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JJ's Bizarre Blog #59 - Anthems of Undying Rebellion
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Oi! How's it goin'? Summer is in full swing, it's hot and steamy all over and it's festival and party season. On that note and going off of recent topics, let me present you something really special! One of music's most important purposes throughout history, besides providing entertainment of course, is its ability to convey a message and be a gathering point for like minded people. Especially among non-conformists, the people on the fringes of society, ostracized by the masses, music has been the way they bond with others like themselves. Also, I'm sure that whoever you are, whatever you believe in, there has come a time where something, big or small, important or insignificant, has left you upset and angry and I know that oftentimes, music is the cure for the soul that helps us get back on the right track. Well, allow me to present you one of the most important movements in musical history. One that not only changed music itself forever but presented an entire societal shift. A cultural phenomenon like no other that embodies defiance, disobedience and the pinnacle of counter-culture. This is the story of punk rock!
I'm sure you've heard about punk rock in some form or another, but let's try and define the essence of this unique style. It's an electric guitar-focused genre that has its roots in rock 'n' roll music of the 50s that was born out of nonconformity from the very start. Among the growth of progressive and soft rock during the 70s, punk was forged to bring rock music back to its roots - short, usually very fast songs with simplistic, intense musicianship and stripped down aggressive vocals. Lyrically, they sought to bring the rebellious spirit of rock 'n' roll to the forefront, forgoing the artsy and metaphorical verses of prog in favour of unfiltered, explicit and direct lyrics about politics, rebellion and personal struggles. And partying, punks love to have a good time after all! In another act of defiance, punk rock bands usually rejected the offers of big labels and embraced a DYI approach - their albums had a rough and underproduced sound, usually recorded entirely with the bands own equipment and distributed through small independent labels and heavily aided through tape trading. Punk concerts were held in underground venues that became hotspots for the growing punk subculture and gathering spots for the outcasts that comprised it. The rebellion and DYI approaches extended to the looks of the punks too, choosing to reject societal expectations for appearance and sporting the iconic brightly coloured mohawks, spiky hair, spiked bracelets, jackets with torn sleeves, pins, patches, lots of jewellery and more. Punk became the hotbed for youth counter-culture and neither music nor society would ever be the same again!
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The first roots of punk can be found within the garage rock movement of the 60s. Following the British invasion, many young bands, especially in the US, were formed around this time and recorded their songs with whatever gear they could find in whatever space they could find, usually their parents' garage, hence the name. The genre was very grassroots and non-mainstream, so a lot of the music was simple, direct and carried the energy and rebellious nature of youth, forming the initial core tenets of punk in a movement retroactively called proto-punk. Among these, the biggest star to rise would be the legendary Iggy Pop and his band The Stooges! With their unfiltered, socially-conscious lyrics and energetic songs, they would come to define generations and Iggy would rightfully earn the title "The Godfather of Punk"!
Punk would truly be born in New York City during the 70s, thanks to four oddballs with funny haircuts you might have heard of - The Ramones! Seeking to take rock back to basics, they played short, fast songs with energetic and simplistic guitar riffs and drum beats, a perfect backdrop for the iconic Joey Ramone to use his trademark nasally voice to deliver his sarcastic political poetry. No fancy solos, no complex song structures, no layered musicianship, no nothing. Just four dudes playing their instruments with tons of intensity. In general, punk rock always prioritizes energy, passion and aggression over intricacy and musical depth and the Ramones embodied that! They proved that stripping away the excess made rock cool again and, in a way, even made it notorious again!
This loud new sound would quickly spread across the pond and in England, another infamous band would launch punk into the stratosphere. This would of course be the Sex Pistols! It's remarkable how with just one album in 1977, they defined a movement and created the entire subculture! Their intense and chaotic live performances captivated the youth and united them against the establishment, bringing the masses together in a common cause. These rebellious youths built the punk rock aesthetic as we know it today - the worn, modded clothes, the patches, the wacky haircuts, all of it. This is also where, thanks to the legend Sid Viscous, things like moshing, crowdsurfing and stagediving would become live show staples. The first shots were fired and a youth revolution like had truly never been seen before, or since!
From the Pistols, the UK would become one of the largest hotbeds for punk rock and countless iconic bands would arise to define the spirit of punk rock. Despite standing in opposition to mainstream music and all other trends at the time, the way these songs captivated people made them arguably more popular and definitely more timeless than a lot of what was on the radio!
Back across the pond, in punk's original birthplace of the United States, the genre was only growing, taking further inspiration from their British compatriots. Thanks to the Ramones, New York became a massive scene for it, cranking up the intensity and anger to the max and giving no quarter when presenting their ideological diatribes!
On the other side, California soon became another massive scene for punk rock to grow and expand, blessing us with some of the most iconic bands to ever exist. Ones that through a myriad of different ways defined what it means to be a punk rocker. Right on the doorstep of Hollywood and the titans of the musical industry, the biggest counter-cultural movement was growing unstoppable!
