Punk Britannia

[jahshabby]

Might be of interest to some - can't help feeling there's not that much more to say on the issue, but I'll watch anyway, mainly for the aftermath bit...



Friday 8 June

9.00-10.00pm

BBC FOUR


Punk Britannia: Punk 76-78

This three-part music documentary series traces the historic cosmology, meteoric impact and smouldering aftermath of a transformative force in British popular music history - punk. This second episode focuses on Punk between 1976-78.

Daydreaming England was about to be rudely awakened as punk emerged from the London underground scene. A nation dropped its dinner in its lap when Sex Pistols swore on prime-time television and punk had finally found its enemy - the Establishment.

In Manchester The Buzzcocks self-released Spiral Scratch was a clarion call for a do-it-yourself generation while The Clash’s White Riot tour took Punk’s message across Britain.

Moral outrage followed the Pistols around the country effectively outlawing punk but there was one refuge for the music.

Nestled in the wasteland of 70s Covent Garden, The Roxy was punk's cathedral. Punk interlopers The Jam raised the bar for lyricism challenging Punk’s London elite and the genre also began to extend its three chord vocabulary through an alliance with reggae music, memorably captured by The Clash on White Man in Hammersmith Palais.

With their second single, God Save The Queen, Sex Pistols scored a direct hit at the Establishment in the summer of ‘77 but a disastrous PR stunt on a Thames barge would mark a turning point.

The darker underbelly of the summer of 77 would see race riots in Lewisham and this street turbulence was the backdrop for a rawer, working class sound. By ‘78 punk was becoming a costume - the pop orthodoxy it had originally sought to destroy.

For many, punk ended when the Pistols split, beset by internal problems, following an abortive tour of the USA in Jan 78 but the practitioners who would go on to enjoy sustained success sought to modify their sound to survive like Siouxsie Sioux, who continues to attract respect by recently being awarded The Inspiration Award at the recent Ivor Novello Awards. Punk had shown what it was against, now it was time to show what it was for in the post-punk era.

With John Lydon, Mick Jones, Siouxsie Sioux and Paul Weller.

[Little Jimmy Oddman]

As much as I like a lot of the music, punk hyperbole is unbearable sometimes.

A nation dropped its dinner in its lap when Sex Pistols swore on prime-time television...

Prime-time regional television.

With their second single, God Save The Queen, Sex Pistols scored a direct hit at the Establishment in the summer of ‘77...

Direct hit or not, I'd say its pretty clear who won.

[SirSlim]

As much as I like a lot of the music, punk hyperbole is unbearable sometimes.



Prime-time regional television.




Direct hit or not, I'd say its pretty clear who won.

Agreed on the hyperbole - but then this tendency comes across on most of these "...Britannia" programmes. The "researchers" writing that blurb probably weren't even alive when Bill Grundy and Nationwide used to go head to head...

The reggae one for example, left a lot out for starters.

I look forward to hearing John Lydon's contribution though - he's always entertaining.

[korova]

Occasionally the BBC dig out a bit of footage we've never seen before so for that reason, if no other, this punk fan will be giving it a watch. Would be good if they were to do a doc on the second/third waves of punk (crass, partisans, chron gen etc) but I suspect they ignored it and never filmed much at the time.

[jahshabby]

Good points Mr Oddman… points which now urge me to stress that those were words quoted by me, not written by me!

[korova]

And there is also a doc on John Cooper Clarke on Wednesday night (30th) on BBC4, 10pm;

"Evidently... John Cooper Clarke
Part of Punk Britannia. Documentary about 'punk poet', comedian and recording artist John Cooper Clarke and his influence on contemporary culture over four decades"

[korova]

Fridays nights "Punk Britannia" i.e part 1 of 3, was pre punk '72 to '76. Some good early footage of the Kilburns, Hot Rods, 101'ers, Doctors of Madness etc I'd never seen before, so well worth a look if you can catch it on iplayer this week.
Its a story we all know pretty well so no surprises, and the usual "talking heads" were on show, Lydon, Brian James, Matlock, Siouxsie etc.
Would love to have the collection of fanzines that Mick Jones is sat in front of in his interview.
Another programme to look out for next Friday is a repeat of the 1979 Arena special on the late Poly Styrene.

[MPFlapp]

punk hyperbole is unbearable sometimes.

I agree, but the hyperbole is part of what Punk was - making something larger, more outragious and more radical than it really is...

There are a few other punk documentries on youtube worth seeing
"Dutch TV 1977"


"Punk In London - 1978"


"CRASS - There Is No Authority But Yourself"


"The Day the Country Died - A History of Anarcho Punk"


The Clash - Westway to the World

And there is also a doc on John Cooper Clarke on Wednesday night (30th) on BBC4, 10pm;

Didn't know that - Fantatic news some youtube searching in the next fews weeks..!

Would love to have the collection of fanzines that Mick Jones is sat in front of in his interview.

There was a chance - http://www.sabotagetimes.com/music/i...ublic-library/ - I went to the exhibition when in London... a proper treasure chest of goodies... you needed a good few hours to take it all in...

[e3sa934]

Great show: I was coveting the fanzines, too

Interesting to see that US country-rock act Eggs Over Easy were credited with kick-starting the pub-rock scene

[korova]

Thanks for the YouTube stuff mpflapp. Got all of them on bootleg DVDs apart from the Crass one, I'm looking forward to watching that later.
I wish mick jones would do a touring exhibition of his stuff but it looks like you have to go to the smoke whenever it's on show.
Forgot to mention that their was decent coverage of "rock on"records in the doc.

[SirSlim]

Another programme to look out for next Friday is a repeat of the 1979 Arena special on the late Poly Styrene.

Reminder - That's tomorrow evening!

Saw it first time around and am very much looking forward to seeing it again.

[SirSlim]

Another programme to look out for next Friday is a repeat of the 1979 Arena special on the late Poly Styrene.

Watched this last night. Found that I remembered hardly any of it at all...not least the part near the end when she goes to the record pressing plant

[babycart]

What fascinates me about the Bill Grundy episode is not the swearing, but the use of the word "rotter."

Maybe it was a common insult among beefy permed cockney punks, as well as characters in P G Wodehouse books.

[double shot]

Caught the first two on youtube and I'm impressed. Think they capture the spirit of the times and the social backdrop very well.