journalism, freelance writing and then everything New York City had to offer. All of it from sleaze, tease, De Niro and The Marx Brothers/Dylan, Cohen and a fleeting sense of belonging.

He says he should have signed to Sire, but then should have done a lot of things.

Whilst studying for a Masters in Ethics, David wrote a screenplay called Under The Sink. Lo and behold that won an Arts Council award and got made into a short film.

Since then, the songwriter has produced/released several albums of original material on the independent Revolver label – so named in honour of one of his favourite albums. He’s also written several forewords for a collection of primarily music-related books. Among them, Bringing It All Back Home: Bob Dylan’s Second Big Bang, by Jochen Markhorst (2021).

He published his first book of lyrics and poetry, Lying In The Arms Of Venus De Milo in 2022). He’s now nearing completion of Fear & Loathing In The UK. That’s a collection of quasi-musical and political, satirical essays, along with a book on the recording of the third Squeeze album, Argy Bargy.

With a continuing passion for the written word and all things Lennon & McCartney, Bob Dylan and early Motown induced, the author currently resides near Bruges, Belgium.

A bit about XTC

Formed in Swindon in 1972, chief songwriter Andy Partridge led the band, alongside longtime collaborator Colin Moulding. Emerging from the UK new wave and post-punk landscape, XTC soon acquired a reputation for witty lyrics, razor-sharp melodies and fearless studio experimentation.

Following early live-band success, Partridge’s health issues forced them to stop touring. This might have finished many bands off. But the opposite happened, instead they had a creative rebirth.

Now freed from the constraints of stage, the band evolved into a studio-only project that led to them producing their most celebrated and adventurous work.

Albums such as Drums and Wires, Black Sea), English Settlement, and Skylarking (produced by Todd Rundgren) cemented their status as masters of sophisticated pop songwriting.