Punk 1976-1978
Series about the history of punk. England was rudely awoken when the Sex Pistols swore on primetime television and aligned itself against the establishment.
Daydreaming England was about to be rudely awoken as punk emerged from the London underground scene. A nation dropped its dinner in its lap when the Sex Pistols swore on primetime television. Punk had finally found its enemy- the establishment. In Manchester, the Buzzcocks' self-released Spiral Scratch was a clarion call for a do-it-yourself generation, while the Clash's White Riot tour took punk's message across Britain. Moral outrage followed the Pistols around the country, effectively outlawing punk - but there was one refuge for the music. Nestled in the wasteland of 70s Covent Garden, the Roxy was punk's cathedral. Punk interlopers the Jam raised the bar for lyricism, challenging punk's London elite.
Punk also began to extend its three-chord vocabulary through an alliance with reggae, memorably captured by the Clash on White Man in Hammersmith Palais. With their second single, God Save the Queen, the Pistols scored a direct hit at the establishment in summer '77, but a disastrous PR stunt on a Thames barge would mark a turning point. The darker underbelly of the summer of '77 would see race riots in Lewisham. This street turbulence was the backdrop for a rawer, working class sound. If the Pistols and the Clash had been the theory, a second wave led by Sham 69 was the reality.
By '78 punk was becoming a costume - the very pop orthodoxy it had originally sought to destroy. For many punk ended when the Pistols split, beset by internal problems, following an abortive tour of the USA in January '78. Those practitioners who would go on to enjoy sustained success sought to modify their sound to survive, such as Siouxsie Sioux. Punk had shown what it was against, now it was time to show what it was for in the post-punk era.
With John Lydon, Mick Jones, Siouxsie Sioux and Paul Weller.
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Clip
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Punk Britannia Trailer
Duration: 00:30
Music Played
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Sex Pistols
Pretty Vacant
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Sex Pistols
Holidays in The Sun
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The Damned
Neat Neat Neat
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Sex Pistols
Anarchy in the UK
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The Vibrators
Into the Future
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Siouxsie and the Banshees
Make Up to Break Up
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Buzzcocks
Breakdown
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Clash
1977
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X鈥怰ay Spex
Identity
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The Adverts
Bored Teenagers
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Subway Sect
Ambition
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The Jam
In The City
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Sex Pistols
Emi
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Clash
Complete Control
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The Clash
White Riot
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Augustus Pablo
Keep on Dubbing
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Clash
White Man in Hammersmith Palais
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Sex Pistols
God Save The Queen
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Sex Pistols
Problems
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The Jam
A Bomb in Wardour Street
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Sham 69
Borstal Breakout
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Sham 69
If the Kids are United
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Stiff Little Fingers
Alternative Ulster
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Television Personalities
Part Time Punks
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The Ruts
Babylon's Burning
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Clash
London Calling
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The Jam
Down in the Tube Station at Midnight0
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The Jam
That's Entertainment
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Adam and the Ants
Zerox
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Adam and the Ants
Antmusic
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Siouxsie and the Banshees
Hong Kong Garden
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Siouxsie and the Banshees
Arabian Nights
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Generation X
Your Generation
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Billy Idol
In the Midnight Hour
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Public Image Ltd
Public Image
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Director | Sam Bridger |
Series Producer | Ben Whalley |
Narrator | Peter Capaldi |
Broadcasts
- Fri 8 Jun 2012 21:00
- Sat 9 Jun 2012 01:10
- Mon 11 Jun 2012 00:30
- Wed 19 Dec 2012 02:00
- Fri 16 Aug 2013 22:00
- Mon 19 Aug 2013 02:00
- Thu 11 Jun 2015 22:50
- Fri 1 Jul 2016 22:00
- Sat 2 Jul 2016 01:30