Post-Punk is one of my favorite genres of all time and, if you ask me, without them there would be no Gothic Rock or Dark Wave. I strongly believe that a band like Joy Division, formed as far back as 1976 with a record such as Unknown Pleasures that came out in 1979 and a legend such as Ian Curtis´ who committed suicide age 23 because of a love affair can´t be overlooked. In fact, the main reason why New Order became such a great hit and open the door for many of the synth wave bands of the era is because of Peter Hook, former bass player of Joy Division.
Joy Division And Post Punk
The flagship band of post-punk and one of my favorites of all times is Joy Division, but why did it leave such a profound mark in the history of music with only two records and just a handful of years of activity? Because it took the best of both worlds: the DIY attitude and idea from the traditional Punk scene dominated by bands like the Sex Pistols and the noir, more classy elements from the Manchester scene that were just appearing at the time. They also took some of the dirt out of the songs and made more refined, lyric-driven music that is just amazing and influenced a large portion of musicians that came after them.
Some contemporaries to them that are a must to be checked out if you are not familiar with are The Fall, also from 1976 and also from Manchester. We sadly lost Mark E. Smith this year, but the eighties records like “Perverted By Language”, “Bend Sinister” and “This Nation´s Saving Grace” are absolutely mind-blowing. The Sex Pistol´s singer cooler band called Public Image Limited (PIL) is another great one to check out. They are still playing and touring, so if you are lucky you can see the big-belly version of John Lydon (also known as Johnny Rotten). For those who are willing to experiment something a little more out-there, I strongly recommend checking out Cabaret Voltaire. All their records, all their eras, all their approaches to music have been grandiloquent and have set the foundations for many bands to come. They were part of the Dada movement, performance art, looping tape machines, dance, new wave, post punk; everything they did they were great at and completely fearless.
Where To Find Post-Punk Online?
To find these bands, their legacy and the bands that came after them, the best places to go are the following:
Post-Punk.com
Yes, there is a website that is called straight like that: Post-Punk.com and is a website entirely dedicated to all news related with post punk bands, scene, music, fashion, etc. if you want to know which are the bands of the moment in the genre, you should definitely go there really often. I am passionate about music, but not so young anymore and lately I got a little nostalgic about my vinyl, my wild years and the bands I used to love growing up, so I am listening to that more than anything else. That being said, I go to the site often and try new stuff or borrow names to look for in Spotify.
Indie Underground
As the name states, this site is for all things indie. If you like to know that band that will make it into the charts next before any of your friends does, check out their news feed often, since they have a pretty clinic eye when it comes to selecting bands.
