Punk

Problem Patterns are a feminist punk band from Belfast blending elements of Riot Grrrl and Queercore.  I can’t say I listen to a lot of “punk rock” these days; not the old stuff from my youth and not the new stuff inspired by it. But I make an exception for this lot.

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This was my introduction to the weird and wonderful world of The Cramps. They came along at exactly the right time with their decadent and pervy punk-adjacent rockabilly.

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The Barracudas’ only hit is almost perfect: a punk-propelled pastiche of a Sixties surf-pop song, complete with that opening radio ad to set the scene.

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We all need an invigorating dose of primal rage every now and then… don’t we? Coach Party certainly do – and enjoy letting it out. 

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The Chats – Smoko

29th May 2023 · 2010s, 2017, Music, Punk

Is this the most Australian thing you’ve ever seen and heard? I remember it from the time but I’m still laughing at the video, which went viral in 2017 because… well, watch it and you’ll see.

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Here are The Hives again, returning to the fray in their forties with a new song that shows they’ve lost none of their spark after 26 years together.

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Peter Gabriel performed A Whiter Shade Of Pale as a punk parody – or was it a tribute? – at Knebworth in the summer of 1978.

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I really tried quite hard to like Nina Hagen, the so-called Godmother of German Punk. She was beautiful, glamorous and a little bit frightening – like a grown-up Toyah.

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The Ruts – In A Rut

15th April 2023 · 1970s, 1979, Music, Punk

Like so many punk groups, The Ruts were inspired to become a band after singer Malcolm Owen saw The Sex Pistols, but as their short career progressed, they increasingly incorported reggae into their sound.

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Buzzcocks had evolved far beyond the primitive proto-punk and two-note guitar solos of Spiral Scratch by the time they released their third album in 1979. A Different Kind Of Tension was a game-changer of two halves: the first side an unremarkable set of short sharp pop-punk songs.

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