Punk Off – The Sounds of Punk & New Wave
Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
February 6th 2025
Ed Walton steps into the raw energy of punk and new wave, reviewing a dynamic new musical that brings the era’s rebellious spirit to life. Starring Kevin Kennedy (Coronation Street’s Curly Watts), this electrifying production pulses with music, mayhem, and nostalgia.
When it comes to venues in Manchester hosting punk shows, you think of places like Rebellion, Gorilla, The Deaf Institute and of course, The Lesser Free Trade Hall (the one everyone claimed to have been there). However, on a freezing February night, Manchester hosts a performance of a show not usually associated with that of the historic venue. The show sees an audience full of people clad in the classic punk garb of their youth. Leather jackets, t-shirts of all types of punk bands, mohawks, and skinheads (a style that may be now brought on by the ravages of time rather than choice). The irony about seeing a punk show in a venue that normally hosts orchestral shows isn’t amiss, but what was ahead for myself and the rest of the audience was a tour de force detailing one of the most pivotal music scenes in music history, narrated wonderfully by that of Kevin Kennedy (Curly Watts from Corrie).
Beforehand I was wondering how the show was going to play out. Would it be vignettes detailing pivotal moments from punk history or a straight-up musical? The answer lies somewhere in between. Punk Off works as more of a covers night with Kennedy stepping in between songs with a warm and delightful demeanour as he takes through the annals of punk history.
Opening on the wonderful Anarchy In The UK, the audience were instantly hooked, standing up and pumping their fist along to the music which felt like a salute to their youth. What this show expertly did was weave as many infamous punk songs throughout its narrative in the first half. With a minimal backdrop detailing Camden Lock setting the scene. We were soon taken on a musical journey.
The show itself captured perfectly the mundanity of life back in the mid-70s, aiming for the political climate and musical industry at the time which was taken over by silly prog bands at the time (the show’s words, not mine). A concern for me beforehand was how they’d cram so much into a short run time. Whilst there wasn’t much on stage, they were able to achieve this through the use of changing fashion. Detailing how punk wasn’t just about music but also about fashion, showing how Malcolm Mclaren and Vivian Westwoods shop, SEX helped to give people an identity. An identity made mostly of leather and t-shirts with lewd slogans. This combined with The Sex Pistols just showed how pivotal both were, acting as a launchpad for the punk scene in the UK, both being a gunshot to not only the music industry but fashion also. All of this was done in a smooth and well thought out manner, nothing ever felt shoehorned in or like was out of place and kept you hooked at all times.
Any moment in punk history you can think of featured in the narrative from the famous Bill Grundy interview, the emergence of Siouxsie Sue and yes, THAT show by The Sex Pistols were all expertly told by Kennedy who looked like he was having the time of his life each time he came on stage. Whilst Kennedy himself kept us entertained with his monologues and stories throughout, it was the band and dancers who indeed brought the show to life. Neither of them missed a beat and kept your focus on them whenever they were on stage.
The band made up of Phil Sherlock (Bass), Ric Yarborough (drummer/vocalist) and Adam Evans (lead guitar/vocals) were an exceptional trio who blasted through a night of covers from the likes of The Clash, Ramones, Buzzcocks, Sham 69, The Skids, Blondie and Joy Division to name but a few. They were tight, concise and sounded like the bands they were all covering, the trio were a true testament to each song that was played where at times you’d have been forgiven for mistaking them for the real thing, particularly when it came to The Sex Pistols and their cover of Pretty Vacant brought the first half of the show to a close which unfortunately saw the more interesting part of the evening come to an end.
The second half saw a huge shift in tone that showed us a change in musical style as it represented the introduction of the New Wave era of music. There were still moments that throwback to the punk era as Kevin Kennedy delivered a monologue that lamented what punk had become. From grubby and chaotic to a more sophisticated sound that had melodies that started to go to places like Once In A Lifetime by The Talking Heads. We were treated to songs from the likes of Elvis Costello and The Blockheads which were indeed fun but lacked the oomph of the punk section that came in the first half. Perhaps this is just my personal feelings about this kind of music, as I struggled to keep attention with the slower songs compared to the raucous nature of the first half. What this half did have going for it is that it was more striking visually, and the costumes were much more interesting to look at with catsuits and tweed outfits that still look good to this day. After a lull in the music, tunes from the likes of Blondie, Buzzcocks and Joy Division can maintain interest as they represent a perfect combination of how both Punk and New Wave can co-exist to create more interesting styles of songs.
When the performance comes to an end, a nice speech from Kennedy highlights how punk can never go away, it’s always going to be passed onto each generation who will have their icons in the genre and how we can always keep the spirit alive and thriving to this day. It was quite the emotional and tender moment that packed a punch and spoke to those in the crowd who still carry the torch for the punk rock spirit who were cheering along with what was being said. The show ended with its head held high as we were all told that both Punk and New Wave aren’t just about the music, but a mindset and a declaration of independence before ending on a wonderful cover of a cover, The Sex Pistols version of My Way by Frank Sinatra which had the whole crowd on their feet and singing along before the closing encore of God Save The Queen and 2, 4, 6 8 Motorway almost saw the beginnings of a mosh pit as Kevin Kennedy left the stage with a grin on his face, flicking the audience the V to enormous cheers.
For a casual music fan, Punk Off is a glorified cover night, but to those in the audience who grew up in the era, it is a love letter to a pivotal and vital moment that changed the British music scene and continues to have those effects these days. I didn’t think the show would affect me as emotionally as it did, mostly with the punk songs and how the current political climate we are going through and have experienced in recent years echo that of what was the backdrop when punk first came about. Whilst the show itself isn’t perfect, the message from the songs throughout will have you leaving with a fire lit within you which is a true testament to punk itself as it shows that whilst it can sometimes fall into obscurity, it can never truly die and the true power of music truly can change the world.
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A few shows remaining, tickets here:
Words by Ed Walton
Production photos provided by Emma Wall (Chlo nelkinconsulting.com) – credit to Stephen Niblett
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