These interactions get more insane as Utopia Avenue achieve acclaim. The hilarious fictional interaction with real-life band members and celebrities is delightfully absurd. The road to recognition, record contracts and chart entries is a slow journey earned with hard labour whilst at times is hard reading. The next gig venue is ninety per cent empty, the police are called and Dean gets beaten up. Naturally, career progression of Utopia Avenue was not as easy as agreeing upon a band name.
With a nod of approval from the man who would soon be named as “The Thin White Duke” the four band members had found their band name. Post-gig the band accompanied by David Bowie (who is talking about his dream of Berlin) walk around Soho and stumble upon the street name called Utopia Avenue.
Syd Barrett is immortalised with his “stagecraft and Byronic looks” whilst Roger Waters’ “cloak and dagger smile” is also referenced. The year is 1967 and initially flirting with the band name “The Way Out”, the band play The UFO Club opening for Pink Floyd. Elf, who has just been dumped by her ex Bruce (who she was in a folk duo with) is then recruited as the lead singer and keyboard player after the four men see her perform at Les Cousins. At 2i’s Levon and Dean poach Dutch bassist Jasper de Zoet and northern drummer Peter “Griff” Griffin from the Archie Kinnock Band. He is saved by Levon who remembers his talent in his previous band Battleship Potemkin and takes him to the famous 2i’s venue (which launched the careers of Cliff Richard and Hank Marvin) at 59 Old Compton Street to talent scout. The first band member we are introduced to is Gravesend cockney Dean Moss who within less than one day hits rock bottom. The reader explores the lives of the four band members coming from different walks of life who are put together by manager Levon Frankland. From the opening line Mitchell festoons this novel with music references beginning with London’s Denmark Street with its array of music shops and (once upon a time) cascade of music venues and bars. Utopia Avenue is the ninth novel by David Mitchell but is his first attempt at delving into the labyrinth of the late 1960’s music scene.
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