Punk’s not dead, but it deserves to die, and it’s dead because of you.
Punk means something else for everyone and can mean different things at particular moments in life.
It doesn’t matter what punk means to anybody else, and it only matters what it means to you.
Punk came kicking and screaming out of the 60s, then it was murdered at the end of the 70s, raised back to life only to be dishonoured and killed again over and over again occasionally. From being “not dead” in ’81 to “it just deserves to die” in ’86, and the final conclusion of “it’s dead coz of you” in 2024, punk proved to be a tough nut to crack.
Alive, dead or resurrected, mocked, mugged, hijacked, raped, advertised, monetised, revamped, sold out or surviving at the street level, punk comes back haunting once in a while. Some still believe in it, and others make a buck or two out of it. It’s like your first sex date, which you wouldn’t take home to present to your mom, but you sneak it into your room and can’t get enough of it.
It was the mid-80s, and my first recollection of punk rock music brought me back to the Clash and their 1979 London Calling. The Stranglers’ The Raven followed it, released the same year, and the Damned’s debut album, released in ’77, a record that only caught up with me at a ten-year delay – blame it on the Iron Curtain and my damn luck of being born on the wrong side of it.
Around ’87-’88, a friend of mine received the vinyl by The Exploited Live at the Whitehouse from his American uncle. What a boner! Abrasive and without compromises revealed a different sound of punk. That summer, we went to the Black Sea and met a British guy, and, between two beers with a broken English, we asked, “What wanker means?” He looked panicked at us and then at his wife and said, “I will explain it to you later”. Punk is priceless!
Meanwhile, I bought the Combat Rock vinyl, probably my favourite The Clash album, and I got a bad copy of Sex Pistols’ Never Mind on cassette tape and Dead Kennedys’ Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death. I discovered New Model Army’s The Ghost of Cain and Crass’ Penis Envy. I also loved a handful of Hungarian bands: Beatrice, Bikini, Európa Kiadó, and Kontroll Csoport. Eventually, I heard the godfather Iggy Pop. After ’89 and the fall of the communist regimes all over Eastern Europe, we had the chance to recover the deficit to some extent. Not entirely and often out of context.
While most of the original punk movement was leftist liberal and violently critical of capitalism, we hated Marxism and communism because we experienced it first-hand. Although there were repeated attempts to cleanwash those dark years, claiming that it was not all that bad, most of it was horror and terror. Refurbished and called candy bars or woke, I know that no matter how adequately some people speak, the outcome will similarly damage humanity. Make no mistake. If Ronald Reagan was evil, it doesn’t make Barack Obama good by default. The enemy of my enemy is not my friend, and there is no such thing as the better of two evils. The powers that be never serve the well-being of the individuals or the masses but their masters.
Fortunately, punk (rock) is not about sugarcoating, being up to date and politically correct.
In my book, punk is about telling the truth, staying independent, and maintaining a fair but critical attitude. I criticise you not because I hate you but because I love you.
In our brave new, corporatist world, truth has become an inconvenience.
Being free of ideologies and preconceptions is mandatory in order to remain honest. Anything else leads to compromises, lies, indulgence towards one side and bias towards the other. Extremes never hold solutions. Both the left wing and right wing are about dividing people.
F_ck that!
Keep an open mind, educate yourself constantly and don’t be afraid to change.
Nobody holds a monopoly on truth, and no one is always right. Occasionally, or quite often, we all make mistakes, and we must be strong and admit it.
Musically, it is the same. I always loved the diversity under the punk umbrella. Sex Pistols, The Clash, Damned, The Stranglers, Iggy Pop, Dead Kennedys, Crass, New Model Army, The Exploited, P.I.L., Black Flag, Anti-Flag, Idles, Slaves/Soft Play, Sleaford Mods, Propagandhi. CNTS, and many more, they all found their identity and specific sound.
Punk is not a musical style but a state of spirit.
