Punk
Punk band LIFE still believe in the radical power of youth
So should you... — Trump, Brexit, austerity – these are all subjects the Hull punks behind LIFE are tackling on their debut album, reminding us of the power of anger and hope.
Written by: Biju Belinky
Photographing UK punks before the movement took over
The Spirit of 76 — Music journalist John Ingham photographed and interviewed the original punks, before the movement hit the tabloids. In his book, The Spirit of 76, we see the year that changed UK music forever through the eyes of an insider.
Written by: Biju Belinky
My mother, the punk rocker
Poly Styrene — The story of iconic punk and frontwoman Poly Styrene will soon be hitting our screens, brought to life using her own diaries and the voice of her daughter, Celeste Bell.
Written by: Biju Belinky
An epic encounter with John Lydon: punk's most iconic troublemaker
The Firestarter — As the face of both the Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd, John Lydon has been a groundbreaking force in counterculture – always outspoken, never indifferent. Now, 40 years after kickstarting punk, he’s looking back on that path in a different light.
Written by: Cian Traynor
In the studio with art maverick Raymond Pettibon
Moving in mysterious ways — From Black Flag to Sonic Youth, Raymond Pettibon helped define what punk looks like when it's hung up on a wall. Now he's taking us inside his fantasy world, where the only ticket is a pencil and a piece of paper.
Written by: Jamie Brisick
Bad Religion's Greg Graffin on navigating life under Trump
A punk with perspective — At a time when freedom of thought is under attack, and science is on the back foot, this punk-icon-turned-professor shares some much-needed words of wisdom on why we shouldn't sweat it.
Written by: Cian Traynor
A pep talk with Ian MacKaye on the eve of the US elections
How to handle anything, from Brexit to Trump — Words of advice from the punk pioneer in case the worst should happen: Get offline and have real conversations. Stop trying to blow one another up.
Written by: Andrea Kurland
The psychedelic punk creating a safe-haven for artists
Acid Priest — When photographer Lee Kirby stumbled across a vagabond in designer clothes, he found himself opening a pandora’s box that would change his life. But for Lee Trosclair, renegade-turned-muse, the story is just beginning. In a world that undervalues art, he’s kickstarting a cultural revolution from an unlikely place.
Written by: Cian Traynor
The South African skate punks sparking a cultural revolution
A Soweto (Re-) Uprising — South Africa is still reeling from decades of divisive rule. Students are protesting against colonialist remnants of the past and communities still exist within borders. But in Soweto, the township-turned-city that first triggered the fight for civil rights, a new counter-culture is burning. It’s raw. It’s punk. It doesn’t give a fuck. And it’s writing its own history.
Written by: Nas Hoosen
What it's like to tour Brexit Britain as a non-white musician
Battling anxiety in the face of ignorance — After being racially abused in the street, Vanessa Govinden had a frightening realisation: her band Little Fists was about to tour post-Brexit UK for the first time, exposing to her a nation fraught with rising xenophobia. This is the story of how she overcame the panic.
Written by: Vanessa Govinden