Teenage Daydream: We are the Girls Who Play in a Band: A Times Book of the Year 2025

A Times Book of the Year 2025

The Shindig Book of the Year

“The godmothers of indie-pop” Mojo

“A tale of pop life well lived” Shindig

“Winningly captures the devil-may-care optimism of adolescence” Guardian

An evocative coming of age story from one of the UK’s first ever female post-punk musicians.

Debsey Wykes was the bass playing singer in the first all girl punk group Dolly Mixture. Thrown into the musky, misogynistic, male dominated world of the UK music industry in the late 1970s, they enjoyed unlikely #1 success alongside Captain Sensible of The Damned on1982’s even unlikelier cover version of ‘Happy Talk’, whilst fame and success on their own individual terms alluded them.

Debsey went onto greater prominence with Saint Etienne with who she has performed since 1992, whilst in 2025, desirable Dolly Mixture reissues sell out around the world as quickly as they are printed.

Featuring a cast of contemporary post-punk heroes – rom Paul Weller and the Jam (their first record label boss) to Madness and the Pogues – Teenage Daydream is a unique coming of age story of youthful ambition, enterprising DIY musical ethics and how an unlikely bunch of school-girl friends ended up on Top of the Pops in home made hula skirts.