True punk is about identity and self-expression. Posers and clowns. imitators and clones can’t spoil the heart of the movement.
“If the music’s gotten boring
It’s because of the people who want everyone to sound the same
Who drive the bright people out of our so-called scene
Till all that’s left is a meaningless fad” (Dead Kennedys)
My favourite album of 2021 was Dark Matters by The Stranglers. My favourite album of 2023 was Every Loser by Iggy Pop. I would also mention Jah Wobble’s A Brief History of Now. My favourite album of 2024 so far is Heavy Jelly by Soft Play. Another great album is Thoughts & Prayers by CNTS.
Dark Matters is a beautiful and vibrant album; Every Loser is probably Iggy’s one of the best, and Heavy Jelly proves that punk rock is still very much alive and naughty.
“Punk’s dead
Punk’s dead
Coz of you punk’s dead
And to think I believed all that shit that you said
Johnny Rotten is turning in his bed
I was gonna say “grave” but the fucker ain’t dead” (Soft Play)
Philosophically speaking, punk is not dead yet, but if it dies, it dies because of you.
It all comes down to individual choices and collective actions.
So far, all revolutions have failed due to the low quality of the individuals. Morons replaced morons, while other morons benefit from the situation. If we will manage by personal effort to raise ourselves, actual change will be possible.
Till then, keep on rocking in this slave world.
by Attila Kárpáthy
The Exploited are a Scottish punk rock band from Edinburgh, formed in 1978 by Stevie Ross and Terry Buchan, with Buchan soon replaced by his brother Wattie Buchan.
Coming out of the Sex Pistols’ 70s tradition, simple, raw, no-frills sound characterised by speed and aggression, The Exploited started as a street punk band which eventually turned into a crossover thrash band with the release of their album Death Before Dishonour in 1987.
They signed to Secret Records in March 1981.
Their debut EP, Army Life, was #6 in the Indie/Independent charts for eight weeks, then was in the Top 20 for eighteen months.
The debut album, Punks Not Dead, was released in April 1981. Working class and loyal to the first impulses of the 1970s punk movement, the album was a reaction to critics who believed the punk rock genre was dead and went against popular trends such as new wave and post-punk.
Punks Not Dead peaked at no 20 on the UK charts in May of that year, gave the band a national following in the United Kingdom, and it was the top-selling 1981 independent UK release.
The Exploited released eight studio albums, and although the Exploited continues to perform live, they have not released any studio material since their most recent studio album, Fuck the System, in 2003.
Despite many lineup changes, Wattie remained the Exploited’s singer and leader.
Punks Not Dead by the Exploited (1981)
Say to me that punk is dead
I wish you even more contempt
Don’t like the music, don’t like the words
You can all piss off, you’re a bunch of turds
[CHORUS]
Punk’s not dead, I know
Punk’s not dead, I know
Punk’s not dead, I know
Punk’s not dead, I know it’s not
We’re all punks and we don’t care
We’re boot boys who dye our hair
Leather jackets, DM boots
Run about every night
[CHORUS]
[CHORUS]
[Guitar solo]
We refuse to hear the lie
Have no fear till the day I die
Swearing at yooz who walk around
Don’t like it, I’ll hit you to the ground
[CHORUS]
[CHORUS]
Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978.
The original lineup consisted of lead guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Flouride, lead vocalist Jello Biafra, drummer Ted and rhythm guitarist 6025.
The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run.
In June 1979, the band released their first single, “California Über Alles”, on Biafra and East Bay Ray’s independent label, Alternative Tentacles.
In early 1980, they recorded and released the single “Holiday in Cambodia”. In June, the band recorded their debut album, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, released on the UK label Cherry Red in September of that year. The album reached number 33 on the UK Albums Chart.
