To think the 'punk' era of music was essentially over by 1978?

[StirlingWork]

I listened to a track by punk band The Toy Dolls last night - it was their only UK hit - 'Nellie the Elephant' - reached no.4 in the UK charts in December 1984. This is a track that although it reached a high chart position it NEVER seems to get radio airplay - so it was nice to listen to it and replay the associated memories.
In the UK, the peak of the punk era in my opinion was 1977 - with the Silver Jubliee and the Sex Pistols track 'God Save the Queen' and associated controversy. When the Sex Pistols split up in early 1978, being the iconic UK punk group, within a year or so the UK punk scene slowly came to a halt only to be replaced by New Wave, a few years later Ska and the New Romantics.
Whenever, anyone says punk to me - I associate the movement with the year 1977, after which it all seemed to go downhill.

Bauhaus' She's in Parties, btw

Yep! It's in the can

There isn't really a hard line between any of them, more a flow into the next popular movement, and they all took inspiration from the music before them.
There were members of the later bands, Visage for example, who were around in the 70s punk scene. Adam Ant was New Romantic, but started out as a punk. Another example that comes to mind is Pulp, who started out in the late 70s before eventually making their name as Brit Pop leaders.

The Cramps on The Tube.

It wasn't 'over', it just went back underground, while the media turned their spotlight on their next genre to ruin.

Punk isn’t dead! It’s just underground and has changed a bit.

There’s a great documentary called A Fat Wreck on prime which is about a label.

There’s loads of really good bands out there currently, softer stuff like Menzingers, Spanish Love songs, really fun bands like PUP, some of the older bands like Dwarves are still going, the hardcore scene is still big with bands like Cancer Bats, Bronx, Single Mother’s. There’s also a big ska punk scene in the U.K. too.

And punks are still out there we just have jobs that mean we have to have normal haircuts

Punk has always been an underground sub culture until Mr McLaren changed that. It went back to being underground after he was bored of it, where it still thrives all over the world.
My daughters play in a punk band, called Bratakus, they play all the time and have been all over the world.

@lastqueenofscotland

Ha!

I saw John Lydon at Raindance a few years ago promoting his new film. The punks were coming out of every corner of London for that. He was in the green room for a while with us beforehand, then did a ! & A after the fil, then on to a pub (which he was barred from).

I met Thurston Moore there, who had worked on a PIL album and there were a few others around. It was extraordinary to see them out in London. i felt like I got a bit of my London back even though he was before my time.

I had a look on YouTube for that Money song. Definite ‘80s vibe, although something about her look/makeup reminds me of disco era.

I often wish I’d been in my late teens at that time. Imagine going to see all those great bands that straddled 1980. Blondie, Police, Jam, etc. It was quite a depressing time though, I’m thinking grey skies and high rise council flats for some reason (as though that only happened then).

I’m not sure how that fits with my need to also be a pot-smoking hippie in early ‘70s california.

Whatever you’re thinking, be sure to overthink it!

Yes, we do.

I have had a few conversations over the years. I reached my 40 and then 50s and would occasionally look at a mohicaned, bechained, safety pinned body as it sashayed down the street in it's shop bought pretend recycled tyre shoes and fake leather/skull decorated splendour.

Sometimes I would get a look back, a watchoo looking at? I would laugh and say I was just amazed at how much things had changed. When I wore such clothes I had to make them myself, from leather work to home dyeing. To gave such a haircut meant I couldn't keep my job. To buy the music meant hunting down an Indy record shop.

And now look. It's all fairly mainstream, available at the click of a button, unremarkable.

And I wear none of it. My teen outer rebellion is now all internalised. I get to surprise people when they find my vast vinyl collection, remnants of t shirts etc turned into sofa throw (how fucking middle class is that!!!) and some of the artwork in the spare room!

Also, The Clash were of that era, followed by Big Audio Dynamite (Mick Jones), The Ramones (The Ramones, man), Blondie, too. Talking Heads I guess came out of the NY punk scene?

There's an Alan Rickman film about CBGBs with Iggy Pop, etc in it that's good for covering the NY scene.

@chatons

I’m not sure how that fits with my need to also be a pot-smoking hippie in early ‘70s california.

Completely - I think that there is a belief that you were one or the other and for some that was definitely the case but if you liked music, you definitely followed the music, ifyswim. It was though you had a back catalogue of music you needed to get to know and fill in all the gaps your parents did educate about. So, you could go from VU to Beach Boys. It did make sense in a way.

I also notice how much I miss a lot of the public playing of music that used to be around - lots of it reggae in London.

But they were the days when we were niche and hung out at Kings Rd market, Kensington High market and Carnaby St. (RIP all you great places)

@CuriousaboutSamphire

remnants of t shirts etc turned into sofa throw (how fucking middle class is that!!!)

Haha!!!

I can remember being in HMV c1993 and seeing a Subpop tshirt that literally had “grungewear” written on it. I mean really who the hell would want to be seen in that?

I do think it is harder for the young folk to be rebellious in an original way now, as ideas get recycled and everything is so mass produced.

Maybe the current pandemic weirdness will change things.

I once read someone refer to the late 80s as the "jeans and trainers end of the '80s" - I hadn't really noticed the change until then.

DoAsYouWouldBeMumBy - I see it as dominated by Stock/Aitken/Waterman and Kylie / Jason. I love Kylie, but I wasn't really taken with that era and wasn't a fan of Australian soaps!!!

Chatons - If you read Billy Idol's autobiography 'Dancing With Myself' it'll make you wish you were around 20 in 1977 and part of the London punk scene. It's very inspiring - they way they built their sets themselves and travelled from show to show in a van.!

@stirling - late 80s seaside town wages for me 99p/hour

Correction- mid 80s

Yes to @Stirling and @Chatons

It has all been preprocessed to death so there is very little space for teen nowadays. Unless they go back to really raw.

I remember Top of the Pops and radio 1 being the only real music players, then The Tube and The Chart Show which would play the indie charts.

Anyone remember Fuzzbox ? I liked them! I always think that some exec somewhere was trying to do something empowering/girl power stuff and then later tried again with The Spice Girls.

Agree Peak Punk 77/8 - The Clash carried on though (I always preferred them to the Pistols). Then there was that Stoke revival Discharge etc (Clay records?)

Viv Albertine’s book Girls Girls Girls is good on the London Punk scene in the days of McLaren and The Sex Pistols.

@FlamingoAndJohn

Well, the op suggested punk era to be over by 78, but I recall punk from the 90's. Maybe not in it's purist form, can you be a punk purist?
Apologies I thought it was blindingly obvious to what I was referring. Perhaps you are too old to have been in to music in the 90's. I only really know the 70's punk era via my dad.

The toy dolls are still touring and making new music
When I’ve seen them live they have played Nellie the elephant more at the beginning of the gig, to get it over and out of the way