Subtitled ‘the sounds of punk and new wave’, Punk Off! is more a breakneck and energetic celebration of the music scene in the UK from 1976 into the early-80s than a traditional musical.
As we queued for the diligent bag checks, pocket emptying, and pat downs you associate more with concert venues than the West End, chats were had about the music, about billed star Kevin Kennedy (known to most of us as Curly from Coronation Street), and what was in store.
The stage was dominated with a backdrop of Camden Lock’s famous bridge, with a three-piece band stepped up at the back. Although Kennedy narrates and adds comment on the social background that made punk fly, this isn’t a theatre piece.
We all came for the music, and it doesn’t disappoint. Beginning with The Ramones and Bowie, everything gets its moment with Sex Pistols, Siouxie, Jilted John, The Buzzcocks, Talking Heads, Ian Dury, Squeeze, Blondie, Tom Robinson, Joy Division and many more.
Without punk, we wouldn’t have Factory Records, The Smiths, or even Oasis, to paraphrase one of Kennedy’s links, noting that only 40 people saw The Sex Pistols play Manchester’s Free Trade Hall but thousands claimed to have been there.
A couple of forgettable vignettes trying to set the scene are quickly ignored – the best one puts us in the shop opened by Malcolm Maclaren and Vivienne Westwood, SEX as eager teens consume the edgy fashion. Even in the theatre last night, an ageing audience member captured their youth with a ‘Bite Me, Beat Me ..’ t-shirt.
The featured vocalists (Adam Evans, Reece Davies, Lazy Violet, plus Kennedy) are excellent, switching between different styles and attitudes with ease. Lazy Violet’s Siouxie Sioux and Chrissie Hynde offered a sense of their versatility.
On the choreography side, Louisa Clark’s work adds a nostalgic sense of how the youngsters moved to the discordance of punk and its more melodic new wave cousin. This joy transferred with ease to the auditorium with one woman on her feet from the first moment with everyone on their feet for a strident and enthusiastic “My Way”.
The band (Phil Sherlock on bass, Ric Yarborough on drums) are in top form, with the male singers joining them on guitars in various numbers. It’s very loud and very welcome, giving us a two-hour slot to remember (those who were there) or enjoy what parents or even grandparents may have done.
Punk Off! (seen earlier in the tour as Pretty Vacant) has bags of attitude that rubs off on the audience, as shouts of “f- off”, “w*nker” and “show us your c**k” could be heard and were taken in good part.
Not your usual night at the Dominion, which s host to The Devil Wears Prada during the week, offering the spectacle of the iconic red shoe from that show standing in front of Punk Off!’s lively neon.
Punk Off! finished its tour in London last night. Find out more about the show on their Instagram.
4 stars.
Image credit: Stephen Niblett