What is that Noise!? History of Punk, Part Two - By: Marissa Moore

During these uncertain times filled with the often overwhelming sense of impending doom, what else can we do but defiantly move forward against the odds?

Punk is a movement that stands strong for better or worse and may influence you to do the same as we look back through the movement’s history in this short history of punk, part two. 


We left off in the last blog post about the history of punk with the New York Dolls and David Bowie entering the scene and contributing partly to the wild aesthetics and abstract messages of the movement. 


However, it was really in 1974 that the New York punk scene exploded in the city with the mesmerizing, in-your-face aggression the movement is known for. This was the period in which bands like The Ramones, Blondie and the Talking Heads appeared on the New York scene, playing in classic punk clubs in the city such as CBGB and Max's Kansas City.


Just a year later in 1975, a band would add even further to the fire that was burning throughout the scene both in the States and abroad, strongly influencing many punk, or punk off-shoot, bands afterward. This was the band known as The Sex Pistols. 

The Sex Pistols

The Sex Pistols 

Now we will look to the influences of the movement from across the pond, focusing first on arguably the most influential The Sex Pistols, seen above. The Sex Pistols were formed in London in 1975 and are credited with sparking the punk movement in the United Kingdom during the period. With classic songs such as ‘God save the Queen’ the band quickly became a symbol for the United Kingdom’s social and political turmoil. 

Funnily enough, the band was originally formed just as a promotion act for their manager Malcom McLaren’s clothing store entitled, ‘Sex’. 


Soon however, The Sex Pistols were on to mixing sounds in a new way, combining the 1960s English pop music influences, such as The Small Faces and The Who, with those of 1970s rock influences from the States such as The Stooges and The New York Dolls mentioned above, in an attempt to strip rock’s complexities to the bone. 


By the summer of 1976 the Sex Pistols had already attracted a devoted fan base and successfully updated the energies of the 1960s mods for the malignant teenage mood of the ’70s.

The Sex Pistols

By the end of the 1970’s, bands inspired by the raw energy and intensity from the British Punk scene, primarily inspired by The Sex Pistols, began to gain popularity in the States with the American hardcore punk scene. In a relatively short period, The Misfits, Black Flag, Bad Brains, The Dead Kennedys and a score of other American punk bands will make their debut.

The Dead Kennedys

The Misifits

It remains to be seen exactly how the punk movement will continue to evolve next. However, with such a dynamic and individualistic movement, the music and lifestyle still continue today. 

I hope you enjoyed this brief overview of punk! It was so fun to delve into an art movement with such cultural impact that is rarely discussed in high art circles. Let me know what we should talk about next and I see you all in the next post!





References used for this article:

https://unireadinghistory.com/2013/09/04/punk-politics-and-youth-culture-1976-84/

https://www.britannica.com/art/punk

https://www.britannica.com/topic/the-Sex-Pistols

https://www.liveabout.com/history-of-punk-rock-2803345