A Country Fit for Heroes: Ian Glasper's DIY British '80s Punk
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Earth Island Books – Get it now
Ian Glasper's latest history of British punk bands delves into some lesser-known bands from the 1980s – all local heroes – providing a deeper context that complements his previous work, says Nathan Brown.
Ian Glasper is a widely published author on the subject of UK punk with an ever-growing series of books. He may not have the most books, but he has covered the most bands in this cultural phenomenon. He turns over rocks and digs beneath the easily accessible surface to understand the scene and its participants from a punk perspective. It is no exaggeration to say that he is the writer with the most thorough research. As a result, “Glasper” has become a colloquialism in itself.
Ian wrote Burning Britain in 2004, covering the UK punk scene from 1980 to 1984 with a focus on bands such as GBH, Discharge, The Exploited, Blitz and Vice Squad. Two years later he followed it up with The Day The Country Died, which covered the same period but explored the UK anarcho-punk scene from Antisect to Zounds. In 2009 he published Trapped In A Scene, tracing the development of UK hardcore punk from 1985 to 1989. Armed With Anger, subtitled How UK Punk Survived The Nineties, was published in 2012 as his fourth and final book.
But it wasn't the final piece of the jigsaw. In 2020, the fifth volume, The Scene That Would Not Die, was published, outlining some of the bands from the first two decades of this century who kept punk rock alive, 40 years after music journalists declared it dead. In his preface to A Country Fit For Heroes, he writes:
“Punk isn't dead. If you think it is, it's because punk is dead to you. Punk is immutable, and just because your trajectory no longer aligns with punk doesn't mean it doesn't exist… Search the back rooms of pubs in Bristol, Sunderland, Manchester, South East London, Abbatilleri, Stamford and you'll find them full of young people going to hear politically charged bands… And who could argue that the scene isn't in safe hands?”
Ian has written on other subjects as well, but it's his punk-focused writing that's of interest for this review, so it would be sinful not to mention in passing his exhaustive history of the Subhumans, published last year.
He said in The Scene That Would Not Die that it would be the last book of its kind (seriously, Gab), and his statement was made with honest intent, like so many aging punk bands' farewell tours. The itch needed to be scratched, and he's done it again with this excellent work. I'm glad he did. The stories of over 140 of the lesser known punk bands of the '80s are told.
Ian's original plan was to feature bands who only made demos and never made it onto vinyl. The idea was broadened to include bands who appeared on compilation albums, and then broadened a bit further to include bands who self-released EPs. It's only natural that the book takes its name from a wonderfully raw and bleak compilation album released in 1982 by No Future Records, which featured many bands' first vinyl releases.
The resulting overview is fascinating because it tells the hidden story of punk – the stories of the kids from the streets and far-flung towns who never made it into the pages of Sounds or the NME. Punk was much more than the big name bands that had recording success. Ian understands how much some of these bands meant to local people, developing fanbases and becoming central to movements and scenes, inspiring others to form bands themselves.
Because there is so much to get through, I prefer to read it bit by bit, rather than all at once, but this is down to personal preference – you'll probably get just as good reading from start to finish, or picking out one geographical chapter at a time.
Depending on where you grew up and who you knew, you'll read this book differently. I immediately read up on Weymouth's Dead Popstars, a local legendary band and the first band I ever saw live. I then checked out Mad Are Sane, another popular band from Dorset. I'd never seen them play but their demos were core listens so I'd become familiar with them.
The legendary band Totton Chaos Merchants Suburban Filth were my next stop. I'd been playing covers of their songs long before I'd moved to Southampton (a small suburb of Totton, the center of the universe) and become friends with the drummer Rat. Then there's Knox Mortis, another legendary band from Southampton whose guitarist I've known for years. There are other bands I know from way back when, like Stone the Crows and The Excritas. It was also interesting to read about Karma Sutra, Revelation, Potential Threat, Oral Corpse, and others. These are bands that were really featured in Ian's early work but were hard to find back then. The list goes on.
Not only did this book give me backstories on bands I already knew about, but it also became a gateway to discovering many more bands. I was pleasantly surprised to learn about bands my peers were in years before we met, such as Disarm from the South Wales Valleys. Ian does his best to provide links to sources of their audio work so that readers can find out more about bands that really resonate with them. Paul Mahoney has also curated a YouTube video series that complements the book.
“In addition to focusing on bands that may have remained local to locals, the overall effect shows that punk was happening all across these islands, not just in the big cities. Each band is accompanied by great photos of many of the bands, complete with studded jackets, mohawks and spiked tops. They provide context and remind the reader of a time when punk rock identity was risky, but also how camaraderie on the street could lead to long-lasting friendships with total strangers.”
Ian's style makes all his books accessible and enjoyable to read. As a punk himself, he writes from the inside, not as a scoop-seeking journalist. He experienced punk himself (and still does), so he has empathy. Glasper is a “bona fide” writer, but his writings on punk are a kind of citizen journalism by punks, for punks, and they have a lot of credibility.
He keeps the conversation lively and prevents it from becoming monotonous, even if some of the stories have similarities. The fact that many of the bands didn't own instruments or know how to play or tune them is a truth of the DIY ethos that still drives punk rock today. Of course, this is helped by the amusing troubles his interviewees get into. It's like you're in the room witnessing the interviews.
You might pick up this book to learn more about the roots of your local punk scene (or laugh at a story you remember), or to fill in some gaps in your geek-level knowledge of obscure '80s punk bands, but as you read on, you'll realize the depth of the DIY punk culture that thrived in the 1980s. While you might not be able to go down the pub with every member of these bands, this is the best way to get a feel for what was really going on in punk during Thatcher's dark days outside the music press bubble. An essential addition to any punk bookshelf.
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Available from Earth Island
ISBN 9781916864245 Paperback | 9781916864252 E-Book
Writing by Nathan Brown. You can find his Louder Than War author archive here.
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