“

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times…” Some people deride the post ’60s period as a time of strikes, economic depression, with little in the way of optimism. But if history has taught us anything, popular music in the 20th century has been inextricably linked with the crucible of the times and young people embracing the counterculture – which in turn challenges the ‘sacred cows’ of the status quo. Like it or loathe it, punk music in the latter half of the 1970s gave a voice to a generation of disaffected youth. With this in mind, Punk Off: The Sounds of Punk & New Wave is a celebration of the music in the late ’70s/early ’80s – songs full of attitude and energy.

Compèred by Kevin Kennedy of Coronation Street fame, Punk Off is very much a ‘jukebox’ event. But unlike, say, the We Will Rock You musical or Mamma Mia!, there is no ‘book’ to frame the show. Instead we have a nostalgic trip down memory lane, highlighting how and why the punk phenomenon came to transpire in the first place.

Anyone with more than a passing knowledge the Sex Pistols’ 1976 gig at Manchester’s Free Trade Hall knows of the significance of that event (which is why it is referenced extensively in the show). If there is any truth to the myth, the audience was pretty much a ‘who’s who’ of anyone who would be musically famous in Manchester from the late ’70s to the ’90s.

As you might expect, songs from the Sex Pistols feature in Punk Off, as does tunes from The Buzzcocks, The Undertones, Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Stranglers, Iggy Pop, Sham 69, The Clash, plus many others. By their nature, punk songs are short – three minutes or under in length – so even with the first hour of the show, you have listened to close to 20 tunes. Great value for money!

The musicianship of the band who play throughout the show thoroughly impressed me. Even with songs that are very familiar, they are able to make them feel fresh and exciting, reminiscent of the music scene at punk’s inception.

Accompanying the band are four dancers, who while seemingly incongruous to the no-thrills origins of punk, bring their own brand of kinetic energy to the proceedings. This is especially true in the second half of the show when it focuses on New Wave music. (Then again, if we were thinking about the whole show ‘logically’, it wouldn’t be touring to ‘comfy’ venues nationwide, but to the backroom of pubs with few/no seats and maybe a ‘mosh pit’! 😉 ) One of the dancers also has her own time in the limelight, singing tunes from the likes of Blondie and a downtempo arrangement of No More Heroes.

As previously mentioned, the musicianship of the show is exceptional, but every once in a while, the singing on certain songs doesn’t ‘hit the mark’. By this I mean the inflection at certain junctures of some songs (especially ‘anthems’) should be sung in either a different key or louder/with more emphasis. On the occasions that it didn’t occur, for those of us who know the songs inside-out, it did take you ‘out of the moment’, leaving one perplexed. But I digress. Asides from this minor quibble, 98% of Punk Off is exactly what you hope it would be.

The second half of the show hosts a greater diversity of songs, from the likes of Joy Division, Talking Heads, Squeeze, Elvis Costello, The Pretenders and Doctor Feelgood. However, my favourite segment of the evening was the spot devoted to Ian Dury and the Blockheads. With rousing versions of Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, Reasons To Be Cheerful Part 3 and Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick, these renditions (along with the rest of the set of the evening) reaffirmed that these classics are best heard live and loud…

…and of course no evening would be complete without Sid Vicious’ version of My Way…

© Michael Davis 2025

Punk Off: The Sounds of Punk & New Wave ran at Birmingham Town Hall on 4th March 2025. It continues its UK tour at the following venues and dates:

7th March
Victoria Theatre
Bagnall Street, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 3AD
https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/victoria-hall/

9th March 2025
Dominion Theatre
268-269 Tottenham Court Road, London, W1T 7AQ

Dominion