‘Punks Not Dead’ sang Wattie from The Exploited, back when the second wave of UK Punk was riding the crest of a (new) wave – a wave that started as a ripple back in 1976 – as a new generation of multi-coloured, Mohican-haired punks strutted their knee-high DMs and studded leather jackets up and down The King’s Road and beyond. It is a statement that has continued to be proclaimed right up to the present – displayed as grafitti on walls across the land, proudly worn on T-shirts and even amended to read ‘Punks Not Dead – it’s just reached Middle Age!!’. The initial rally call decrying the demise of punk was only a couple of years after the origins of a new style of music had begun creeping into the public awareness. But it was soon to explode with a filth and fury tidal wave – a tiny drop in the ocean, rippling into a tsunami – as this new ‘punk rock’ phenomenon swept across the nation, obliterating everything in it’s path. The washed up pop stars of progressive, glam and adult-oriented rock were literally ‘washed out’ by a flood of brash new youthful bands, striding forth to take their place. However, between 1978 to 1980 many of the original instigators of this new scene had moved on, spreading out into different areas of music – be it the post-punk landscape of Public Image Limited, the New Romantic theatre of Visage and Adam’s Prince Charming Revue or the revisiting of Americana rock’n’roll as The Clash spread their musical wings – was Punk really dead and if so, when did the music die?
There have been a few nominal dates proscribing when Punk was actually ‘born’ – going as far back as Elvis taking the stage on the Ed Sullivan show and not being allowed to display his ‘too provocative for the ultra conservative US audience’ gyrating hip moves, through to the Pub Rock scene or the emergence of the American CBGB era. Others state the reports in 1976 from the music press highlighting a ‘new’ scene – right up until the first ‘punk single’ – The Damned’s ‘New Rose’ – being released straight from the pressing plant and into the record stores as being the beginning. Some would tend to argue that it’s origin was even as late as the Sex Pistols exploding, with a barrage of offensive rhetoric, on the TV screens of the nation during the Bill Grundy ‘Today’ show. Regardless of when it came into being, the arguments put forth as to it’s potential demise are every bit as interesting and possibly even more debatable.
The first contentious date for the untimely death of Punk actually coincides with one of it’s possible birth dates. When The Pistols burst onto the mass media radar in December 1976, resulting in the red top headlines proclaiming ‘The Filth and The Fury’ with the accompanying tabloid stories of TV screens being kicked in by disgruntled lorry drivers and provocative pictures of Siouxsie Sue (sic) – the bubble had burst. Any scene inhabited by the few bands and including the Bromley Contingent, along with those miscreant hangers on, who congregated in certain Kings Road boutiques or lesbian night clubs, had been publicly uncovered. There were also a few other ‘in-the-know’ fans from other parts of the country – Shelley and Devoto from Manchester had travelled down South to catch the band before booking them for a gig and forming their own band to support. Even as far as Belfast, a school desk in the Royal Belfast Academical Institute would be defaced to form one of the first ‘fanzines’ as news of this scene was transcribed by Brian Young – whose own band RUDI were beginning to take up the punk rock mantle. The furore that followed that evening tea-time broadcast killed off any underground cult that was evolving and exposed it to the public eye. For a few, this unmasking – a scene laid bare to open scrutiny – sealed the fate of their experience.
Not much later in January 1977, The Clash came out of the garageland and signed a record contract with a major label – CBS. Mark Perry of Sniffin’ Glue fame, famously cited this as the day Punk died. Although The Pistols had already signed and (shortly after) sacked by another major label EMI (and latterly taken on by a further global record giant – A&M), it was the politically correct, street credible Clash who astounded their fan-base by apparently ‘selling out’ to the establishment. Seen as one of the most important rock bands in history and investing heavily in them personally, this was seen as a kick in the teeth by many. This was deemed a disaster – punk should remain independent, with economic and band control vital in keeping the scene ‘real’. The band argued that in order for their songs – their message to be heard – it was a necessary evil to sign to a major corporation – however, this decision two singles down the line, soon showed how independent the band now really were. In hindsight, it’s a moot point as The Clash really had no other choice. Every major was now on the hunt for the next ‘big thing’ to emerge from the fast growing punk scene – rather than being left behind and by also getting distribution to a wider audience – the band had to sign to CBS. It was also a substantial sum of money for a band who had up to that point only played around 30 gigs.
