The Leeds Sound: 1979-1984

I would first and foremost like to thank my dissertation mentor, David Bell. Without David, I would

not have been able to take such joy and interest in conducting research for this project, nor would I

have found a fantastic new interest in Post-punk. He has been inspirational, positive and

consistently encouraging. I am so grateful for his continual personal and academic support and

advice.

I am also so lucky to have a mother whose eyes never miss a semi-colon out of place, nor an

unwarranted possessive apostrophe within an its. Thank you; Mum, for having the eyes of a hawk.

Thank you to Natalie, for understanding and support.

I finally like to thank Hannah, for changing all my perceptions and helping me know what to do.

Punk kicked off in 1976, after Johnny Rotten walked into Malcom McLarens SEX shop wearing

a t-shirt saying I hate Pink Floyd. It died about three years later, along with the Sex Pistols.

What followed was a change in the way political awareness was executed through music, as the

Post-punk movement took inspiration from its predecessors and succeeded in effectively

targeting mainstream audiences with its values, morals and overall agenda. In Leeds, a small but

perfectly formed scene kicked off, with bands such as Gang of Four, Delta 5 and The Mekons

championing Post-punk politics, firstly to loyal Yorkshire fans and then on an international scale.

Nevertheless, the Leeds faction is relatively unknown in comparison to that of its Manchester

counterpart. In this paper I ask how and why the town of Leeds produced the very distinct Post-

punk sound that it did, looking in particular at the bands mentioned above within the years of

1979 - 1984. I question the effectiveness of subcultural movements in shaping identities of place

and vice versa - looking at how landscape and environments, politics and culture, produce

particular or individual music scenes. Using first hand anecdotes and opinions of band members

at the vanguard of the Leeds Post-punk scene, I conduct an in depth analysis of the space, place

and sound interrelationship, (featuring a fantastic interactive video soundtrack).

Play as you go along.

Keywords: Post-punk, Leeds, Subculture, Manchester, Place-making, Identity, Space, Politics.

1

Acknowledgements.

Abstract

Contents 1

Table of Figures...... 2

Introduction: A night at the Brudenell. 3

Placing sound in space. 7

Aims and Objectives....... 10

Background to Britain.... 12

Part 1: Punk before Post-punk.. 16

Pare 2: The Leeds Faction 1979 - 1984.. 20

Part 3: Manchester - a case study... 24

Part 4: Space, place and sound... 28

Back to the Brudenell...30

The intro chat....31

What about the politics?..33

Question time.....36

Nostalgia.... 41

Concluding thoughts: So what? .; 43

Bibliography.. 47

Appendix

2

Figure 1: The Panel.

Figure 2: Me and my notebook.

Figure 3: Chumbawumba - Tubthumping.

Figure 4: The Shapes - Wots for lunch mum (not beans again!).

Figure 5: Gang of Four - Outside the trains dont run on time.

Figure 6: The English Beat - Stand down Margaret (dub).

Figure 7: Margaret Thatcher talking on Miners Strikes.

Figure 8: Sex Pistols interview with Bill Grundy.

Figure 9: Gang of Four on the NME front cover 1980.

Figure 10: Gang of Four - To hell with poverty (live).

Figure 11: Delta 5 - Mind your own business.

Figure 12: Joy Division - Shadowplay.

Figure 13: The Negatives - Bradford.

Figure 14: Dr Feelgood - Roxette.

3

Its 2.50 to get in. Were given a bingo ticket along with our stamp. I get a Crabbies ginger beer,

with a pint of ice and some nuts. Ive brought my friend Steph and my (cool) friend called

Cameron along. We sit down at the front. I get my notes out, a biro and my purple notepad. On

stage there is a wide, old, dark brown, battered leather sofa seating three men, each with a

distinctly different appearance. There are another three chairs on the end for the remaining three

men and each is handed a beer by a member of the bar staff.

