DEPARTMENT S: THE BLACKPOOL AFFAIR, FRIDAY 6/8/2010

And so, once again the tribes gather for their annual stick of Blackpool Punk Rock at the essential Rebellion Festival. But this year, amongst the rockers, skankers, moshers and voyeurs, something altogether different: Department S. (Queue massed cries of ‘Is Vic There?’ from hordes of those barely familiar or as yet unacquainted with anything but this band’s singular cross-over hit.)

A History Lesson.

In the late 1970’s Punk came and conquered, but by the early ‘80’s the media became bored and said it was dead. Admittedly it had lost some momentum (and an awful lot of temporary friends, half-assed followers and ‘poseurs’) as much of the youth did what was expected: That is, they grew up and ‘got a proper job’, married, had kids and joined the ranks of the subdued.

In the wake of this, a new term was coined: Post-Punk. Whatever that’s supposed to mean. An all-encompassing term for those who had grown up on punk and its’ forbears and had more to say than ‘Destroy’ and more to play than 1-2-3-4 thrash (nice as those things may be).

Out of Rusty Egan and Steve Harrington’s ‘Billy’s’ club in Soho and the burgeoning New Mod scene came a new breed not satisfied with simply adhering to any punk leather studded uniform. These scenes produced new bands influenced, not only by the spirit and power of punk, but by The Who, Small Faces, Bowie, Reed, Kraftwerk and Eurodisco. For them it was time to smarten up and get sharp.

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