When you think punk, your first thoughts are always leather jackets, studs, spiky orange hair, aggression, and of course, The Sex Pistols. But there’s a lot more to the angry driving guitars and kitchen utensil clanging that drove the music, the massive cultural shift that it produced, and the longtail influence of the movement. It was the mid-1970s and the underground music scenes of New York and London saw the germination of the punk movement.
It was raw, unapologetic and damn angry. Punk was to become a cultural movement that challenged societal norms, the establishment, influenced fashion, and forever altered the landscape of rock music. Just like rock and roll did before it, but in a more kick-ass in-your-face kind of way.
The origin of punk rock can be traced back to New where bands like The Ramones, Television, and even The Cramps, with a soupcon of rockabilly, played fast, aggro music that rejected the polished sound of mainstream rock and roll of the time. The Cramps, incidentally, were also the pioneers of psychobilly, which the Psycho Reptiles breathed new life into in the late 80’s, locally. Punk performances were theatrical, their sound gritty, and their influence undeniable.
On the tweed side of the Atlantic, the punk movement was taking root in London, with the Sex Pistols leading the charge. Their explosive performances and anti-establishment lyrics resonated with the disenchanted youth of Britain. It was pre-Margaret Thatcher and England’s economic regr.