These guys have lived. You can see it on their faces. Kelvin Knight, Delta 5s drummer, who sits

on the far left of the sofa, has, concealed underneath his heavy leather biker jacket, something

resembling kwashiorkor. Next to him sits Tony Wolgarh, gig goer and ex-journalist for the

alternative Leeds Other newspaper sits quietly cooped up, nervously scoping out the room -

perhaps in fact very excited and keeping it under wraps. Right of him, John Keenan, Leeds

biggest promoter of the post-punk epoch (figuratively and now literally; we are in December and

Cameron makes a joke that weve come to Santas grotto by accident). On the first chair, Mark

Wilson, lead singer of tongue in cheek rockabilly band Pink Peg Slax; dapper, bow-tied and doc

Martend. On his right, Paul Grape Gregory, lead singer of The Expellaires. Last but certainly

not least, sits Steve Goulding, drummer of The Mekons, looking like a Kentish commuter in a suit.

This is the panel.

4

Figure 1: A diagram to show members of the panel. (Left to Right; Kelvin Knight (Delta 5 Drummer),

Tony Wolgarh (gig goer and journalist for the Leeds Other paper), John Keenan (Promoter), Mark Wilson

(Pink Peg Slax), Paul Grape Gregory (The Expellairs lead singer) and Steve Goulding (Drummer of The

Mekons). Taken by self.

Ignore first impressions; all the coolest punks get old someday. Before us were not just any old

men. Some thirty years ago, they were Leeds coolest kids. A short film is played to set the

scene, featuring clips from a BBC4 documentary titled Punk Britannia, wherein the Post-Punk

movement is discussed by its pioneers, featuring Mark E. Smith, Joy Division band mates and the

Gang of Four clan.

The host asks the panel one by one to introduce themselves and follows up with his first question.

What influenced the beginning of playing in bands?, and so the discussion begins.

Kelvin Knight casually tells tales of hanging out with The Clash and letting Kurt Kobain sleep on

his sofa. John Keenan reels off lists of bands hes put on stage: Joy Division, Echo and the

Bunnymen, U2, Nirvana, The Police, Radiohead, Blur, Muse, The Stranglers, The Specials, Black

Uhuru, B52s Its enough to rival a decade of Glastonbury line-ups. As the conversation

develops throughout the night, and endless stories and questions are thrown across stage, I cannot

stop scribbling. I am writing so furiously that after part 1 of the event, Steph and Cameron make

their excuses and leave.

5

Figure 2: My notebook and me at the event. Taken by Steph.

Prior to beginning this research, I had not heard of any of the bands involved with the Post-Punk

scene in Leeds. When I tell fellow student comrades of my dissertation topic, they too are

bemused and bewildered, having never heard of these musicians before. Not even my parents

recognised their names. In fact, only one friend had heard of Gang of Four and he is in a band.

Initially I was clueless about which topic to study for my dissertation after plans to explore festival

culture failed to come into fruition. It was when I went to see a play in October 2013 at the West

Yorkshire Playhouse called My Generation, that I knew. Set in Leeds, the play explores the

social, cultural and political shifts occurring at intermittent periods of time: 1979, 1984, 1991 and

2013. Written by Chumbawumbas lead singer, Alice Nutter, the topics delved into within the first

half of the play included the punk and squatter scenes of the late 70s, radical feminism, the

Yorkshire Ripper, Thatcherism and the Miners Strikes. I left the play feeling inspired, intrigued

and keen to examine these events in Leeds history in further detail.

I had plans to use the play as a framework through which to explore these geographies until I put

the Chumbawumba Tubthumping equation togetherNevertheless, coming to Leeds University

was driven by a fascination with the North and an honest appreciation of what Katie Milestone

6

refers to as Northernness (Milestone, 1996; 2008). It seemed both apt and fitting to investigate a

relatively under-researched period within the scope of geographic academia; and more

particularly, to focus upon one of its primary features - the music scene.

Figure 3: Chumbawumba - Tubthumping.

7

The relationship between space, place and sound is documented in detail amongst a small pool of

academic researchers within human geography. The body of research I will be contributing to is

not strictly bound to geographic study and is also widely spread across the disciplines of

sociology, music the Post Punk technology, history and anthropology.

I have also informed much of my debate with the writings of music journalists, those writing

during the time of era and afterwards, from both Britain and America. Using the works of Simon

Reynolds (2005), Simon Frith (1983), Michael Bracewell (1997), Paul Lester (2008) and Greil

Marcus (1993), I have identified core arguments within the debate over music meaning within the

subcultures of both Punk and Post-Punk. These writers uphold similar arguments yet present their

views in different ways leaving a space in the overall discussion for alternative perspectives, of

which I intend to contribute.

