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Oral Histories

First-hand accounts from DJs, MCs, station founders, engineers, record-shop staff, promoters, artists, listeners and community organisers.

Important: Oral histories are personal recollections, not independently verified historical fact. They are published only after consent, rights clearance and editorial review.

Collection in progress

No oral histories are published without consent, rights clearance and editorial review. The first oral histories will appear here once the collection programme is underway.

Were you involved in London pirate radio or UK underground music? Your story matters.

Share your story
Oral history protocol
  • —We explain purpose, intended audiences, storage, editing, publication channels and withdrawal options before recording.
  • —We offer attribution choices: full name, professional name, anonymous public display or temporary embargo.
  • —We ask contributors to distinguish what they witnessed from what they heard later.
  • —We retain the full recording and transcript; substantive edits and factual annotations are logged.
  • —We do not pressure contributors to disclose offences, trauma, precise transmitter locations or information about other people.
  • —For under-18s: age-appropriate consent, guardian or organisational permission, and supervised communications.