The story of the 1970s UK punk scene
This 25 minute documentary captured the essence of the British 1970s punk movement and was featured in the Punk: Rage & Revolution exhibition. The interviewees, mostly from Leicester, discuss what punk meant to them and how it influenced, and continues to influence, their lives. The interviews were recorded between May 2022 and April 2023 and were filmed by Arch Creative with most of the questions asked by members of the exhibition team’s young curators group. The editing was carried out by a young person from Soft Touch Arts, and featured archive footage which was licenced to us by the BBC.
The documentary tells the story of the UK and Leicester punk scene through the eyes of those that were there. Alongside origins and influences, the interviewees discuss punk’s ideology, attitude, fashion, music, art and legacy, offering a unique personal insight into this incredible youth subculture. The documentary, which was one of the most popular features of the exhibition, helped bring to life the incredible story of punk and how, for a short period of time, it changed the course of the national psyche.
“Punk was a quick blast, but I guess that was the beauty of it. It was never meant to last, and although it was as fast as its three minute songs, the legend and legacy of punk is still relevant today.” Stephane Raynor