As put by Ray Hudson (2006: 626), it is surprising that music and its relation to place has been a

rather neglected topic in human geography. Nevertheless, he goes on to note the increasing

interest in the importance of space and place in relation to making music and issues of identity.

Indeed, the recent emerging literature on the role of music within geography coincides well with

the general broadening of themes within the discipline.

There is a tendency amongst human geographers when researching modern and contemporary

musical encounters to draw upon the most obvious examples of Manchester, Bristol and Sheffield

(Connell and Gibson, 2003; Hudson, 2006; Milestone, 1996; 2008). Thus, there is a significant

lack of reference to the Yorkshire story and its music scene, meaning that my findings will fill a

Leeds-shaped gap within the literature. It is both useful and interesting to compare and contrast the

8

scenes that emerged from Sheffield and Manchester, particularly due to their similar backgrounds

as deindustrialised Northern towns, which were heavily affected by the introduction of

neoliberalism and privatisation under Thatchers government.

Figure 4: The Shapes Wots For Lunch Mum (Not beans again!).

Through examining the relationship between sound, and the city that makes it, I will

undoubtedly navigate through to a wider web of issues regarding the complexities of place making

and the shaping of social and cultural identity. Using the Leeds story between 1979 and 1984

paves the way to a theoretical understanding of how and why politics, cultural contestations and

societal shifts can shape music and solidify the image of particular places. In order to do

accurately assess the sound-space interrelationship, I will look at the impact of Punk as a precursor

to Post-Punk, and both subcultures influence on music history and the formation of place-based

identity, fundamentally focusing on the effectiveness of each. Did these scenes fulfil their

ideological, political or lyrical aims, and what kind of legacy remains of these movements today?

9

Ultimately, I will be contributing to an academic body of research informed by a range of genres

of information. Overall I intend to explore the links between music and its environment,

highlighting that music upholds an important role within the diverse myriad of geographical

identities that form place and more importantly, vice-versa. The distinct sound which surfaced

from Leeds at this particular time, serves to inform future explorations of the ways in which

political structures, societal shifts and cultural change can contribute to the creation of genres,

subcultures and sounds.

10

If the North, historically, has been regarded as a psychic lightning conductor for suffering and

random evil, informed by legends of witchcraft, the exploits of Brady and Hindley on the

Moors, the horror of working conditions in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the

botched redevelopment schemes of the 1960s and 1970s and the collapse of local industries

throughout the 1980s, then you have a region of mythological darkness.

(Bracewell, 1997; p. 172).

I aim to begin by looking at the movement of Punk comparatively with the Post-Punk music

scene, focusing principally on the political agendas and motives laced within each scene. I aim

to unveil the flaws and successes of each movement according to the principles established by

them, in particular concentrating on meaning in music and the effect on audience and the music

industry in general. Secondly, I shall be examining the Leeds sound, looking closely at the music

of bands Gang of Four, The Mekons and Delta 5; who all attempted to champion political

uniqueness in lyricism and pioneered the notoriously and controversially radical tone and sound

embedded within the genre of Post-Punk. The information collected at the Brudenell Social Club

event has informed much of my research which was collected through informal and unstructured

interviews with the main players in the Post-Punk music scene in Leeds in the early 1980s.

The existing literature on the Northern music scene of the time generally utilises the Manchester

Post-Punk movement as a primary case study, highlighting the connection between the sounds of

bands such as Joy Division with the grey backdrop of Mancunian industrial urbanity (Bracewell,

1997; Connell and Gibson, 2003; Milestone, 1996; 2000; Nehring; 2007). I intend on briefly

11

drawing upon the similarities and differences with the scene in Manchester, using informal

journalist sources and academic research to outline my comparison.

