Young Punks – Sheila Rock

Omnibus Press, 14-15 Berners Street, GB-London, W1T 3LJ, www.omnibuspress.com

The photographer Sheila Rock was born in the United States and has lived and worked in London since 1970. She took photos for the entertainment and music industry and later worked for The Face. The photos in this book (published in 2020) were taken in an early stage of her career. She happened to be at the right place at the right time. London 1976, when (UK)Punk was born there. There is a bit of text in here, a foreword by Nick Logan, some „Conversations“ (Don Letts, Jon Savage, Chrissie Hynde, ….) and five parts by Sheila Rock: „Fashion“, „Tribe“, „Scene“, „Music“ and „Influence“. But, as you can expect, the main focus here is on photos of – you guessed: Young Punks.

They hang out in certain stores: Sex, Acme Attractions and even Boy. Some of the punks you get to know by name, but what counts most is the look captured by Sheila. A lot of scenesters and of course a bunch of bands, mostly not live, like Subway Sect, The Moors Murderers, Eater, The Clash, Chelsea, The Buzzcocks, Siouxie and the Banshees, The Damned…. they are all there, also a young Sid Vicious. In the end there is even a few live photos. But, the main focus is on the punk fashion and the look of the early punk scene in London. Great photos, some b/w more than expected in 4c. If you are a fan of the very early London punk scene, you find what you look for right here. Great photos of an amazing time presented in a large format (21 x 2,5 x 28,5 cm) . This book takes you on a trip back into DIY fashion and the raw energy of Punk. A great addition to any collection, but not a must have in my view. 286 pages, hardcover, 30,00 Euro (dolf)

Isbn 978-1913172152

[Trust # 214 June 2022]