Anarchic Intentions: British Punk Rock (1976-1979)
This article is about the revolutionary, yet short-lived, punk rock movement that emerged in the mid - 1970s in the UK and petered out by the end of that highly eclectic decade. Indeed, it was a decade that produced glam rock, pub rock, prog rock, kraut rock ( a rather crude term invented by British musical journalists to describe the music of experimental German groups such as Faust and Can), introduced reggae to a mainstream audience and ushered in disco, synth-pop ( pioneered by Kraftwerk) as well as punk, two tone and new wave. It also saw the emergence of night clubs like Wigan Casino and Blackpool Mecca playing Northern Soul music to frenzied fans until the small hours of the morning.
Anyhow, let's get back to punk rock. Essentially, it abandoned the often overtly ostentatious psychedelia of the previous decade and went back to the raw rock and roll of the 1950s with which the likes of Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent made their mark:
Punk rock, or simply punk, emerged from its rock and roll roots in the mid-1970s. Growing out of the garage rock movement of the 1960s, punk bands went out of their way to reject the perceived excesses of rock’s more mainstream groups and lifestyles
To be more specific, punk rockers rejected the material excesses of 'stadium rock' bands like Led Zeppelin, Yes, Genesis, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, and perhaps the main culprit of them all, the Rolling Stones who seemed aloof and out of touch from the perspective of dispossessed groups of teenagers at the time.
Although the British punk rock movement was short- lived as a contemporaneous music phenomenon, it made a significant impact on the popular music that followed ( particularly the more interesting new wave bands like Japan, Joy Division, Killing Joke. Bauhaus, Echo and the Bunnymen, Orange Juice, Magazine and Ultravox) and its legacy remains with us today. It had a diverse range of sounds and styles which codified over time to become recognisable as ‘punk rock’ before developing further and splitting into various sub-strands of ‘post-punk’. Nevertheless, there were certain common characteristics:
' God, save the Queen/ The fascist regime/ They made you a moron/ Potential H-bomb God, save the Queen/ She ain't no human being/ There is no future In England's dreaming/ Don't be told what you want to want to/ And don't be told what you want to need/ There's no future, no future/ No future for you God, save the Queen/ We mean it, man/ We love our Queen God, saves God, save the Queen/ 'Cause tourists are money/ And our figurehead/ Is not what she seems/ Oh, God, save history God, save your mad parade/ Oh, Lord, God, have mercy/ All crimes are paid/ When there's no future how can there be sin?/ We're the flowers in the dustbin/ We're the poison in your human machine/ We're the future, your future God, save the Queen/ We mean it, man/ We love our Queen/ God, saves God, save the Queen/ We mean it, man/ And there is no future In England's dreaming/ No future No future. No future for you/ No future No future No future for me/ No future No future No future for you/ No future No future for you.'
The Sex Pistols' biggest promotional and political statement to the Queen and all of Britain was their boat trip down the River Thames which ran right outside of parliament. In a boat ironically named the Queen Elizabeth, the Sex Pistols played as loud as they possibly could. With the direct intention to disrupt the Queen's celebration. They played the songs “Pretty Vacant”, “Anarchy in the UK”, and “Problems”. During the performance of “Problems” the power on the boat was cut off by British officers. The boat was then taken back to shore and everyone involved was expected to be arrested. The four members of The Sex Pistols hurried away as their manager, punk pioneer, Malcom McLaren argued with police.
From my perspective, ( having listened at length to interviews of the band and their manager) I don't consider that the Sex Pistols trip down the Thames was simply a ploy for people to purchase their singles and album, but a political statement to parliament. As they had recently banned their songs like “God Save the Queen” and “Anarchy in the UK” from the air waves. The very idea of banning songs because they express an alternative social or political ideology is anathema to me. However, that's the powers that be for you, unfortunately. Anyway, if the Sex Pistols couldn’t bring their music to the masses, the Sex Pistols were going to bring it to them.
Punk rock was definitely defined by short, fast-paced songs with hard-edged melodies and singing styles, stripped-down instrumentation, and commonly shouted political, anti-establishment lyrics. Check out the minimalistic nature of this slang ridden, clearly amphetamine fuelled, ' love' song by The Damned:
New Rose
'I got a feeling inside of me/ It's kind of strange, like a stormy sea/ I don't know why, I don't know why/ I guess these things have got to be.
I gotta new rose, I got her good/ Guess I knew that I always would/ I can't stop to mess around I got a brand new rose in town.
See the sun, see the sun, it shines/ Don't get too close, or it'll burn your eyes/ Don't you run away that way/ You can come back another day.
I got a new rose, I got her good/ Guess I knew that I always would/ I can't stop to mess around/ I got a brand new rose in town.'
Punk also embraces a certain “Do-It-Yourself” ethic and quality with many bands self-producing records and distributing them through independent labels.
Not all bands stuck to these characteristics but reference to them recurs in interviews from the time. The attitude was assertive irreverence, not caring what anyone thought, just doing it anyway.
Scuffles at early Sex Pistols gigs lent them a reputation for violence, although it was generally insinuated, rather than delivered. It reflected the violent climate of the 1970s, where football hooliganism and picket-line conflict led the way to racial attacks and IRA bombs. The moral panic that followed the Sex Pistols’ TV appearance on 1 December 1976, where the casual use of profane language by several drunken members of the band shocked a nation at tea-time, so used to traditional family entertainment. I guess it must have been like a bomb going off in a museum . The band's charismatic, but invariably manipulative, manager Malcom McLaren made much use of punk’s anti-social mannerisms in order to promote the band. Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious quickly became household names. The notion that they were positive role models for the youth is a moot point. Nevertheless, it could be argued that in a time of moral bankruptcy and widening socio- economic divisions, nature abhors a vacuum. Consequently, I guess their popularity was due in part to the way they courageously, and cunningly, reflected the widespread disillusionment with the moribund status quo. And even when violence was not implied or performed, those who revelled in a punch-up had motivation and opportunity to make it happen. Punk gigs could be violent spaces in the 1970s, perhaps replying to Slaughter and the Dogs’ question, ‘where have all the boot boys gone’?
