Long Shadows, High Hopes The Life and Times of Matt Johnson and The The

Matt Johnson is a film soundtrack composer, publisher, broadcaster, conservationist, and local activist, although he is best known as the creative force behind THE THE. Written with the cooperation of Matt Johnson and with full access to his archives, Long Shadows, High Hopes: The Life and Times of Matt Johnson & THE THE is the first official biography of one of the UK alternative music scene's major figures. Active since 1979, THE THE has returned this year bigger than ever, selling out the Royal Albert Hall in seven minutes as they play their first gigs in more than 16 years.

Neil Fraser was 13 in 1979, and while he was not a fan of all the music written about, he was aware of it thanks to publications like Sounds and the NME, and the John Peel radio show, as well as the record collections of school friends. He has previously written a book looking at the history of East London, Over The Border: The other East End, published by Function Books in 2012.