Sixth Form Lecture: How Punk Changed the World

Our final instalment of term of the Lower Sixth Academic Enrichment Programme took place on Friday 11 December. This lecture was presented by Head of History and Politics, Mr Jones, about “a genre of music that means a huge amount to” him – punk!

Mr Jones grew up in the 1970’s, a time which he described as “very different to now”.

He grew up in the country, in a middle-class family, and life was good there. However, every summer he would go to stay with his grandmother, who lived in Newcastle. 1970’s Newcastle was a stark contrast to the country town Mr Jones grew up in. There were many strikes from workers, which resulted in power cuts and bins piling up in the streets. There were many destroyed buildings left over from the war, and many young people felt bored and ignored – there was a sense of desperation.

As a young person, Mr Jones couldn’t stand pop music of the 70’s! He showed our students examples of songs such as ‘Save All Your Kisses for Me’ and the ‘Disco Duck’. It all portrayed a cheery image which Mr Jones described as “the antithesis of what was going on, especially up north’.

And then came punk.

Punk music exploded onto the scene in 1976. “Punk was meant to shock” explained Mr Jones. “At the time people were gobsmacked by what young people were doing!”

A punk band’s appearance on a talk show in 1976 was the first time anyone had sworn on national television, which did indeed shock the nation, but also increased young people’s interest in the culture, particularly those who felt left out and fed up of society at the time. Mr Jones showed our students an example of a punk rock music video, which was very raw, expressive, working class and political.

Mr Jones also explained how punk music and culture was a huge hub for feminism: “Female punk bands were out there and making it in such a patriarchal society, not pandering to men and doing what was expected of them.” Punk also widely accepted the thriving LGBTQ+ scene of the time. Many people were experimenting with fashion, androgyny, and ways of expressing themselves. “Through punk, young people were kicking down societal norms of the time. They were rebelling and challenging everything their parents stood for.”

One moment in punk that particularly shocked the nation was the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977. At the time the Royal Family were revered and adored by many. The band the Sex Pistols released the song ‘God Save the Queen’, the artwork of which included a defaced image of Queen Elizabeth II. This shocked and angered many people, however lots of young people loved it. “All of these punk bands were right in your face, challenging society, and that was the point of it” explained Mr Jones. It was a time where young people were clearly unhappy, wanted something different, and were asking questions about society and what was to come.

So, was punk a flash in the pan or a nuclear device? “There is no doubt that punk rock changed music and completely shook up the music scene” said Mr Jones. “Although people have different opinions on whether it changed the world, it definitely changed a lot of things and attitudes in the 1970s.”

As the final Sixth Form Lecture of 2020 drew to a close, Mr Jones reminded our students not to judge people by their appearances. Although Mr Jones is Queen Anne’s Head of History and Politics, he is also still a punk rocker at heart.

Our students thoroughly enjoyed Mr Jones’ heartfelt lecture, which ended with a round of applause from all!