The Plastic People of the Universe [audio 9min @19:50]

Celebrated in Tom Stoppard's recent play Rock 'n' Roll, The Plastic People of the Universe were a rock group who were at the forefront of the underground movement in Prague in the late 1960s. Following the invasion of the Soviets in 1968, the band was put on trial by the hard-line Communists, a number of them being imprisoned in 1976. An international outcry followed, led by the playwright Vaclav Havel and a number of international cultural luminaries, leading to the pro-human rights document Charter 77. As 'The Plastics' prepare for a one-off concert in London this evening, John Wilson talks to two of the original members about a tumultuous 40 years.