Last of the mohicans?

Jun 2 2002 By The Sunday Sun

When singer Pauline Murray saw a relatively unknown band called The Sex Pistols perform in a garage in North Yorkshire in 1976, she knew she was witnessing a musical revolution.

The sheer energy of the group, combined with the fact that they didn't care about image, blew her away. The gig was the catalyst for Pauline's own punk-rock aspirations, and a year later she started her own band, Penetration.

During the group's short life they performed on the same bill as some of the country's best-known groups, including The Buzzcocks, Generation X and The Stranglers.

"The punk era was about people trying to tell things as they were without the sugar coating. It was very liberating," said Pauline, from County Durham.

"When we went to see The Sex Pistols we thought they were funny. They were more exciting than shocking because vocally they were doing things that had never been heard before . . . they shook the foundations of music.

"It was the look of them, the general attitude that bothered people, but they didn't care what people thought about them and that's what counted.

"They showed that anyone could do it and that you didn't need to look glamorous. You weren't under any pressure to conform to the stereotype of a band.

"They were a London-based band around the time of the Silver Jubilee.

"It was high-profile stuff and they knew that their anti-Royal songs were going to get up people's noses."

Penetration made their mark too . . . even today their best-known song, Don't Dictate, gets played on the radio.

The group toured the UK, Italy, America and Canada, releasing five singles and two albums, before they split in 1979.

Pauline went on to forge a solo career during the 1980s before the group re-formed two years ago with three of the original members.

Ever since then they have been playing at venues across the UK.

Pauline, who also runs her own Newcastle-based recording studio, added: "Today a lot of young people are not against the Royal Family and a lot of the older generation have died, so it has just become diluted.

"We weren't really thinking about the monarchy. We were just young and having a good time.

"We weren't trying to make a particular statement. It was more about the general environment.

"I was from a very small pit village in County Durham when the mines were closing and nobody gave a damn about it, and our songs reflected that.

"These days a lot of music comes straight from the record companies and the street does not get to show itself.

"A lot of people don't bother doing it any more because they know they are not being listened to."

The Angelic Upstarts, another punk band from the North, courted controversy by kicking a pig's head - wearing a police helmet - around the stage during their gigs.

Their first single, The Murder of Liddle Towers, was about the death of a man while he was being held in police custody in Chester-le-Street, County Durham.

It was banned by nearly every radio station in the country on its release in 1978.

The group's lead singer Tommy "Mensi" Mensforth, said: "The lyrics of our early songs were anti-establishment and evolved from there. It was a total working-class thing.

"Some bands around at the same time, such as The Clash - who were my heroes - did not like us because we were what they were pretending to be.

"I didn't pen anything particularly about the Royal Family . . . they were just figureheads.

"It was about the whole class, not just one family. I thought the whole world hated me and I wanted to hate them.

"At one point we toured in America, but I absolutely hated it.

"There were kids pulling up to gigs in Cadillacs. They would have a safety pin in and think they were a punk rocker.

"It was then that I knew we were wasting our time. They didn't have a clue what we were talking about."

Mensi, now 45 and living in Sunderland, is the only original member still in The Angelic Upstarts.

Of the other three, one joined another band, another become an insurance salesman and the third is now an electrician.

The Upstarts have just released a new album and are about to go on a European tour taking in Barcelona, Dublin, the Czech Republic . . . and Hartlepool.

Mensi said: "In all the years the band has been going I have never said I wanted to quit, but it is only the support of my family that has allowed me to carry on.

"The atmosphere and danger is still there at the gigs and we still have a laugh, although they are now very well policed because of problems I have had in the past from right-wing groups.

"I heard about The Sex Pistols re-releasing God Save the Queen, but I don't know how well it will do.

"It's a good record, but I don't think there is as much feeling these days as there was back then.

"People just accept the Royal Family now. These days they don't give a toss one way or the other."

The history

Punk made its mark in the late 70s, but 25 years later the music still lives on.

From early influences such as The Clash, The Damned and Generation X to modern day bands like Green Day, The Offspring and Blink 182, punk has had a massive impact on several generations of music fans.

THIS fact is reflected in a poll of readers of Kerrang! magazine and their nominations for the top 20 greatest punk albums of all time, which are listed on the right.

Kids show new wave of interest

Music shop boss Ronnie Russell believes that punk is alive and well in the North.

Ronnie, pictured below, manager of the Newcastle record shop Steel Wheels 2, says children as young as EIGHT are still buying classic tracks by bands such as The Clash, The Damned and Siouxsie and the Banshees.

And the shop's copy of The Sex Pistols infamous album, Never Mind the Bollocks - signed by former Pistols bass player Glen Matlock - has also attracted a lot of attention from punk collectors.

Ronnie, 51, said: "I get young children buying the records because their parents enjoyed it. Kids know what they want and the demand is still there.

"When I was in my 20s I was into all the new-wave punk bands such as The Buzzcocks, The Jam and, of course, The Sex Pistols. It was all about going back to the basics of indie music.

"There was a huge explosion, partly due to the fact that at the time Britain was jobless. There was just nothing.

"They were non-conformists. It was like a breath of fresh air and it made people sit up and take notice.

"I used to use a combination of water and sugar in my hair to make it stick up, and the dress code was outrageous.

"One of the lasses I used to knock around with used to carry a kettle around as a handbag, and we all used to wear plastic shoes. It was just about being different.

"I think these days less people care about the monarchy because of what has happened in recent years with all the divorces and the death of Diana.

"I'm not particularly anti-Royal, but then I'm not a supporter of the Royal Family either. I couldn't care less either way.

"To be honest I would rather be working over the Golden Jubilee weekend."