The literature review begins with an introduction to Britain at the time, and then is divided into

four sections; Punk as a precursor to Post-Punk; the Leeds faction 1979-1984; the North and a

comparison with the Manchester sound and finally space/place and music relationships in

general. I aim to provide a range of insights, thus building a review which functions historically,

analytically and theoretically. The authors I have read from interact differently with the themes

involved and offer contrasting opinions; enhancing the role of debate and discussion scoping each

band of literature. By objectively and methodologically addressing the relationship between music

and place from a series of different perspectives, I aim to conclude with a dynamic and in-depth

analysis of why exactly Leeds produced the sound it did at that time, whether or not this was more

effective than the Punk movement before it, and what sound/space/place relationships can tell us

on a conceptually wider scale.

12

Figure 5: Gang of Four Outside the Trains dont run on time.

Britain. 1977. Jim Callaghan is running the country under a Labour government. The welfare state

is suffering, unemployment is on the rise and the North/South divide feels more prevalent than ever.

The industrial towns of the North are struggling economically and it is becoming increasingly

evident that drastic political change is looming (Milestone, 1996). By 1978, extensive striking and

dispute amongst trade unions leads to the winter of discontent, marking Callaghans reign as

highly unpopular. When gravediggers nationwide go on strike regarding pay freezes, and the

unemployment figure for the country reaches 1.1 million, the reality of the problem hit home.

Eventually, after what had seemed like months of widespread uselessness, the national elections

were welcomed with open arms and saw the first ever woman stand for prime minister (Reynolds,

2005). For many, there was no other feasible option but to vote in the Conservative party, regardless

of ideological values upheld.

This point in British politics is arguably one of the countrys most significant periods.

13

Between 1979 and 1987; total unemployment in England rose to 1,321,0001, yet it was the emerging

North-South divide which caused most resentment, especially from the working classes; (really, the

statistic was: in the North employment fell by 1,357,000, however in the south it rose by 3,5002).

Margaret Thatcher gradually had begun to incite an undertone of hatred across the counties of the

North, arousing political activism, strikes and demonstrations, widening social segregation and

raising racial hostility (Spracklen, 2013). This caused even further pejorative bearings on societal

interaction, as increased disparity between North and South perpetuated a general mood of

impending doom for those teetering on the poverty line and turning to the dole as a means to

support their families.

Along with this harsh introduction of neoliberal policies and the damning effects of the inflation

that followed it, an uprising of a young and politically aware generation had started to pronounce

their misfortunes. Though many resorted to crime and vandalism, or partook in the repeated riots, a

large proportion articulated their views through various cultural mediums, ensuring their voices

were heard through either art or music.

Figure 6: The Beat - Stand down Margaret (Dub) 1 Turley, A. (2013) Margaret Thatchers legacy was to ingrain a north-south divide in our body politic. Left

Foot Forward Online. Available Online at: http://www.leftfootforward.org/2013/04/margaret-thatchers-

legacy-was-to-ingrain-a-north-south-divide/. Accessed on: 13/03/2014 2 (ibid.)

14

In his account of Punk and Britain in the 70s 80s crossover, In the fascist bathroom, by Greil

Marcus features the prime minister in his The Real Life Rock Top Ten 1980, at number 10

(ironically), 10. Most Valuable Player: Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of the United

Kingdom. Raising unemployment and inflation with her right hand, while slashing social services

and pressing if youre white youre right immigration policies with her other right hand, she

fostered an upsurge of music made in a critical spirit. (Marcus, 1993, p. 175).

Figure 7: Margaret Thatcher talking on the Miners Strikes

It is debated by most of the music journalists that Punk turned political revolt into a kind of

exhibition to be marvelled at, whereas the successors of the Post-Punk circle focused more on

effective and cutting lyricism to present their views and expose their political standpoints

(Bracewell, 1997; Frith, 1983; Reynolds, 2005). Furthermore, it is generally agreed upon within

the literature that the drastic decline of the Northern landscape and environment paradoxically

provided a perfect backdrop for Post-Punks boom (Bracewell, 1997; Connell and Gibson, 2003;

Frith, 1983; Nehring, 2007; Marcus, 1993; Milestone, 1996; 2008; Reynolds, 2005). I argue,

however that there is a difference between the musical contributions of bands who grew up in the

physically and mentally scarred North and those who simply moved there to enrol at University

15

(Reynolds, 2005; p. 15). Contemporary music journalists upheld debate through magazines,

writing articles that asked questions and pondered over changes in the music scene. They

speculated over why exactly consumerism, sexual relationships, and the mundane occurrences of

everyday life were themes so prominently sung about from bands up North.