Another definitive death toll sounded when The Roxy Club closed/shut down after the legendary ‘100 days of Punk’. Sniffin’ Glue had rallied for a venue the punks could call their own – to hang out and listen to bands. Initially, a dying on it’s feet gay club in Convent Garden was hired for the band Chelsea to rehearse and play a few gigs. However, by the time it was ready to open, Chelsea had split and the spot was renamed The Roxy. One product of the Chelsea break-up was a new band called Generation X, who along with The Heartbreakers (back in the city after The Anarchy In The UK Tour) played a couple of gigs there. Their success gave rise to making avsilable the finances to open the venue and on New Years Day 1977 the club officially opened it’s doors, with The Clash headlining. The Stranglers and The Damned closely followed and newer bands like The Adverts were soon strutting the hand-made stage to an audience of like minded youth. Soon the club was the hot-spot for the scene, but the organisers had over-commited money-wise in regard to rent for the club – not helped by a robbery after a Stranglers’ gig. The financial tightrope, along with a string of complaints from nearby residents, saw a long running threat of possible eviction and this came to a head after the hundredth day. After a Siouxsie and the Banshees gig, the ‘owners’ were ousted and the venue closed with many of the regulars never to return. This was the golden 100 days of Punk. In fact it didn’t actually close, but continued with a varied roster of punk and non-punk bands also added to the bill and with a new manager in place continued to host the ‘next generation’ of new wave acts including Sham 69, The Killjoys and even Adam and the Ants getting gig-time. The venue did eventually close completely in the Spring of 78 as no big name bands played anymore and The Roxy lost it’s final appeal to remain open.
Most concur that in 1978 at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, as a crouching, openly contemptuous Johnny Rotten closes the band’s cover of ‘No Fun’ with the killer line “Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated. Goodnight”, the last nail in Punk’s coffin was finally hammered home. Having stumbled from one scandal to the next – often manipulated by the master puppeteer McLaren – The Pistols were playing the last gig of an ill thought out US Tour. Circumstances following the gig led to John leaving the band (or being kicked out – depending upon which side you prefer to take). Either way, the Public Enemy Number One, the Face of Punk had departed from the spotlight, and even though the band continued to blunder along with Steve Jones and Paul Cook flogging the dead horse – in reality, it was all over for the Pistols. The departure of Mr Lydon (new name to go with the new public image) from arguably the biggest band of the Punk armoury heralded the death rattle in the gob-filled throat of Punk Rock. Freed from the constrictions of the arch swindler and the confines of a ‘rock’ band – John continued to confront the establishment with a new group – Public Image Limited. The post-punk era was rising from the embers of the burnt out Molotov cocktail of punk.
As the initial shock of punk was subsumed into the corporate world – record companies attempted to tame the beast – rebranding the music as new wave, power pop, etc.. and the fashion industry was also encompassing the ‘look’ as straight jeans became the norm rather than the exception, with main street stores selling manufactured torn T-shirts or ones accessorized with zips. Doc Marten boot sales went through the roof – becoming a fashion necessity rather than the footware choice of the outcast or disenfranchised youth.
But still the ‘Punks Not Dead’ battle-cry would not be silenced. And here we are 40 years later – a year long event in London (where else?) to celebrate Year Zero – with the ‘celebrations’ coming to a firey end as Joe Corre (Malcolm McLaren’s son) fuelled his own burning ambitions by igniting a (funeral) pyre of thousands of pounds worth of punk memorabilia. Another season in Blackpool for the annual Rebellion Festival – where a plethora of old and new punk bands perform to a massed influx of old and new punk rockers. Bands like The Damned, The Buzzcocks and The Stranglers still tour regularly – but by no means with the same personnel – even the original Sex Pistols were wheeled out for a filthy lucre cash cow series of gigs. Punks not dead – it’s just middle aged (oh the irony).
The music may have evolved, rather than died, and future generations being either influenced by punk or performing their version of it, but punk was a much bigger concept than just the music or the clothes. Punk as a concept will never die. Punk is an attitude. A youth movement that stuck two fingers up to the establishment – not always in a anarchic way either, but by challenging the way things are done. You don’t have to study at music school to perfect the art of playing an instrument – just strap on a guitar and play some rock’n’roll, learn three chords, form a band and get up on stage. You don’t have to sign to a major record label to release a single or album – produce your own record, design your own sleeve and sell your own product. With the recent improvements in technology, burn your own CD and the developments in social media, promote your band on MySpace, Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. You don’t have to take a degree in Journalistic Studies to critique or review a gig or album – write your own fanzine, type it up and zerox it, photocopy it or even print it independently and peddle it around record shops or gigs to finance the next issue – in more modern times you start a blog and post on-line. All these years later, the legacy of punk still remains, the concept is still strong – the ’77 generation are still challenging society – questioning the status quo and not accepting what the establishment tells us is the truth. Elvis is dead, but Johnny Rotten lives…
ALTERNATIVE MULLSTER