Punk Rock

by Virginia Boston

As the UK punk scene exploded with its raw energy and intensity, documentation was the last thought on anyone’s mind. Originally published in 1978 by Penguin, and described as “the first punk book”, Punk Rock by Virginia Boston (also printed as Shockwave in the UK) is a must-have Almanac, a historical handbook, a visual and visceral reveal of a scene as it was bursting forth. As a London counterculture observer, writer Virginia Boston has captured the Punk phenomenon from its beginnings in ‘76 and through the eyes of the punks themselves. 

Featuring all of the early first generation bands (The Sex Pistols, The Jam, The Damned, Generation X, The Slits, X-Ray Spex, Siouxsie and the Banshees and many more) and other now iconic figures such as Soo Catwoman and Jordan, Punk Rock offers a rare insight into the heart of the movement via its extraordinary collection of photographs, quotes, lyrics and interviews from the leading bands and its figureheads. But perhaps most striking is the space it dedicates to the fans and their zines, complete with an introduction from Sniffin’ Glue editor Danny Baker. By doing so Punk Rock captures what was really going on in the clubs away from the usual music weeklies and academics.   

A scrapbook compendium of one of the shortest-lived yet most influential moments in music history, Punk Rock is an authentic time-capsule of the emergence of a counterculture that would forever change the world but didn’t know it yet.

First US Edition published by Penguin Books 1978

Reissued after 45 years Spring 2024