Shot From Both Sides is based around the live gig photography of Paul May, a punk from Grays, Essex, in the UK. In the 80s, Paul took hundreds of photos of punks, and punk bands, documented the gigs he saw, ran a tape label, and did the cult punk fanzine Final Curtain. Ordered chronologically, Shot From Both Sides sets the tone for each year from 1981 to 1986 with a recap of important historic and political events, notable records, tapes, and fanzines that were released. Each section of photos culminates with personal memoirs from a diverse mixture of figures and band members giving context to the photos, gigs, the era, and spilling forth some great stories that you wont likely get elsewhere, and features a selection of relevant ephemera and additional photos, from unseen Nick Blinko sketches to flyers, ticket stubs, and set lists of bands large and small.
What emanated out of Pauls zine in the 80s was a limitless amount of youthful enthusiasm. Someone who wanted not only to be there and participate, but to share what he loved with as many people as possible, someone who was less concerned with trends, and just as excited about the newest unknown band who just done their first gig, to the newest record by an established band. Its completely unsurprising to me that Paul is still at gigs, still buying records, still taking photos, and still sharing and participating in the DIY punk community. The manner in which this book is compiled does a great job at showing that same enthusiasm, and gives a rare view into what it was like to live through the punk scene in the UK at the time.
Pauls documentation ranges from early punk rock bands like Anti Nowhere League, and the Adicts, to skinhead bands like Blitz and Major Accident, hardcore punks Discharge and Broken Bones, UK82 like Chaos UK and Disorder, American hardcore bands Black Flag and Hόsker Dό, Anarcho punks Crass and Rudimentary Peni, foreign hardcore bands like Rattus, Wretched, and Anti-Cimex, to more metal tinted bands like Onslaught, Sacrilege and English Dogs. Getting a full range of punk as it evolved, and a chronologic presentation is fascinating for anyone wanting to clearly see the evolution in sound and fashion styles as punk tread deeper into the 80s.
Shot From Both Sides greatest strength is that is manages to continue in the tradition and enthusiasm of Pauls fanzine, by appointing both importance and space to punks, friends, and lesser known bands. Pieces of history often lost with other modern documentations of punk which choose to focus on coverage of names that will sell books. Pauls photography continually gets better as the years, and book progress, showing both the evolution of the artist as a photographer, and highlighting the importance of punk empowering anyone of any skill level to participate. Punk wasnt just about the bands and big names, it was the movement that sought to tore down the barrier between the performer and the audience, placing an equal level of importance on everyone in the community, and all of the participants that made punk possible. At last, a book that truly understands that.
Bands featured: Actus Reus Adicts Ad-Nauseam Amebix Angelic Upstarts Annihilated Anthrax Anti-Cimex Anti-Nowhere League Antisect Anti System A.O.A. Assassins of Hope Atavistic A.W.O.L. A.Y.S. Bad Beach Bad Brains Bad Dress Sense Black Flag Blitz Breaknecks Broken Bones Butcher Chaos Chaos U.K. Charge Chron Gen Chronic Commited Concrete Sox Conflict Crass Criminal Sex Crucifix The Cult Maniax Dead Wretched Depraved Destructors Deviated Instinct Devoid Dirge D.I.R.T. Discharge Disorder D.O.A. Drongos For Europe D & V Eat Shit English Dogs Epidemic Erazerhead Existenz Extreme Noise Terror The Fits Flux Of Pink Indians G.B.H. Generic Genocide Association The Genocides Girlschool Government Issue Hagar The Womb Head Of David Hells Belles Heresy Hόsker Dό Icon A.D. Iconoclasts Icons Of Filth Impact Insane and Aborted Kobra Kronstadt Uprising The Legion Of Parasites Leukaemia Ligotage Lita Ford Major Accident Marionette Mau Maus Menstrual Cycles Metallica Miracle Babies Napalm Death Nig Heist Oi Polloi One Way System Onslaught Part 1 The Partisans Phallic Symbols Picture Frame Seduction Potential Threat Rabid Radical Elite Rattus Riot/Clone Ripcord Rock Goddess Rubella Ballet Rudimentary Peni Sacrilege The Samples Scream Screaming Dead Sears The Seats Of Piss The Skeptix Skum Dribblurz Soldiers Of Destruction Special Duties Stagnant Era State Victims Stigma Street Walkin' Creatures Stupids Subhumans Toxic Reasons U.K. Subs Van Damme The Varukers Vice Squad Warlock Wrathchild Wretched Youth Brigade
Written contributions by: Andy | Stagnant Era Barry | Ad-Nauseam Baz | Ripcord Beano | Asylum Carol | Devoid Charlie Claesson | Anti-Cimex Cian | The Legion of Parasites Con and Paul Larkin | Major Accident Dave | Butcher Dave | Head of David Dave Evans | The Samples Dave Fergusson | Stress Dave Floyd | Riot/Clone David | Existenz David | One Way System David Sardy | Radical Elite Daz | The Commited Dean and Nick | Rabid Debbie | Dirge Deek | Oi Polloi Dig | Genocide Association Ed Wenn | Bad Dress Sense Eno | Lama Fabietto | Wretched Fausto Ortenzi aka Frog | Chaos Gizz Butt | The Destructors Glib | Dirge Grant | Rudimentary Peni Henry Rollins | Black Flag Ian MacKaye | Minor Threat Iconoclasts Icons of Filth J Robbins | Government Issue JJ | Toxic Reasons John Dryland | Cargo Records Justin | Napalm Death Kalv | Heresy Kaos | Chaos U.K. Keith Haynes | Picture Frame Seduction Lee | Depraved Levs | Mau Maus Luca Colombo | Kobra Mackie | Blitz Michelle Harding | sister of Dead Wretched guitarist Paul Bazz Harding. Mick Lugworm Mid | Deviated Instinct Mo | Onslaught Napoleon | Eat Shit Neal Tait | Street Walkin Creatures Nick Jardine | The Sears Nick Norris | Bad Dress Sense Oddy | Broken Bones Pat | Epidemic Paul Condon | Bad Dress Sense Paul Condon | Breaknecks Peat Protest | Assassins of Hope Pete | Antisect Pig Killer | ENT Rich | Soldiers of Destruction Richard Copcutt | Soldiers Of Destruction Sam Bignall | Screaming Dead Scott | A.O.A. Si Cobb | Anihilated Sned | Generic Stig C. Miller | Amebix Taf | Disorder Tam | Sacrilege Tim | Skum Dribbluurrrzzzz Tom Withers aka Tommy Stupid | Stupids Tommy | Drongos for Europe Tony Burman | Miracle Babies Vincent G Learoyd (Vomit) | D.I.R.T. Vom Ritchie | Miracle Babies Zillah Minx | Rubella Ballet.
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