York punks to reunite for special gig celebrating genre’s golden era
Some of the bands will be reuniting at the York Vaults, in Nunnery Lane, on Saturday, July 27, from 4pm for the first time since the 1970s to raise cash for local causes in the city.
The annual Punk York event is the third of its kind.
This year’s gig will include performances from The Issue (reforming for the first time since the late 70s), Surf Sluts and Clash City Rockers.
It will raise money for free recording and rehearsal slots in York which organiser Sean Parkin hopes will encourage the next generation of musicians in the city.
Punk York started in 2022 to showcase photographs of York’s punk scene in the 1970s by Nev Astley but has now proven itself to be a force for good, selling out for the past two years and raising around £12,000 for charity.
Images of 1970s punk scene were ‘in danger of never being seen’
Sean said Nev’s images were “in danger of never being seen, which would have been such a shame”.
“The events at the Vaults have been an absolute pleasure because it enables lots of old friends to re connect and enjoy a few hours of the music they love and to celebrate an exciting period in all our lives,” he explained.
“The icing on the cake is how much money we’ve raised for charity.”
On show at the Vaults will be black and white images of the punk scene which have been colourised for the first time.
There will be a limited edition 20-track compilation CD on sale for £10 featuring some of York’s finest bands from the 1977 until the early 1980s.
It includes previously unreleased tracks by new wave band Sema 4, plus punk fan favourites The Jermz, The Jerks, The Shove and Cyanide.
The album also features bands that emerged with different styles and sounds in the early 80s including The Pullovers, The Sirens, Dada and The Mood.
As The Press reported, an unreleased Cyanide album went on sale at last year’s Punk York event.
The punk band, which was well-known in York, played in the city at a time when big names like the Jam were passing through.
Recommended reading:
In 1979 Cyanide recorded an album, but it was never released.
Decades later the album – named 1979 as a nod to when it was recorded – was remastered by much-loved York musician Don Jackson before his death in May aged 58 due to complications during treatment for cancer.
