Born in Spitalfields in 1962, Suresh Singh — better known as The Cockney Sikh — grew up in London’s East End during a period marked by racial tensions and the rise of the National Front around Brick Lane. These experiences would shape his understanding of identity, belonging and the city he continues to call home.
A pioneering figure in the British punk scene, Singh became one of the first Punjabi punks, playing drums for Spizzenergi on their iconic single Where’s Captain Kirk? and touring with Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Cure in 1979. Alongside his musical career, he trained as an architect, contributed to the restoration of Spitalfields’ Georgian buildings, and later documented his family’s story in A Modest Living: Memoirs of a Cockney Sikh, exploring migration, community and the changing face of East London.
Listen to his live set at W1 Radio:
