Punk Rock
From America…
Punk rock sound : some convergence of Iggy & The Stooges or MC5 rock and New York Dolls glam rock.
In 1975, the beginning of the New York punk scene starts with Patti Smith‘s debut studio album Horses, followed in 1976 by Ramones, a band from Queens formed in 1974.
…To England
In London, Malcolm McLaren, the former English manager of the New York Dolls, and his partner, fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, ran an “anti-fashion” boutique on Kings Road, where Chrissie Hynde future singer of the Pretenders was employed.
The place was frequented by John Lydon, the future Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols, whom McLaren went on to manage.
Fashion, slogans, and provocation went hand in hand when the punk movement took hold.
Electric guitar, bass, and drums are the basic instruments of punk rock, leaving musical virtuosity aside.
1976
The Sex Pistols (Paul Cook, Glen Matlock replaced by Sid Vicious, Johnny Rotten and Steve Jones) are an english punk rock band formed in London in 1975.
“God Save the Queen” is a song released as the band’s second single and was later included on their only studio album : Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols.
‘Anarchy In The UK’ and ‘God Save The Queen’ – really hit their target. I’d like to thank the British public library system: that was my training ground, that’s where I learned to throw those verbal grenades. I wasn’t just throwing bricks through shop windows as a voice of rebellion, I was throwing words where they really mattered. Words count.”
You don’t write ‘God Save the Queen‘ because you hate the English race.
You write a song like that because you love them, and you’re fed up with them being mistreated
1977
The English punk rock band formed in 1974 still exists in 2026.
The Stranglers’ sound has always been driven by drummer Jet Black, Jean-Jacques Burnel‘s melodic bass, Dave Greenfield‘s keyboards and vocals of both Burnel and Hugh Cornwell.
They experienced several line-up changes.
After Cornwell’s departure in 1990, the remaining members recruited John Ellis,
In 2000, Ellis left the band and a new guitarist, Baz Warne became lead vocal
Burnel, Black and Greenfield were the only constant members of the band until Black’s retirement in 2018 and Greenfield’s death in 2020 (covid-19).
Stranglers © Adrian Boot 1977
1978
Oi ! Oi ! Oi ! : the term is a rallying cry of proletarian skinheads that appeared in 1979 with bands such as Sham 69 and was taken up in 1980 by The Cockney Rejects in Oi! The Album.
The Clash formed in London in 1976 remains one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk.
Spanish songs in Andalucía
The shooting sites in the days of ’39
Oh, please, leave the vendanna open
Federico Lorca is dead and gone
Spanish Bombs is a song about revolutionary strength in the face of defeat against right-wing regimes
1979
The post-punk shift
Siouxsie and the Banshees is a punk band formed in London in 1976 with Siouxsie Sioux (singer), Steven Severin (bassist) and the drummer Budgie.
In 1978, Devo and Blondie in the US, The Police, Magazine, XTC, Simple Minds, The Stranglers, and Siouxsie in England produced a different kind of music, sometimes dissonant, often more melodic and vocal, combining synthesizers with syncopated or harmonious rhythms and soundscapes, depending on your point of view.
This music could be described as “post-punk, art-punk, or new wave” music.
At this stage, it’s difficult to classify certain songs or albums into each genre.
Gothic rock does exist ?
Robert Smith stated in an interview that the term “goth” did not exist when The Cure’s albums, which are often described as such, were made; rather, the term describes the “appearance,” clothing, and hairstyles of fans of artists associated with the post-punk movement.
Budgie, Siouxsie, Steven, Robert (1982)
1980 > 1981
1982 > 1984
The punk scene in France
A wide variety of French oi!, punk & psychobilly artists emerged in the eighties : Oberkampf, Panik, BB Doc, Les Bérus, Les Garçons Bouchers, Parabellum, Les Wampas.
The punk scene in Japan
The Stalin is a hardcore punk band formed by leader and social activist Michiro Endo in 1980 in Fukushima.
The band’s name is a deliberate punk nod to Joseph Stalin, a dictator who is hated in Japan.
1985 > 1989
left to right :
The Stranglers © 1977, Adrian Boot, Ramones © 1976 NYC , Danny Fields, The Clash.
Siouxsie Sioux w. Sid Vicious on drums, Les Wampas, Bérurier Noir.
