Helen Reddington played bass in punk bands in Brighton in the 1970s, before forming the bands The Chefs and later, Helen and the Horns, both of whom recorded a number of sessions for Radio 1’s John Peel. After seven years touring and recording in the independent sector and a deal with RCA, she left the pop music industry and completed a PhD which became the book The Lost Women of Rock Music: Female Musicians of the Punk Era. 

In 2016 this became the film documentary Stories from the She-Punks: Music With a Different Agenda, produced and directed with Gina Birch. She continues to collaborate on musical projects as a songwriter with other contemporary artists, and works on these projects alongside her academic career.