This year, 2006, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Punk music.  Punk and London’s influence on global youth culture are intertwined.  Punk stood for a look, an attitude and a sound like nothing before.  In 1976 Punk challenged the Pop and Disco music scenes and provided youthful rebellion with a voice.  30 years on Punk’s influence is clear.  It is amazing just to think that at the June perfomance by the Sex Pistols to only a couple of hundred people, in the audience there were future members of Joy Division, New Order, The Fall, The Smiths and erm… Simply Red. 

Defining punks birth date is no easy task.  In 1976 there were many seminal moments including in August Islington’s Screen On the Green performance from the Pistols, The Clash and The Buzzcocks; or the release in November of Anarchy In The UK, the Punk movements anthem.  Not to mention the infamous Bill Grundy interview when Johnny Rotten said “shit” on national television.

Punk was a challenge to the 1970’s order by a youth disenchanted with a stagnant post-Imperial Britain.  Malcolm McCalren and Vivienne Westwood were two of the provocateurs who set out to put two fingers up to the Queen’s Jubilee.  It was a moment in time, an era, that changed music for ever.  ‘God Save the Queen, she ain’t no human being, there’s no future, in England’s dreaming…’  Within 18 months Punk as a movement was largely disbanded but it’s influence lives on today.