Punk & Post-Punk, #14.1, is out now

The latest issue of Punk & Post-Punk, #14.1, is out now online, with printed copies going out to subscribers very soon.

All the contents are worth a read, but the ‘Anarcho-Punk: Music and Resistance in London 1977-1988’ book review by Alex Carter is great...

Anarcho-Punk: Music and Resistance in London 1977–1988 delves into the first decade of the anarcho-punk scene in its city of origin. The book explores the subculture through a tour of the many locations where its members were active, often in squatted spaces, brought to life through the oral histories of those involved. While the book ostensibly focuses on London’s anarcho-punk scene between 1977 and 1988, its scope is in fact much broader. It provides historical context well beyond this period and includes activities of bands, artists, activists and individuals outside the anarcho-punk milieu.

The first two chapters focus on the two venues that were arguably the most important loci of activity for the incipient anarcho-punk scene: the Wapping Anarchy Centre (WAC) and the Centro Iberico. The book describes these venues’ histories: the WAC was established with a £10,000 donation from Crass and Poison Girls, funded by their ‘Persons Unknown/Bloody Revolutions’ split 7ʺ, and the hard work of many scene members, including the Apostles, Rudimentary Peni and the creators of the Kill Your Pet Puppy fanzine. After the WAC ceased operations, many of those involved moved to the Centro Iberico, an abandoned school in Maida Vale squatted by Spanish anarchists, some of whom were veterans of the Spanish Civil War.

David gives room to many of those involved to speak about their experiences. In these two chapters alone there are accounts from band members (e.g. Chris Low and Andy Martin of the Apostles, Leon from Assassins of Hope and William Bennett of Whitehouse), fanzine writers (Tony D. from Kill Your Pet Puppy) and Spanish leftist refugees (Eliseu Heurtas Cos). Additionally, David meticulously documents the line-up for every event held at both the WAC and the Centro Iberico, noting which performances were recorded and released by bands or for compilations.

There are also fascinating anecdotes about people operating on the fringes of these venues. For instance, we learn about how Dr Peacock, leader of A Distribution, infiltrated the fascist National Front’s headquarters at Excalibur House in Hackney and exposed it, an act for which he received a six-month suspended sentence. The history and development of the Anarchist Bookfair are detailed, starting with its first event at the WAC on 12 December 1981 and tracing its journey to its current location at Conway Hall. The founding of the anarchist group Class War is also covered here.

These first two chapters set the format for the rest of the book, taking the reader through significant locales for anarcho-punks in the capital. Locations such as the Rosebury Peace Centre, the Ambulance Station and the George Robey are brought to life through vivid descriptions, photos and personal testimonies of those involved.

A few chapters are also dedicated to specific events, including a fantastic section on a couple of nights of the Miners’ Benefit Tour, which featured Flux of Pink Indians, Chumbawamba and the Icelandic band KUKL (featuring a young Björk). Here, Kev from A State of Mind, Nick Evans from Slaughter Tradition and Boff Whalley from Chumbawamba share their memories and feelings about the tour, reflecting on the potential of music to change the world as well as their insights into the development and significance of anarcho-punk.

Indeed, the book is particularly valuable for its insights into the development and evolution of the anarcho-punk scene. Anarcho-punk was not static; over the years, everything from the fashion to the focus to the musical styles was experimented with. Many of these changes are described here by the people doing the experimenting. For example, the Crass collages that began to appear on the backs of leather jackets at punk gigs, replacing Adam and the Ants badges as anarcho-punk emerged; the move to and then away from ‘the uniform, all black anarcho clothes’ (48); and the ‘anarcho-punk scene fracturing along stylistic lines, with out-and-out hardcore punk heading one way and post-punk experimenting veering another’

Moreover, there is fascinating material on the anarcho-punk subculture’s intersection with broader cultural and political developments of the time. As David notes in the introduction,

Astrid Proll (Baader-Meinhof Gang), Martin Wright and The Monday Group, London Autonomists, Stoke Newington Eight, McLibel co-defendant Dave Morris and the London Workers Group, British Black Panther Movement, the Spanish Resistance, Anarchy magazine, Class War, and Stop The City also figure in the story.

Indeed, there is much here to satiate the thirst of both cultural and political historians.

In particular, there is a great deal on the wider London anarchist scene. Well-known figures like Stuart Christie and Albert Meltzer, as well as organizations such as Black Flag (the publication, rather than the band), make appearances. The significance of the squatting scene in London and its role in the capital’s cultural life is also highlighted. Many venues and locations in the book were squats, which served as spaces for cultural events, hubs for political organizing and homes for those active in the scene. This scene’s significance is thrown into sharp relief thanks to the impressive granularity David Insurrection provides, offering a detailed genealogy of the scene, including the people involved, their relationships, the bands they formed and where they lived.

For those who, like me, have a strong interest in this area but were born too late to participate, this is essential reading. It brings the history alive, providing a vivid glimpse of London’s anarcho-punk scene as it first emerged and found its feet. Importantly, in so doing, it gives voice to an astonishingly wide assortment of characters who were in the anarcho-punk scene in London.

CONTRIBUTOR DETAILS

Alex Carter is a research fellow at the University of Birmingham’s Institute for STEMM in Culture and Society. A historian and social scientist, his research focuses on antifascist and far-right movements in the United Kingdom. He is currently researching the role of music and music subcultures within these scenes.

Contact: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. E-mail: a.j.carter.1@bham.ac.uk

Punk & Post-Punk 14.1 Contents :

• Vanja Dergić – More than music: The relationship between punk and mainstream/liberal politicality in Zagreb

• John Cook – A cold case from 1984: Navigating subcultural memory, discomfort and uncertainty

• Pete King & Ashley Morgan – Running Punks: More than just turning up

Interviews

Rupert Loydell – PUNK JAZZ? An interview with John L. Walters and Richard James Burgess of Landscape

Maria Elena Buszek – “What I really am good at is… making a big mess”: An interview with Johanna Went

Book Reviews

Russ Bestley – Belfast Punk and The Troubles: An Oral History book review

Russ Bestley – David King Publications 1977–2019 book review

Robert Dahlberg-Sears – パンクの系譜額 book review

Alex Carter – Anarcho-Punk: Music and Resistance in London 1977-1988 book review

Andrew Hoaen – Robert Calvert Through His Work book review

Rupert Loydell – Studio Electrophonique: The Sheffield Space Age from the Human League to Pulp book review

Rupert Loydell – Swerve: Dub Sex & Other Stories book review

Robert Saler – Mixing Pop and Politics: A Marxist History of Popular Music book review

Emily Owens – Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk book review

Gig Reviews

Michael Murphy – Rebellion Festival 2024, Literary Stage

Niall McGuirk – Rebellion Festival 2024

https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/punk