70’s Punk history

Punk culture was found in New York City, the United States. It was there in the very last 1960’s and early 1970’s that brands such as the Ramones, Television, Patti Smith and Blondie emerged on the New York punk scene. 

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Ramones	Patti Smith

In the 1970’s the punk movement in United Kingdom was given considerable media attention. Because punk is a counter culture it cannot be pinpointed exactly when the movement began. Most people would agree that it was sometime in 1975. Britain was suffering from a recession at the time and in times of extreme hardship people look for an outlet for their anger. In 1975, the poor working class youths of Britain began to use the style of the New York punk scene. Adolescents were angry because they seemed domed to living out an existence on the dole. This coupled with normal adolescent feelings of isolation and estrangement gave rise to the punk movement. Punk music became a strong way in which pinks could give vent to their feelings and identify themselves as a counter culture. Their dress also became a means of identification. Punk as a subculture was beginning to take shape, conformity was what punk stood against.

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As the punk movement began to take shape and grow, the media could not ignore it. With more media coverage the music and movement became increasingly popular. Sex Pistols led the way for many other brands by signing labels with major recording companies. By doing this they had sold out. They were standing up against conforming to the mainstream, and they had become mainstream by signing a major record label. Until to 1977, the Sex Pistols broke up and this signified the dying of mainstream punk. The punk movement did not die out, however. In 1978 a band called Crass led the second wave of punk. After the second wave began in Britain’s punk scene, similar ideals started around the world. The second wave wasn’t just a style of clothing or a certain group of bands, it was a philosophy in itself.