punk

4 October 2025

The Skids frontman Richard Jobson has paid tribute to his hometown roots in The Story of The Skids — a new documentary directed by punk artist Mark Sloper which premiered last week to packed audiences across Scotland.

The Skids frontman Richard Jobson has paid tribute to his hometown roots in The Story of The Skids — a new documentary directed by punk artist Mark Sloper which premiered last week to packed audiences across Scotland

The film, directed by the celebrated punk artist and filmmaker Mark – known professionally as Mark Illuminati – charts the rise of Dunfermline’s punk pioneers from their beginnings in Fife’s former royal capital to their enduring influence today.

Much of the documentary focuses on Richard’s reflections on growing up in the area, his creative inspirations, and his pride in the city’s musical heritage.

Richard narrates the film, sharing memories of penning punk anthems such as Into the Valley and The Saints are Coming at Dunfermline Library.

He told the Dunfermline Press: “There’s a lot of special things about the (then) town. It’s our job to highlight them and be very humble about it.

“That library is a special place, because it gave me time to think. It’s in one of the most spectacular areas that I think I’ve ever seen, it’s just breath-taking.

“My feeling is that they should pedestrianise the whole Maygate. They could turn it into this beautiful place where you can have markets and do different things, making it a creative hub in the heart of an important city.”

Much of the filming took place inside the Old Town Barber Club on Maygate, run by Richard’s brother Brian Jobson.

Early scenes revisit long-closed venues such as the Bellvue Hotel and the Kinema Ballroom – the latter once hosting David Bowie and The Clash – where Richard recalls headlining as a defining moment for The Skids.

One story in the film recounts their ill-fated second gig, planned during a Communist Party event in Pittencrieff Park to support Chilean refugees.

Richard said: “That was until Stuart Adamson opened by telling the crowd how ‘if this was a Communist country, you wouldn’t be allowed to see a band like this’, at which point the plug was pulled.”

He added: “I took a much more internationalist approach with the band, but the magnet was always coming back to Dunfermline, and I think the key to that was Stuart, because he lived in the centre.”

Skids Guitarist Stuart Adamson went on to form Big Country in 1981, achieving worldwide fame before his death in 2001.

Richard later launched The Armoury Show and moved into writing and television before reforming The Skids in 2017.

Reflecting on the band’s longevity, he told the Press: “I think through various things that we’ve been doing, we’ve kept The Skids relevant. When you play a song like Working for the Yankee Dollar, it probably means more today than it did when we wrote it way back then, because of the politics of today that are almost indescribably horrific.

“Suddenly these songs have another meaning, as does Into the Valley, even Masquerade and Charade. They all feel very contemporary because they were commentaries on the world as I saw it when I was 15, 16, 17. I always thought the world would get better, and it didn’t.”

Director Mark Sloper is famous in Britain’s punk art scene and recently gained attention as Oasis’ official artist for their 2025 comeback tour.

The band commissioned him to produce two neon artworks celebrating their first two albums, Definitely Maybe and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, priced at £4,000 each in official Oasis pop-up stores.

Mark famously caused a stir in 2020 when he unveiled a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II with blue hair, a nose ring and a heart tattoo bearing the word ‘Philip’.

The artist said: “The message was she said it was really good but didn’t like the Philip tattoo and would prefer the lion and unicorn crest. I never got the print back so assume it may be hanging in her toilet. When I was told she had been shown the portrait, I was happy to make the change.”

Speaking about his latest collaboration with Oasis, Mark added: “Noel and Liam Gallagher clearly love the punk aesthetic, and I’m overjoyed to be part of the reunion tour as Oasis still have that punk spirit.”