In January 1981, Ted announced that he wanted to leave to pursue a career in architecture and would help look for a replacement. He played his last concert in February 1981. His replacement was D. H. Peligro (Darren Henley). Around the same time, East Bay Ray had tried to pressure the rest of the band to sign to the major record label Polydor Records; Biafra stated that he was prepared to leave the group if the rest of the band wanted to sign to the label, though East Bay Ray asserts that he recommended against signing with Polydor. Polydor decided not to sign the band after they learned that Dead Kennedys’ next single was to be entitled “Too Drunk to Fuck”.
After Peligro joined the band, the extended play In God We Trust, Inc. (1981) saw them move toward a more aggressive hardcore/thrash sound.
In 1982, they released their second studio album, Plastic Surgery Disasters. The band’s music had evolved considerably, moving away from hardcore formulae toward a more innovative jazz-informed style featuring musicianship and dynamics far beyond other bands.
The release of the album Frankenchrist in 1985 showed the band had grown in musical proficiency and lyrical maturity. Songs such as “MTV Get Off the Air” and “Jock-O-Rama (Invasion of the Beef Patrol)” poked fun at mainstream America.
The album was banned from many record stores nationwide.
Bedtime for Democracy, the fourth and final studio album, was released in November 1986.
The band decided to split up in January 1986, before the recording and release of Bedtime for Democracy and played their last live show with the original lineup on 21 February.
In 2001, Ray, Peligro, and Flouride reformed the Dead Kennedys. However, Jello Biafra seems irreplaceable.
In the first run, former Dr. Know singer Brandon Cruz replaced Biafra on vocals. Cruz left the band in May 2003 and was replaced by Jeff Penalty.
On a personal note, I contacted Jello Biafra in the mid-90s and asked for his blessing to record a cover of a Dead Kennedys song. Besides his approval, he sent me materials, and eventually, we covered Holidays in Cambodia.
We even talked a few times on the phone, and because I was going through a tough time in my life, Biafra supported and encouraged me.
Chickenshit Conformist by Dead Kennedys (1986)
Punk’s not dead
It just deserves to die
When it becomes another stale cartoon
A close-minded, self-centered social club
Ideas don’t matter
It’s who you know
If the music’s gotten boring
It’s because of the people who want everyone to sound the same
Who drive the bright people out of our so-called scene
Till all that’s left is a meaningless fad
Hardcore formulas are dogshit
Change and caring are what’s real
Is this a state of mind
Or just another label
The joy and hope of an alternative
Have become its own cliché
A hairstyle’s not a lifestyle
Imagine Sid Vicious at 35
Who needs a scene
Scared to love and to feel
Judging everything
By loud fast rules appeal
Who played last night?
“I don’t know, I forgot.
But diving off the stage Was a lot of fun.”
[CHORUS]
So eager to please
Peer pressure decrees
So eager to please
Peer pressure decrees
Make the same old mistakes
Again and again,
Chickenshit conformist
Like your parents
What’s ripped us apart even more than drugs
Are the thieves and the goddamn liars
Ripping people off when they share their stuff
When someone falls are there any friends?
Harder core than thou for a year or two
Then it’s time to get a real job
Others stay home; it’s no fun to go out
When the gigs are wrecked by gangs and thugs
When the thugs form bands, look who gets record deals
From New York metal labels looking to scam
Who sign the most racist queer-bashing bands they can find
To make a buck revving kids up for war
Walk tall, act small
Only as tough as gang approval
Unity is bullshit
When it’s under someone’s fat boot
Where’s the common cause
Too many factions
Safely sulk in their shells
Agree with us on everything
Or we won’t help with anything
That kind of attitude
Just makes a split grow wider
Guess who’s laughing while the world explodes
When we’re all crybabies
Who fight best among ourselves
[CHORUS]
That farty old rock and roll attitude’s back
“It’s competition, man, we wanna break big.”
Who needs friends when the money’s good
That’s right, the ’70s are back.
Cock-rock metal’s like a bad laxative
It just don’t move me, ya know?
