How did 1980s post-punk influence the 2010s revival?
It’s hard to pinpoint when punk died to make way for post-punk, but David Berman wrote that punk rock died when the first kid said: “Punk’s not dead”. Some retain that punk never died. But, at some point before the end of the 1970s, the genre and subculture once characterised by rebellion, anti-authoritarianism and DIY culture gave way to commercialism and popular appeal. Iconic punk magazine Sniffin Glue wrote that punk died with The Clash’s signing to CBS in 1977.
Whether punk was still holding on or not, post-punk was ready to take its place. With the changing political climate induced by the Thatcherite government in 1979, the youth were looking for a new sound and aesthetic to follow. With similarly politically-charged lyrics and a DIY ethic, post-punk took the baton from its predecessor and ran in a more avant-garde direction.
Spearheaded by communities of art school kids surrounding venues like The Fenton in Leeds, the movement sought to expand guitar music from the simplicity of punk. The genre combined sounds and production elements from funk, krautrock and dub. There was also a focus on incorporating cultural influences as well as political. Post-punk rose to acclaim with the likes of Talking Heads, Gang of Four, and Public Image Ltd. Like punk, the genre was to fade away by the end of the decade. But a renewed interest in the genre’s sound and aesthetic occurred in the late 2010s.
In the last five years or so, familiar jangly guitars, groovy blending of genres, and political lyrics have made their way onto Speedy Wunderground compilations and the airwaves of Radio 6. But how has the post-punk revival paid homage to its roots?
With post-punk first born out of a huge political shift, it’s no surprise that audiences and artists have looked back to the scene for inspiration in the tumultuous 2010s. After 13 years of Labour governance, Conservative leader David Cameron took over in 2010, and the events that followed would politicise Millennials and Zoomers alike, with issues ranging from Brexit to Covid. A renewed interest in a genre that prioritised DIY communities, art and culture was fitting, given that the genre has even been referred to as the post-Brexit new wave.
So the post-punk revival was born. Bands combined abrasive and angular guitar with arty funk to vent their frustration with the political landscape. DIY communities were been built around DIY venues like the Windmill in London and labels like Speedy Wunderground. Artists like Squid, Black Midi, and Parquet Courts have become some of the biggest names in the alternative scene.
The new crop of artists has often taken influence and paid homage to their post-punk predecessors. Idles guitarist Mark Bowen told The Guardian that “without Gang of Four, Idles wouldn’t exist”. While Parquet Courts have also stated that DEVO influenced their track ‘Total Football‘. Guitarist Andrew Savage told NPR: “The bass line of the song was inspired by Devo. I had these parts written for the longest time before [adding] the pre-chorus and chorus bits.”
Detailing further, he continued: “The lyrics take the form of a manifesto, which is fitting for the first song on this album, I think. Bold and declarative.”
The influence of Talking Heads, in particular, can be felt across the modern post-punk movement – from their sonic influence on Parquet Courts’ 2021 album Sympathy for Life to their lyrical influence on Squid’s early work (“This is my beautiful house and I can’t afford to live in it”). Indie-infused entry-level post-punk band Courting even paid homage to David Byrne directly with their commentary on British class ‘David Byrne’s Badside’ in 2020.
The modern post-punk revival has borrowed the ethic, culture and sound of its predecessor but manufactured it to appeal to a modern audience. It has also seen a renewed interest in the original movement, with Gen Z exposed to a whole new area of music.