As the 80s rolled in, punk had grown and soon evolved into it's most prolific form - hardcore punk! After the so-called first wave lit the fires of revolution, hardcore would carry that torch onward and spread these flames far and wide. While classic punk very much followed the rock 'n' roll/garage rock sound that defined it, hardcore punk was heavier, faster and even more aggressive. The lyrics likewise were brutally honest, unapologetic and crude. That's basically it. With all that power, it would be hardcore that took the world by storm and truly take punk to the stratosphere, making this revolution a global one.
P.S. Sorry EDM fans, we had it first!
From here, let's cover some of the leaders of this rebellion! First, we have to mention Scottish legends The Exploited. To me, these guys embody what hardcore punk means! Their songs are harsh, fast, heavy and unwavering. The lyrics angrily tear down anything standing in the way of freedom, in the most crude way possible. Live, these guys are a whirlwind of rage and mayhem like no other. Also, I couldn't find any proof of this, but I'm willing to bet money that their iconic frontman Wattie Buchan has significant contribution to popularizing the mohawk as the default haircut for punks!
Another name from the UK that embodies the hardcore approach are the mighty Discharge. With their unmatched intensity, distorted sound, powerful guitar work and instantly recognizable drumbeat, these lads have become one of the most influential acts in all of punk! Their biggest contribution came in 1982 with their album Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing, a monumental record that inspired countless bands and even entire genres. Discharge even got a whole subsection of hardcore named after them - D-Beat! HNSNSN is easily one of the greatest punk albums ever made and a massive milestone for the whole subculture.
For something different, let's go over to the States and the legendary Bad Religion! A fixture of the California hardcore scene, these guys took a different approach to both their sound and lyrics. Retaining the intensity and nonconformity, their sound was softer, more melodic and more upbeat, while their lyrics were more metaphorical, elaborate and introspective. The vocal delivery was also softer and made richer by their iconic use of harmonies, something they call "Oozin' Ahs". Among all of punk rock, Bad Religion stand out till this day and are a strong influence on many other branches of the greater punk sphere!
Also their 1993 album Recipe for Hate was how I got into the genre and it made Bad Religion my favourite punk rock band! In my humble opinion, it's one of the best punk records of all time!
Moving on to a different California powerhouse, the immortal Dead Kennedys! With a lighter sound more akin to the first wave of punk and a hefty dose of black humour in their lyrics, this posse lead by the eccentric counter-cultural icon Jello Biafra quickly gained notoriety for their edgy, outspoken views and their catchy tunes quickly became staple anthems of the punk rock crowd, who gladly spray painted their logo all over the place!
And so, while the US and UK remain the biggest punk strongholds to this day, the movement would soon spread globally and over time, massive punk scenes would arise in Germany, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Japan, Brazil, Mexico and countless other countries all over the world. Punk is a genre born in the gutter, one that thrives on social unrest and turmoil. Wherever there is struggle and dissidence, punk will grow. Which sadly turns out to be almost everywhere.
Like any good genre, punk would also begin diversifying into subgenres, the earliest of which remained fairly close to the core sound while giving it some original spins of their own. For a different flavour of punk, you can try the rough and energetic working class anthems of Oi!, named after the characteristic chants heard at almost every concert, especially in the UK. Or you can kick back and have some fun with the upbeat, free spirited tunes of skate punk. If that's not your style, you can crank up the intensity even more with the harsh, unrelenting noise of crust punk. It's the genre of the dissatisfied everyman, so it needed to evolve to suit every taste!
As punk's popularity grew, it veered somewhat away from being just rebellious fight songs and started to enjoy itself a bit more. One genre that embodies this is horror punk. Instead of angry declarations of war, these guys enjoy themselves by singing silly, cheesy lyrics about B-movie horror and sci-fi while dressing like zombies and vampires, all played with the same speed and intensity we know and love. It is punk after all. With its overlap with the goth scene as well, horror punk quickly became a smash hit!
When you say horror punk, one band comes to mind - Misfits! This gaggle of ghouls embody everything the genre is about and spearheaded the idea of turning cheesy horror film plots into ironic punk bangers worthy of a moshpit or two. Their hybrid punk/goth aesthetic also ushered in a new era of unusual fashion for fans from both camps!
For something completely different, let's stop by and have a pint with Celtic punks! The most famous movement within the greater folk punk genre, these guys naturally sought to add various folk instruments, usually from Ireland and Britain, into the core punk rock formula for an upbeat, danceable sound. Lyrics range from Irish folk tales, to political declarations, to drinking songs. And sea shanties too, Celtic punk overlaps a lot with sailors and pirates! Despite the strong Irish overtones, most bands of the genre aren't actually from the country but are from the Irish diaspora all over the world, a way to both connect with their heritage and spread their culture to everyone!
The band synonymous with this genre are none other than the Boston-based powerhouses Dropkick Murphys! Their energetic songs with strong folklore overtones are so upbeat and fun, yet have this old root to them, like they are connected to something ancient and pure, as if they come from ages long past. However you feel it, they have managed to connect both generations and countless people from every corner of the globe to join their party, growing to become a key inspiration for the vast majority of folk punk anywhere in the world.
