Sad Cafe's Des Tong releases novel series about Birmingham's music scene

Birmingham is a city with a rich history when it comes to music.

Often overlooked in favour of other British cities, the heart of England has produced countless great acts as well as iconic venues. Legendary band Sad Cafe's Des Tong has written a series of novels paying homage towards this heritage.

The spotlight was on Des last week as he shares tales of his own journey through the music industry both in Birmingham and far beyond, a journey that informed his series of enthusiastically acclaimed novels whose story begins its life here.

Des Tong, the author says, "I've got five in total, they're called the Pete Peterson tapes. Pete Peterson is one of the characters. It came about after I wrote a program called Streets of Birmingham Music. We discussed nostalgia, old clubs, characters, and bars. A friend asked me to write a book about it, but it had already been done and required extensive research. Instead, I decided to take experiences, memories, urban myths, and anecdotes, combine them and create three characters."

Opening in the hedonistic backdrop at the end of the swinging sixties, these three characters embark upon a world of hedonism in a tale fraught with suspense and mystery as their lives intertwine. As a man of many talents, Des came up with a novel way to make the story a multimedia experience.

Des informs us:, "In the book, there's a QR code. When you scan that code, a character in the book releases a single. I considered writing a song about that song, collaborating with Cissy Stone. If you scan the QR code, it leads to a YouTube video of that song."

The night saw plenty of recognisable faces from Birmingham's cultural scene, including Des's long time co-host Gary James.

Gary remared: “They say everybody's got a book in them. I don't think I have, unless you have crayons with it. But it's been fantastic. Everybody loved it. The books are amazing. I'm not a big reader, but I'm into these.”

Jim Simpson, former manager of Black Sabbath was also in attendance. He said: “He's up to number five I believe now, but I can't see him stop until he's reached ten or twelve - or who knows? He’s got so much to say. It's all fascinating stuff.”

The launch party was a huge success, marking the beginning of more journeys ahead.

Des tells us:"It's going to be great to meet everyone tonight and thank them for being on this journey. Five books. Each one sequentially follows the previous. When you reach the end, there's a definitive conclusion, but also a doorway for continuation. It piques curiosity about what happens next.”