Punk in London

A rather disappointing documentary that is a missed opportunity.

No introduction, no narration or subtitles (either for German spoken language section or to narrate who's on screen).

Basically just a bunch of low-quality footage put together with no narrative or explanation as to what we're watching, apart from the music, which is self explanatory if you know the bands.

There are a couple of interesting sections, including The Jam performing Carnaby Street and In The City at The 100 Club in 1977 and a section on The Clash in Germany.

Overall, could have been so much better with a bit of effort and professionalism.

By the time Wolfgang Büld trained his camera on "Punk in London", it was (at the accelerated and often frightening pace noted by Jon Savage in "England's Dreaming") already becoming an artifact. The Sex Pistols found themselves at the center of a media frenzy and had been banned from so many UK venues that, for all practical purposes, they were no longer a functioning group--so they're not in the film. Other bands attempt to fill the void left by the Pistols: The Clash, magnetic performers but a little too studied and eager to be stars; X-Ray Spex, distinguished by the intelligence and songwriting talent of Poly Styrene; and the Adverts, who, in the guise of two-and-a-half-minute pop anthems, passionately urge their audience to seize the moment before it passes. (We're also treated to the working class anger of Chelsea, the plain old opportunism of the Killjoys and Wayne County, and the good-natured idiocy of fans at a Lurkers show.) Here is the London punk scene as it was just before the bottom dropped out in early 1978, from the bandwagon-jumpers to those who were trying to maintain some sense of unity and purpose. Lots of good performance footage and some interesting interviews, too.

Released jointly with a book the size of London itself! Punk In London is perhaps the best documentary as regards capturing the spirit of the bands who were at the forefront of the punk explosion in Britain circa 1976. Though footage of The Clash is tagged on to the end, to presumably give the makers a selling point, it's with the other notable movers of the times that Punk In London becomes something of an essential viewing for fans and interested observers alike.

Featuring live work from the likes of The Lurkers, X-Ray Spex, Subway Sect, Chelsea and The Adverts, this is a must see to really grasp just how raw the movement was before it became a viable product for record company big wigs. Though not all the live footage is of great quality (you will struggle to hear Poly Styrene's vocals on Identity), watching Howard Wall of The Lurkers sing whilst being surrounded by fans is critical in portraying just how of the people the punk explosion was, it really shows the whole essence and point of punk rock, namely anyone can make a record, get up there and do it yourself. Ultimately it's with the interviews that this documentary succeeds, watch and enjoy as Gene October (lead singer of Chelsea) muses on why his band exists, and delight as Arturo Bassick of The Lurkers does an interview at his parents house whilst Mam & Dad watch Top Of The Pops, featuring a performance from The Boomtown Rats singing Looking After Number One, Arturo's words at this point is crucial to how so many bands felt at the time.

Also features performances from The Electric Chairs, The Killjoys and The Jolt.

Raw and patchy sums this DVD up, but really those words can best describe the Punk movement itself. Honest, refreshing and totally essential. 9/10

What is important about Punk in London is that it shows the real circumstances that led to the punk scene which are honestly quite depressing. There's a reason why punk was so angry, ugly and dirty - it was literally populated by neglected and/or abused teenaged children, and some poor unemployed or underpaid working class young adults. Some of the interviewees proceed to explain this, but to someone like me this is redundant: they're basically explaining leftist views or anarchist views in a political context of the post-industrial horrors of late 20th century London. But what they're saying is valid in any capitalist society with extreme wealth inequality, forgotten neighborhoods, ghettos and prejudice against the working class, immigrants, and in the case of 70s London, the Irish.

Some also complain about how quickly punk became commercialized and commodified, creating a gap between the sought equality, authenticity, lack of pretentiousness and all access that punk was originally about and the money-hungry greedy capitalists in the mainstream music industry.

It's just done really poorly so it's dull and depressing listening to it, I wanted to fast-forward through different scenes, as well as the fact that a lot of the antics are really childish (I mean in many contexts they were dealing with people still in their teens) like a boy "mooning" another boy mid-interview.

Ok, you may ask why call it priceless than give it a 6 rating - simple as a music film it's only worth that - the various interviews are more important.

The footage for example of the Lurkers is less interesting than the interview with Arturo Bassick (The Bass player) who's seen at home with his parents with Top of the Pops on a portable TV in the background.

The country has changed a lot over the over 40 years - good or bad is up to you - I was 6 in 1977 so I'm glad that films like this exist to show what it was like.

One band to single out is The Killjoys - Who in the lifespan released 1 single but Featured Kevin (Dexy's) Rowland & Gil Weston who later joined Girlschool...One of the few times those bands will share a sentence!

And while I enjoy there music in bits I've always thought The Clash are overrated.

THE PAST IS A FOREIGN COUNTRY: THEY DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY THERE. - L. P. Hartley