London Town

In the late 1970s, Shay Baker lives with his father Nick and younger sister Alice in Wanstead, helping at the piano shop. His mother left years earlier, pursuing a bohemian life in London. The family struggles financially as Nick's health issues begin to affect the business.

Nick sends Shay to pick up parts from a London supplier, and on the train he meets Vivian, a punk girl listening to The Clash. She explains the politics of punk culture, contrasting with skinhead white-power factions. The encounter sparks Shay’s curiosity about the band and the scene.

Shay and Vivian manage to secure the last two tickets to a Clash concert. Back home, he spends the night listening to The Clash and changes his appearance, dying his hair and adopting a punk wardrobe. The transformation marks the start of his immersion in the scene.

Nick is injured in a piano-shop accident, forcing Shay to juggle work and care for Alice while planning to attend the Clash show with Vivian. They share a kiss at the end of "Clash City Rockers." The concert is interrupted by skinheads and police, and Shay is beaten while defending Vivian.

Returning home, Shay finds the family sinking further into debt as Nick's injuries prolong unemployment. He begins to take over the shop and drives his father's taxi to earn extra money. This rush to keep afloat pushes Shay toward risky, adult responsibilities.

To help with money, Shay disguises himself as an older woman to drive a taxi, and picks up Joe Strummer. Strummer discovers Shay isn’t a woman and the two strike up a conversation about his love for The Clash. Strummer gives him money before leaving. Shay returns home and spends a night with Vivian.

The next morning Vivian has disappeared and Alice is sick. Shay goes to his mother's London flat and learns of her bohemian lifestyle, cocaine use, and promiscuity. He returns to the shop to find an eviction notice, heightening his sense of urgency.

Shay and Johnny attend a Clash show in Victoria Park, which erupts into a violent clash between punks and skinheads. He is detained and jailed, and ends up sharing a cell with Strummer, who recognizes him from the taxi. After release, Strummer invites him to see The Clash rehearse new material.

Shay decides to leave his mother’s lifestyle behind and transforms the family piano shop into a Rock Shop, focusing on guitars and amplifiers. He advertises that The Clash will play at the grand opening, though he hasn't told Strummer about it. Nick returns home, angry at the plan.

The Rock Shop opens, and Vivian and Shay spend the night there. A crowd of punks gathers outside hoping to see The Clash, while Nick and Alice arrive and Nick approves of the venture. Joe Strummer emerges from the crowd with a guitar and performs, signaling The Clash’s presence as the opening-day moment arrives.

As the crowd expects The Clash, Nick announces they aren’t coming. In a climactic moment, Strummer steps forward from the crowd with a guitar and plays "I Fought the Law," offering a bittersweet but uplifting ending to Shay’s journey into music and independence.

The film closes on Shay balancing family duties with his passion for punk, showing how music becomes a catalyst for responsibility and resilience. The journey has reshaped his future and his role within his family.