[kj] punk fest

[Mikael Byström]

Purple29pixie at aol.com said:

>The 
>Damned, Sham 69 were playing at Birmingham Academy and the Slits were
>reforming 
>and playing there. Spooky eh?

Middle-age crisis? If these bands do anything else than playing their old
material, then good for them! But if old material is all they going to
do, they better do it really well, or they'll be quite pathetic actually. '
What was the point of reuniting the ol' Sex Pistols, if they wouldn't
take it to the next level? IMHO Prodigy already had taken their attitude
and some of their sound (perhaps a little bit blatantly) and made it
relevant music for the nighties. Quite a genius move musically in my book.

Seeing Sisters of Mercy and Gary Numan in 2002 was the most dreadful and
experience I've had in a long time. Some bands should either update*
themselves or just go to history without passing play.
That Killing Joke continues in a direction, beyond what they've done
before, that I'm not sure (yet) I approve of, is at least showing they do
have a direction. Which IMHO was to be expected from them. 

If punk ever was about something, it was about finding new ways that
don't get hold of you. IMHO punk as a musical phenomenon ceased to be
about that as early as 1980 (with some exceptions I'm sure). If new or
old forces can bring back the spirit that is of course a good thing, but
I find that if something is called "punk" that is a hint of that whatever
it is, isn't about that. As I see it, and many with me, the punk attitude
and spirit moved into other areas and explorations trough the eighties.
I don't imply here that one should always move forward without looking
back, it's more about what you look back at and what you do with it. And
to each her/his own as well.




*I don't mean they should jump on any bandwagons obviously.