And that anywhere for me is back home for both a regional scene and a subgenre, because let me introduce you to Balkan folk punk! If you've been around us, you'll learn a few things about us Balkan people - we are loud, we love to party hard and we complain about everything. It just so happens that those descriptors befit punk rock really well too! Combine that with bountiful societal struggles throughout the years, including many woes from the fall of the Iron Curtain and the breakup of Yugoslavia, it's no surprise that all nations of the Balkans quickly embraced the punk spirit and started producing the good home grown stuff. Most commonly, folk instruments were also thrown into the mix for that authentic feel and to really tie it to our own culture. To this day, these bands are absolute titans and deliver some insane shows both here and worldwide. Let me tell you, you haven't ever seen parties like these, so if you can, go and do it!
But maybe we're a little too intense for you. In that case, why not relax but keep partying with melodic hardcore! Mutually exclusive as it may sound, it's exactly what the name implies - hardcore punk with a lot more melody in the instrumentation and vocals. Lyrics also tend to be more sombre and introspective, but just as socially and politically charged as any other punk genre. Bad Religion are a huge influence on the development of this style! In general, for anyone scared off by the aggression and energy of true hardcore, melodic hardcore is a perfect entry point into the genre and one whose infectious sound is just irresistible.
The biggest name in melodic hardcore by far are the legendary Rise Against! A permanent fixture of the rock and metal scene of the early 2000s, they have blessed many with their emotionally impactful and socially provocative lyrics and the iconic voice of their frontman Tim McIlrath is instantly recognizeable to countless! They coerced many young whippersnappers into exploring punk rock, including me, so they're probably one of the most important gateway bands in the entire genre. They're also just damn awesome!
For something even more approachable and inspired by the above, we can't forget about pop punk! While many dedicated punks will scoff at this genre and say that it strays too far away from the core tenets of what it means to be a punk rocker, the fun factor is undeniable and at the dawn of the millennium, the songs were inescapable. Many of these bands became iconic and brought the speed and intensity of punk to a mainstream audience, achieving immense worldwide success. Rebellious battle songs these are definitely not, but the energy and hype is exciting all the same!
Arguably the two biggest bands responsible for the mainstream explosion of pop punk in the 90s are The Offspring and Green Day! The former brought fun, sarcastic songs that appealed to both vintage punk fans and young skaters all the same. Their infectious singalong choruses are firmly implanted in the brains of anyone that hears them. Green Day on the other hand managed to capture a sound that is catchy and instantly memorable, instantly skyrocketing to massive success and becoming a household name like few other punk bands have (without any of the infamy too). Say what you will, but bands like these two defined the sensibilities of an entire generation and several musical movements that came after were born from what they started.
Have we gone too mainstream? If you think so, then we can also delve into the darkest and heaviest branches of the punk tree. For you see, long long ago a genre spun off from punk to become a beast like no other, one that would carve a niche only for the most dedicated and open minded - grindcore! Pushing the speed and aggression to the absolute extreme, shortening songs more and more, this obscene and destructive style is easily some of the angriest and most intense music ever created. Only the strongest can handle something like this, but believe me, it's worth it. Not to mention all the wacky subgenres that spawned from this madness when it mixed back in with extreme metal!
The big dogs of grindcore, the kings of extreme are none other than Birmingham bombshells Napalm Death! Relentlessly heavy and pioneering many techniques that would define metal and extreme punk for decades to come, ND are iconic and yet still quite underground just because of how abrasive their sound is. They even hold the Guinness World Record for the shortest song, truly pushing all aspects of grindcore to the limit. For the open minded and strong willed, nothing else compares to them!
For a more modern flavour of extreme, try beatdown hardcore! Mixing in elements of extreme metal, these new gen bands seek to push punk's elements as heavy as they can go, resulting in some of the toughest, most violent and most aggressive music of the decade. But also some of the most fun! Just watch your head in the pit!
But all of this is just a snippet of what punk has blessed us with. I've already told you before how thrash metal became the spawn point for all extreme genres to come and it got many of its characteristics from punk. Not to mention all the other hybrid genres like crossover thrash and especially metalcore, which will get its own blog in due time. Just know, like I said at the start, punk rock has fundamentally changed the course of musical evolution in many many ways!
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Now I think we've battled enough, so let's close up the pit and call it a night. Punk is one of the most fundamental movements in all of rock music and its influence on all genres to come after it is immeasurable. Major fandoms like goth, emo, skaters and many more also trace their roots back here. It even spread some of its elements like the live show culture and fashion sense outside of rock to things like hip hop and EDM. But besides all that, punk is just really really fun and nothing helps you let off some steam like these fast, short, intense songs. So be yourself and don't let anybody tell you who you have to be! Live your own life! Stay strong, stay unstoppable and I'll catch you again soon!
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