Band on the Bus: Around the World in a Double-Decker

By Emma Chichester Clark

When nine friends set out from England in 1969 to travel the world in a double-decker bus called ‘Hairy Pillock’, little did they know that they would become honorary citizens of Texas, hold the keys to New York, release a record in Australia, perform for the Shah and Empress of Iran, and appear on countless television and radio shows around the world. Their epic three-year journey, which began as a bet with the landlord of their local pub, took them across perilous roads through Europe to Iran and Afghanistan, through the Khyber Pass to Pakistan and India, then to Australia and, finally, the United States and Canada. Initially planning on getting work as export salesmen, they soon had to supplement their meagre funds by performing the folk songs they sang in the pubs back home, after which they achieved minor stardom as The Philanderers throughout Australia and the US. This light-hearted account follows the group on their trip across deserts and mountains, as they undertook an incredible expedition that would be impossible today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The History Press
• Release date: Jul 3, 2017
• ISBN: 9780750984546

Emma Chichester Clark

Emma Chichester Clark studied art at the Royal College of Art. She has worked as a freelancer for magazines, publishers and advertising agencies as well as teaching art for several years, but now dedicates most of her time to children’s books. She was nominated for the Kurt Maschler Award for Illustration twice and ‘I Love You, Blue Kangaroo!’, was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal.

Reviews for Band on the Bus

[cburnett5 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Band on the Bus tells the tale of a group of friends from England in 1969 who outfitted a double decker bus and traveled all around the world. The story itself is very entertaining, but the book goes into WAY too much detail about extraneous items and issues that take away from the base story. Take out about 150 pages and a lot of details about various mechanical issues, etc. with the bus, and the book would be a lot stronger. My favorite part of the book was the descriptions of the places the group visited and the people they encountered on their way. This type of trip couldn’t happen today, and I enjoyed reading about their adventures. Thanks to Trafalgar Square Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.