1980: The First Fifteen Minutes

1980: The First Fifteen Minutes was a highly influential Sheffield 7-inch compilation EP released by Neutron Records in late 1979 / early 1980 (catalogue NT003). Rather than a full LP, it was a four-track various-artists EP and is now regarded as one of the defining artefacts of Sheffield’s early post-punk and electronic underground.

The release emerged from the Neutron Records collective founded around Sheffield electronic group Vice Versa (later to evolve into ABC). Neutron aimed to promote the city’s independent music scene through experimental packaging, DIY production and artist-controlled releases. The First Fifteen Minutes was especially notable for its striking six-panel fold-out sleeve and conceptual idea: presenting four new Sheffield bands as the opening “fifteen minutes” of a new musical decade.

The EP brought together four key Sheffield acts, each contributing one track:

1. Vice Versa – Genetic Warfare
2. Clock DVA – The Uncertain
3. I’m So Hollow – Touch
4. The Stunt Kites – The Guilt Complex ([peel.fandom.com][3])

Although modestly distributed, the record became important because it gave several bands their first significant vinyl exposure before later record deals and wider recognition. Vice Versa, Clock DVA and I’m So Hollow would all become major names within Sheffield’s alternative scene.

The EP also received valuable support from John Peel, who played all four tracks on his BBC Radio 1 programme in February 1980—an important endorsement for underground music at the time and a boost for Sheffield’s growing reputation as a centre of experimental electronic and post-punk creativity.

Today, 1980: The First Fifteen Minutes is viewed as a foundational Sheffield compilation, sitting alongside Bouquet of Steel and Logical Steps as an essential document of the city’s late-1970s DIY music explosion.