“Part eulogy, part love-letter; this high energy tribute to Punk and New Wave leaves you longing for a moshpit that will never come”
Punk’s not dead. But it sure felt like it at the Dominion Theatre. Rounding off a mammoth UK tour, Punk Off: The Sounds of Punk and New Wave hurtled its way through about two decades worth of nostalgia.
The Dominion Theatre is no stranger to titans of memory lane, having successfully hosted We Will Rock You for more than a decade. However this show felt like a requiem bell with a riff. Narrator Kevin Kennedy (Curly Watts from Coronation Street) would periodically pop out on stage, urgently yell exposition at us then pop back in as the next song started. I don’t really think his character added anything, though he was clearly enjoying himself. He was at pains to keep asking the audience “remember when?” like a Peter Kay gag. “Remember Bill Grundy?” No Kevin, I don’t. The show felt like an obituary to an era that wouldn’t let me connect to it, despite my efforts and familiarity with the genre and songs.
That is not to say I did not enjoy aspects of the show individually. The lighting rig used just about every button and preset humanly possible- adding a visual complexity to an otherwise bare stage with Camden Lock Bridge backdrop. The choreography led by Louisa Clark was slick, authentic to the period and fun to watch with boundless energy. The songs themselves are dynamic, with hits from The Clash, Sex Pistols and Siouxsie Soux all demonstrating their crowd-pleasing credentials. The first act delves into the origin of punk whilst the second examines new wave such as The Blockheads and Plastic Bertrand. Rather ironically though, at one point in trying to explain punk’s evolution into new wave as being “intelligent”, the very next line is the lyric from The Stranglers’ Peaches: “Walking on the beaches lookin’ at the peaches” as the cast awkwardly show a scene where two men sexually objectify a bikini clad woman and she kicks him in the groin. Yikes.
Where the show truly excels is the band. I have absolutely no notes. 10/10. Phil Sherlock on bass, Ric Yarborough on drums, Adam Evans on guitar , with vocalists Reece Davies and Lazy Violet. I could have watched a whole show with these performing just about anything from any genre; such was their skill, energy and immersion to theme.
What the show needs is an identity and a character to connect to. Bring the band front and centre of the stage, not hidden away at the back. Get rid of the narrator and make the anonymous busker more central. The audience had more connection to this one side character who quietly mumbled into a microphone before being told to f*ck off twice, than any platitude mentioned by Kennedy. And finally, add a dancefloor. I saw multiple times the audience wanted to just get up and let loose but the confines of a seated auditorium was at odds with the way the audience was trying to connect with their favourite songs. It needs to decide whether it wants to be a full-on tribute concert, or if it wants to lean into a proper theatrical and historical narrative.
Do I think this show is aimed at young people? No. Do I think they could enjoy it? Yes, but bring a parent- they’ll probably enjoy it more. You’d think punk died in 1985 the way the show lamented it, but all you have to do to know it lives is head on over to the many current venues hosting excellent contemporary punk and post-punk artists such as Bex, Wargasm, St Agnes, Fever 333 and Nova Twins. Punk’s not dead at all: it’s at The Black Heart, Underworld and Dublin Castle.