Karen Knorr and Olivier Richon. PUNKS
Both Karen Knorr and Olivier Richon were two photographers who met in the mid 70s at polytechnic. Britain at the time was going through significant change due to economics, politics and the class struggle. British youth felt they had been forgotten about in many ways. The Glam Rock explosion of the early 70s had ended with bands now gave huge concerts to thousands of fans in football stadiums. They also had orchestras and the bands were huge (ELO and YES). This was considered remote and left a lot of youth feeling neglected who couldn't afford the absorbent prices. Therefore punks wanted to see minimalism in every way. Most punk band would only consist of 4 members and gigs would appear anywhere. This made music more relevant again to the working class and gave the working class hope. After all, culture starts from the bottom and soaks up-punk, blues and rap are testament to this. Working class punk bands such as The Clash started to play in clubs set up specifically for punks such as The Roxy (London) The Damned released "New Rose" in 1976 and punk hit the mainstream-music would never be the same again.
The context for this social change was the hopelessness that young people felt living in Britain. Economic security was failing due to high inflation, strikes and an energy crises which began due to "The Great Oil Shock" which was due to Israel being attacked in 1973 (Yon Kapoor War).Also, mass strikes by unions would mean the country was at a standstill with unions and the government in a stalemate over pay and conditions (kinda like now) This frustration would be the concept of many punk bands of the time. A good example is The Clash Career Opportunities 1979-80. The song outlines the hopelessness of the time. The song was 1:54seconds, unlike the long songs of the 70s which were long and repetitive. Punk was short and created an impact immediately. It was in your face.
Career Opportunities (Remastered) - Bing video
This was also felt in the USA with punk bands like The Dead Kennedys.
Dead Kennedys - Kill the Poor / HQ / Lyrics - Bing video
Both Karen Knorr and Olivier Richon recognised this and went into London to capture the punks and the mood of the time. Subcultures had been around since the 60s but this subculture was subversive in every way. The clothing, attitude and the punk philosophy was something that attracted me in the early 80s. I look at these images and I can identify with those in the images.
Punks by Karen Knorr & Olivier Richon | AnOther (anothermag.com)
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