A History Of Punk (Hardback)
Punk & Pistolry
Imprint: White Owl
Pages: 224
Illustrations: 16 mono illustrations
ISBN: 9781036120306
Published: 31st August 2025
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Punk: the filth and the fury. But it was so much more than that.
In The History of Punk Music, author Stephen Palmer depicts the punk rock explosion of 1976-77 in tired, bored, and socially stratified Britain. Emerging from the litter-strewn streets of London, punk’s music expressed the suppressed anger of young working-class people with nowhere to go and nothing meaningful to do. Its music was raw and shocking. Its fashion mocked staid middle-class values. Its art was expressed in cut-outs and by sprayed graffiti. Yet beneath this sudden explosion, frightening to those of the establishment who witnessed it, incomprehensible to white-collar workers commuting to and from work, lay a philosophy of individual creative expression and an ethic of anti-racism and liberation for women.
Punk in its original form was a movement of human liberation, a Year Zero moment in the history of a nation more used to colonial exploits and a vast empire. It spoke of fury, of hopelessness, of cathartic anger expressed through visceral, exciting, revolutionary music. Its visual images captured the gaze of the nation, and soon the world. And all of its central figures yelled, hammered and smashed the doors of the Establishment.
This book charts the origins, appearance, development and ending of punk. It is a book of passion and vivid description, befitting the individual visions of the original punk musicians.
Punk was filthy and furious, yet it was also a new dawn for the British music scene.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Louise Gray
Well researched and executed, this book balances the presentation of facts with entertaining stories and makes for a fantastic read. There is a balance of information across a multitude of bands, giving appropriate coverage to the better known acts while also identifying those which were important to the punk movement even though they did not achieve the fame or notoriety of others. I particularly enjoyed the analysis of how fashion, particularly in relation to women’s hair, and welcomed the inclusion of class consideration as a driving force, too. A terrific book.
As someone of similar age to the author but living an ocean apart, the only things I knew of the punk movement were from records my older brother played. Therefore, I very much enjoy the way Palmer lays out this discussion and appreciate the education on the factors that contributed to the rise of the punk movement in the UK.
NetGalley, Martin Maenza
Looking back now, decades later, I recognize many of the names and players in the movement. Over time, I became familiar with many from the post-punk and new-wave movements that followed. All of it I can look back on fondly as I enjoy so many types of music from that time period. I am glad to have the history documented in such a manner.
About Stephen Palmer
Stephen Palmer is a professionally published author of thirty years, whose work has garnered much acclaim in genre, independent, and national press. His books have encompassed SF, Steampunk, and in narrative nonfiction Anthropology and Music. He was the man behind the psychedelic group Mooch, and the real world project Blue Lily Commission. He lives in south Shropshire with his partner and an unfeasibly large number of musical instruments.