When punk came to Toon
IT was 1977 and a new musical and cultural movement called punk rock was sweeping the land. Snarling and spitting, and given endless publicity by a mock-outraged tabloid press, punk gave a punch on the nose to the complacent music and fashion industries of the day.
Out (for some people anyway) went flares, long hair and denim. In came bondage trousers, tatty short hair, torn clothing and safety pins.
And out (for a short while anyway) went the likes Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Yes. In came The Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned - bands whose member weren’t great musicians, but who had a rawness, energy and immediacy, many thought the established ‘dinosaur’ groups had come to lack.
North East venues such as Newcastle’s City Hall and Mayfair over the next few years would attract some of the movement’s biggest names, as punk burned brightly but briefly.
Sadly, what would have been, in hindsight, the region’s landmark punk show didn’t actually take place.
On Sunday, December 5, 1976, The Sex Pistols, The Damned and The Clash were all due to appear on the same bill at the City Hall on the Anarchy In The UK tour.
What a night that would have been, but most of the shows on the tour - including Newcastle - were cancelled due to the furore that followed the Pistols’ infamous television clash with Bill Grundy.
Undeterred, five months later, on their White Riot tour, the Clash - Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simenon and Topper Headon - rolled up for a show at Newcastle University’s students’ union bar.
The gig, which took place on May 20, 1977, was somewhat chaotic, but the band powered through a short set that included London’s Burning, Police and Thieves, and White Riot - their first single.
It was reported how an audience spitting frenzy left Strummer and co drenched. Meanwhile punks outside fought running battles with doormen as they tried to get in.
Now, more than four decades later, videomaker Rob Kilburn who runs the popular Tyne and Weird Facebook and YouTube channels is planning a documentary looking back at the phenomenon.
He says “The project will look at the punk scene in the North East - its beginnings in the ‘70s through to the current day and how it has evolved over time, as well as its place in current day music.
“We will be looking at early venues which were often DIY collectives of young people coming together to create something. They included places like The Garage (Newcastle), The Station (Gateshead), and The Bunker (Sunderland).
“We will also be looking at important gigs that took place, and well as some of the well-known local bands who made an impact, such as The Toy Dolls, The Angelic Upstarts and Penetration, to name a few.
“Though focusing on punk, we hope to touch on other venues like Newcastle Mayfair and the original Riverside venue.
“Currently I have gathered over 100 videos of archive footage of gigs which have not been seen by the general public. It’s very exciting.”
Rob is now asking if people have any punk film footage, old or new, tucked away somewhere which they might want to see used in the upcoming documentary. Email Rob at rob_kilburn@hotmail.com
■You can check out Rob Kilburn’s Tyne and Weird content as follows:
■Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ TyneandWeird/
■YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ tyneandweird