As 1976 gave way to 1977, The Roxy in Covent Garden became the recognised punk club, followed by The Vortex later in the year.
Punk suited small clubs and pubs and claims of ‘selling out’ greeted bands that began to play larger venues. New bands found local spaces to play and released records independently until many were caught up in the major label sweep of 1977. A few bands broke through; many split up as quickly as they formed; some evolved to develop new sounds and styles. Cultural cachet was not measured by success but by retaining artistic and cultural credibility. This, obviously, became a point of contention. Was ‘London Calling’ (1979) by The Clash a great punk record providing value for money to fans and putting-the-world-to-rights? Or did it mark a turning point with the band transforming into the new Rolling Stones: just another rock ‘n’ roll band looking to conquer the USA?
The Big Five
In 1977, the music press ( NME, Melody Maker, Sounds etc.) waxed lyrical about the Big Five. These were the bands from punk’s new wave who broke through to the charts and registered significant record sales and media coverage. The Sex Pistols were the pivot around which British punk revolved, a kamikaze mission to the heart of the music industry that imploded in January 1978.
The Clash injected elements of reggae and a social conscience into punk, committing to anti-racism and claiming to be the ‘only band that mattered’.
The Damned were the first of punk’s new wave to release a single ( 'New Rose' – and the first to release an album – embracing punk’s energy and chaos but shunning any political meanings projected onto their music.
The Stranglers were older but connected with punk’s aggression. They crossed over in appealing to rock fans who liked their music well-played and masculine. The Jam infused punk with a mod sensibility, riding the new wave to become one of the most popular bands in Britain by 1979–80.
The Jam infused punk with a mod sensibility, riding the new wave to become one of the most popular bands in Britain by 1979–80.
On the other hand, there was also the punk underground, where experimentation and genuine originality began to push at any notion of a simple punk formula. Some – such as Siouxsie & the Banshees ( see below) and The Slits ( see below the picture of Siouxsie & The Banshees)– struggled to be signed, deemed too uncompromising or distinct from the punk template.
– struggled to be signed, deemed too uncompromising or distinct from the punk template.
Others, including The Buzzcocks and X-Ray Spex, fused infectious music with arch lyricism, infiltrating the charts with punk sensibilities. Other bands (such as Wire or Throbbing Gristle, Crass ( its members were actual anarchists) Warsawa ( later to become Joy Division/ New Order featuring particularly introspective and dark, deeply unsettling lyrics, ' Here are the young men/ the weight on their shoulders.' courtesy of the lead singer and troubled genius Ian Curtis who later committed suicide...with him punk's outer rage was transformed into inner rage like Expressionism in Art) or The Fall ( fronted by the abrasive, quintessential contrarian: Mark E. Smith) were informed by or emerged parallel with punk and shared its obsessions, appealing to audiences looking to move beyond the formulas of rock ‘n’ roll. And into the spaces opened up by punk, entered musicians that were part of a wider new wave. Among the most well-known was Elvis Costello, touched by punk but somehow not quite of it.
In order to avoid a decidedly London-centric perspective, I've included pictures of the following well-known Manchester based punk bands ( in order): The Buzzcocks, Joy Division (n probably regarded as more new wave than its previous incarnation: Warsawa) and the Fall as well as the popular performance poet: John Cooper Clarke who was a significant part of the scene:
Underground and wider new wave songs
Across the country, bands that NME called ‘ramalama’ punk bands were forming, trying to play the Roxy, and speeding up rock ‘n’ roll to sometimes exciting and sometimes wretched effect. Many disappeared leaving little trace (Eater). A few changed their names to become well-known in the late 1970s and 1980s (Johnny and the Self Abusers, a Scottish group from Glasgow, become Simple Minds). Others just carried on regardless of recognition (Sham 69, UK Subs as well as Stiff Little Fingers & the Undertones from Northern Ireland), paving the way for punk to continue, to some extent but without the commercial popularity of the Big Five, into the 1980s as stripped down rock ‘n’ roll defying anything and everyone that denied their right to exist. And there were, of course, many US bands informing British punk: Patti Smith Group, Blondie, Ramones, Talking Heads, Television, etc. Indeed, the Sex Pistols' manager Malcolm McLaren had previously managed The New York Dolls ( see picture below) a US band who were a significant part of the glam rock scene ( their counterparts in England were David Bowie, Roxy Music, T.Rex etc.) of the early 1970s and were, to all intents and purposes, a precursor of punk rock.
To conclude, the 1970s was certainly a great time to be a misfit or maverick. Moreover, British punk rock played a major part in changing the musical, social and political landscape of this intriguing decade. Although I'm also a huge fan of the popular music of the 1960s, the 1970s edges it for me. I hope you enjoyed reading this article. I've spent a considerable amount of time and effort putting it together, so I would greatly appreciate it if you could provide a like or perhaps a comment, but if you don't that's fine. I don't know exactly how the main movers in the punk movement would react to being routinely ignored, but I couldn't possibly repeat their probable responses...ha, ha!
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