Mockstars

Kevin Sampson, a prolific British writer based in Merseyside, is perhaps best known for his iconic rock ‘n’ roll novel Powder, published in 1999. The fictional act portrayed in the book, the Grams – a drug-toting, Britpop guitar-machine – would quite likely beat the living buggery out of The Lightyears if the two bands were ever to fictionally meet.

Kevin rather kindly had this to say about Mockstars:

“Very funny, that! Induced three inner chuckles and one belly laugh in just over four minutes…”

In Mockstars, The Lightyears head out on tour to the French Alps to play the established covers band circuit in and around the ski resort of Meribel. A band who famously also cut their musical teeth in the Alps are AOR rockers The Feeling – an act who, before becoming one of the most successful British bands of the last decade, were known as Superfly and were a regular fixture at many of the venues described in the story. The band’s keyboard player, Ciaran, had this to say about Mockstars:

“A story of misadventure, grafting, setbacks, drunkenness, dreaming, misfits and the love of old sweet music. Finally, a rock ‘n’ roll novel that people can properly relate to…”

John Howlett is a renowned author and screenwriter, best known for co-writing the screenplay for the 1968 feature film If…, which savagely satirised English public school life. These were his thoughts on Mockstars: 

“Very funny and very brilliant: great language; great pace; great description and dialogue; great observation. Best ‘modern writing’ I’ve read for a long time. Violently good…”