Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk 1980-1984
Please select all options before adding to cart.
As the Seventies drew to a close and the media declared punk dead and buried, a whole new breed of band was emerging from the gutter. Harder and faster than their ’76–’77 predecessors, not to mention more aggressive and political, the likes of Discharge, the Exploited, and G.B.H. were to prove not only more relevant but arguably just as influential.
Several years in the making and featuring hundreds of new interviews and photographs, Burning Britain is the true story of the UK punk scene from 1980 to 1984 told for the first time by the bands and record labels that created it. Covering the country region by region, author Ian Glasper profiles legendary bands like Vice Squad, Angelic Upstarts, Blitz, Anti-Nowhere League, Cockney Rejects, and the UK Subs as well as the more obscure groups like Xtract, The Skroteez, and Soldier Dolls.
The grim reality of being a teenage punk rocker in Thatcher’s Britain resulted in some of the most primal and potent music ever committed to plastic. Burning Britain is the definitive overview of that previously overlooked era.
Praise:
“Ian Glasper’s chatty, engaging history follows the regional lines along which UK punk’s ’second wave’ scene divided, as well as talking about the record labels involved and what the main protagonists, from the Anti-Nowhere League to Vice Squad, are up to now.“
—Iain Aitch, Guardian
“Glasper is thorough and democratic. He lets everyone speak, tell their own story, edits out the rambling and bullshit, and presents a fair picture of all the main bands from all over the UK and Ireland. Geographically divided up. It’s an encyclopaedic but down-to-earth reference book, full of detail and anecdotes.“
—Ged Babey, LouderThanWar.com
About Ian Glasper:
Ian Glasper is the author of Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk 1980–1984, The Day the Country Died: A History of Anarcho Punk 1980–1984, and two other books that cover the UK punk scene. A member of many DIY bands and contributor to countless fanzines, Ian lives in the UK and remains passionate and dedicated to Punk Rock.
See and hear author interviews, book reviews, and other news on Ian Glasper’s page HERE
You May Also Like
The Story of Crass
Crass was the anarcho-punk face of a revolutionary movement founded by radical thinkers and artists Penny Rimbaud, Gee Vaucher, and Steve Ignorant.
Citizen Fish: Underwater Overground / Gaffer Tape (DVD)
Two documentaries about punk-ska band Citizen Fish who live in South West England and spend large chunks of life playing their one-off brand of music to people who don't.
Sober Living for the Revolution: Hardcore Punk, Straight Edge, and Radical Politics
Since straight edge's origins in Washington, D.C. it has been linked to radical thought and action by countless individuals, bands, and entire scenes. Sober Living for the Revolution traces this history.
Positive Force: More Than a Witness: 30 Years of Punk Politics in Action (DVD)
Covering a span of 30 years, More Than a Witness documents the origins, activism, and musical events of the punk/activist organization Positive Force DC.
Spray Paint the Walls: The Story of Black Flag
Black Flag’s hardcore story from the inside, drawing on exclusive interviews with the group’s members, their contemporaries, and the bands they inspired. "A gory-gobsmacking read!"
A Mix of Bricks & Valentines: Lyrics 1979-2009
With a foreword by John Robb, this book showcases the lyrics of G.W. Sok from The Ex.
The Primal Screamer
This semi-autobiographical novel from Rudimentary Peni singer, guitarist, lyricist, and illustrator Nick Blinko, plunges into the worlds of madness, suicide, and anarchist punk.
Punk Rock: An Oral History
Ranging through punk's widely debated roots in the late 1960s to its enduring influence on the bands, fashion, and culture of today, this history brings to life the energy and the anarchy as no other book has done.
Recently Viewed
Poster - Emancipated Woman Build Socialism (with red flag)
N’golá (São Tomé) - Our Ancestors Swam to Shore CD
Sisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology
This curated selection of feminist speculative fiction seeks to expand the conversation about feminism while engaging the reader in a wealth of imaginative ideas.
