The No

By TheNo

Punk as

This is Jeffrey Lewis. He had just wished the crowd who'd gathered for his set at Field Day a 'happy Jubilee weekend' before launching into his cover of a typically visceral number by English anarchist punk band CRASS.

The point went over the heads of most there, although there were a handful who cheered the occasional line. Outside, meanwhile, there were a few too many Union Jacks for my liking.

It's a far cry from the Sex Pistols in 1977. We all know the story about the Pistols' God Save the Queen being denied the No 1 spot on Silver Jubilee weekend despite evidently selling more than the Rod Stewart dirge that got the official nod.

John Lydon's bile wasn't just about the Queen. It was born of the hopelessness confronting his generation after years of economic back-pedalling. But what you have to ask, then, is where the hell, amid the current economic clusterfuckery and systematic dashing of hopes, are this generation's punks? Where is the anger, the demand for change, the alternative? Are we all so utterly inured this time around?

Thank God for people like Lewis. But then he's from New York.

Comments
Sign in or get an account to comment.