The music’s OK when there’s more ideas than solos
Do we rally need the attitude too?
Shedding thin skin too quickly
As a fan it disappoints me
Same old stupid sexist lyrics
Or is Satan all you can think of?
Crossover is just another word
For lack of ideas
Maybe what we need
Are more trolls under the bridge
Will the metalheads finally learn something-
Or will the punks throw away their education?
No one’s ever the best
Once they believe their own press
“Maturing” don’t mean rehashing
Mistakes of the past
[CHORUS]
The more things change
The more they stay the same
We can’t grow
When we won’t criticise ourselves
The ’60s weren’t all failure
It’s the ’70s that stunk
As the clock ticks we dig the same hole
Music scenes ain’t real life
They won’t get rid of the bomb
Won’t eliminate rape
Or bring down the banks
Any kind of real change
Takes more time and work
Then changing channels on a TV set
[CHORUS]
Initially, they operated under the moniker Slaves and, due to “unwanted connotations”, changed their name to Soft Play in 2022.
The band was formed in 2012 as a duo after Isaac Holman and Laurie Vincent failed to recruit other musicians to join their punk band.
The band released their first EP, Sugar Coated Bitter Truth, under Boss Tuneage Records in 2012.
The duo released their debut album Are You Satisfied? on 1 June 2015. It reached No. 8 in its first week on the UK Albums Chart.[9] The album was nominated for the 2015 Mercury Music Prize and has since gone Silver in the UK. They released their second album, Take Control, on 30 September 2016. Beastie Boys member Mike D produced the album and was featured on the “Consume or Be Consumed” track. The album fared better in the charts than the first, climbing to No. 6 in its first week on the UK Albums Chart. They released their third album, Acts of Fear and Love, on 17 August 2018, which reached number 8 on the UK album charts. In July 2019, the band released a four-track EP titled The Velvet Ditch and played a headline set at Truck Festival.
In December 2022, they changed their name to Soft Play.
Their fourth studio album, and first under their new name, Heavy Jelly, was released on 19 July 2024.
Punk’s Dead by Soft Play (ex-Slaves) (2024)
Soft play (what mate?) nah, I don’t like this
Spineless shit
Not one bit
I thought you were it
Turns out you’re just another couple of overly emotional pricks
Get these liberal
Lefties typical
This shit isn’t cool
I’m done with it all
Are there any real men left in Britain?
I’m starting to think that there isn’t
I don’t like change
Punk’s dead, pushing up daisies
Come and get a load of these PC babies
Why can’t you just stay the same?
Punk’s dead, pushing up daisies
Come and get a load of this shit
Soft play (what mate?) should’ve done your research
I want my money back, boys, for the t-shirts
Should’ve run it by me first
Is your back sore?
I bet your knees hurt
Is this another publicity stunt?
Thought you were rowdy
Thought you were punks
What the fuck’s with the new name anyway?
Soft play? More like soft cunts
I don’t like change
Punk’s dead, pushing up daisies
Come and get a load of these PC babies
Why can’t you just stay the same?
Punk’s dead, pushing up daisies
Come and get a load of this shit
I love you but I disagree
This is bullshit
And I just wanted you to know
Snowflake, snowflake
Cherries on the woke cake
But I’ll still see you at your show
I love you but I disagree
This is bullshit
And I just wanted you to know
Snowflake, snowflake
Cherries on the woke cake
But I’ll still see you at your show
Punk’s dead
Punk’s dead
Coz of you punk’s dead
And to think I believed all that shit that you said
Johnny Rotten is turning in his bed
I was gonna say “grave” but the fucker ain’t dead
I don’t like change
Punk’s dead, pushing up daisies
Come and get a load of these PC babies
Why can’t you just stay the same?
Punk’s dead, pushing up daisies
Come and get a load of this shit.
#attilakarpathy #punk #punkrock #theexploited #deadkennedys #softplay
