Section 25 "Looking from a Hilltop" (Version 2) RIP Larry Cassidy.

There are some bands who have a big influence on your life. Some directly through their music, some in other ways. Smaller, but still as significant.
Back in the early 1980s I was attending college in Bognor Regis. I'd been writing and publishing fanzines for a couple of years; they were crude, but heartfelt. Particular influences were the Manchester-based fanzine City Fun, and a few choice friends from my then oasis of culture, Nottingham.
On starting college I decided to give up all that stuff and didn't write for a few months. Then, on returning home one weekend, I was presented an envelope by my Dad. Inside, were a few blue badges bearing the legend SXXV and a letter from the Fylde coast expressing Section 25's admiration for one of my fanzines. It was a turning point as it gave me the encouragement to write again; I began to work on the college magazine, eventually becoming co-editor. After having to leave college I carried on writing and eventually began to pick up paid work which eventually led to a short career as a full-time music journalist and experience which would shape the rest of my life.

And all because of a small envelope containing the encouragement of a band I'd never met.  So, Rest in Peace, Larry Cassidy, and thank you. I'm wearing one of those badges today.