THE SCENE THAT WOULD NOT DIE | BOOK REVIEW
Ian Glasper (Earth Island)
As an author, Ian Glasper seems to have secured a fairly handy niche for himself since the publication of his first book, Burning Britain, in 2003. It created a format adhered to with his subsequent works – The Scene That Would Not Die is his sixth – where he shines a torch on his favoured pockets of British underground music, mostly punk and sometimes metal, which for the most part would have virtually no chance of being written about in a book but for his efforts.
Burning Britain and its sequels covered bands from the 1980s and 90s, a few well known outside their specific subculture and many more truly marginal. The Scene… focuses on UK punk bands active during the 21st century, and will conclude the series, according to Glasper’s introductory notes. He also says that in writing it, he’s defied people’s advice, some suggesting that there would be no contemporary British punk worth featuring. Having interviewed 111 groups to the tune of 650 pages, the author clearly thinks differently.
As do I, but here’s a thing. I’ve followed British DIY punk closely for maybe 20 years by means of attending and promoting gigs, buying and reviewing records. Had I written this book myself, or chosen its content, it would have an almost entirely different lineup. The takeaway, for me, is that the ‘UK punk scene’ circa 2020 is in fact a plurality of scenes, which in many cases have little to no interaction with one another. As such, my differing viewpoint isn’t a criticism – plus, if you think you can do better, do it yourself and all.
What does push my credulity to breaking point is that the overwhelming majority of acts selected feature people who’ve played in bands since the early 90s, or sometimes a decade more. A reader approaching this with a blank slate is asked to believe that contemporary domestic punk is at its most vital in the hands of the middle-aged. As much as I like some of the profiled groups of this vintage – Endless Grinning Skulls, Violent Arrest, The Wankys – and dislike the cliché of the genre as a plaything of the young and naïve, this strikes me as an overcorrection.
It probably also explains why the interviews, which all follow the same essential template, feature every band’s opinion on Rebellion (an annual punk festival heavy on veteran or reunited acts), even when they clearly don’t care much either way. Similarly, I understand why histories are potted so exhaustively, with no rehearsal-room incarnation left unmentioned, but it can feel more for the bands’ benefit than the reader’s. Being afforded space to say their piece does ensure that most interviewees come across as thoroughly decent and passionate, doing this with the zeal of lifers for a pittance or less, and I really appreciated Glasper’s efforts to feature bands from outside the major UK cities – in certain cases some real one-horse towns. Even someone buying this to see themselves or their mates in it should end up learning/hearing something new, and as much as I’d advise against treating The Scene… as all-encompassing, getting this stuff into print constitutes a public service.
Price: £14.99. Info: here
words NOEL GARDNER