Despite the majority of Northern towns retaining their staunch Labour loyalty throughout the

1970s, there was a working class backlash against the uselessness of the Callaghan government

after repeated blackouts, strikes and poor public services (Milestone, 1996; 2008). As the

smoking chimneys and factory sirens that had been present in Coronation street and Lowry

paintings had begun to fall silent (Milestone, 1996; p. 95), the city had begun to feel desolate,

disused and derelict. For Simon Reynolds (2005; p. 24), it is no coincidence that these declining

industrial cities formed the bleak heartland of British post-punk.

16

Figure 8: Sex pistols interview with Bill Grundy

If punk says Life Stinks, post-punk says, Why does life stink? (Marcus, 1993; p. 190)

The beginnings of Post-Punk saw a questioning of not only the music industry, but also society as

a whole. When Gang of Four, the most successful band to emerge from the Leeds scene, made it

to the front cover of NME (New Musical Express) Magazine in June 1980, their guitarist Andy

Gill recalls excitement in musically contributing to the on going interesting debate, wherein the

oratory of journalists expressed their perplexities on the meaning of post punk3. Drawing upon

debates documented in fanzines, mainstream music magazines such as NME and Melody Maker

and independent or fanzine written articles; I intend to review the debate on the then radically

different music scene, offering my own ideas and thoughts as to why these politically aware and

maturely articulate musicians surprised and shocked their listeners. I shall look at the Punk scene

3 Gill, A. (2013) In Punk Britannia, Episode 3. BBC.

Available online at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaA0BfADpYg Accessed online on: 12/02/2014

17

as a springboard through which to analyse this change, investigating comparisons and utilising a

range of media sources, which have informed my opinions, ranging from song lyrics to interviews.

Figure 9: Gang of Four: The first unsigned band to ever appear on the front cover of NME.

At the core of the discussion on the transition from Punk to Post-Punk is the question of effect; as

Simon Frith asks throughout his 1983 article for left wing paper, Marxism Today;

What long term changes, if any, did that explosion of 1976 make to the music business? And

what is the significance, if any, of pop music now? (Frith, 1983; p. 18). By pop music, Frith is

also referring to the Post-Punk sounds hitting the mainstream from bands such as Gang of Four,

The Smiths, Joy Division and Scritti Politti. Punk was, in the end, a short-lived crusade, fully

igniting in Britain in 1976 and arguably ending with the split of the Sex Pistols in 1979. The

popularisation of the Sex Pistols followed a scene on the Kings Road, after Johnny Rotten had

entered Malcom McLarens SEX shop wearing an I hate Pink Floyd t-shirt 4. Even slight

controversial behaviour was rare in the mid-1970s the movement of Punk was both liberating

4 Cooper, R. (2013) The Sex Pistols, Creators of the Punk Rock Image. Available online at: http://punkmusic.about.com/od/artistssz/p/sexpistols.html. Accessed online on: 12/02/2014.

18

and forward-thinking, as it wholly pushed boundaries set up within society and quickly became

something for youth culture to look towards (Bracewell, 1997; Frith, 1983).

Despite its working class roots; it was often noted that the left-wingers seized on Punk

opportunistically, clumsily adding Punk signs and symbols to its existing rhetorical repertoire

(Frith, 1983; p. 18). The political significance of Punk lyrics and the DIY sound that accompanied

it was questionable in its authenticity and over time was, in a way, neutralised (Clarke, 2003). The

ability to shock and alarm eventually became predictable; and as conventionality expanded to

include liberal and boundary-pushing style the fire behind Punk movement began to slow (Clarke,

2003; Frith; 1983; Nehring, 1997).

So was it just another spectacle (Frith, 1983, p. 20)? In Dylan Clarkes article for The Post

Subcultures Reader, the motives behind the movement are scrutinised and examined as he states;

Within six months, the movement had been bought out. The capitalist counter-revolutionaries had

killed with cash. Punk degenerated from being a force for change to becoming just another

element in the grand media circus. (Clarke, 2003; p. 226).

Indeed, Punk heightened awareness through brashly and aggressively attention grabbing, it

showcased the corruption embedded within capitalism and consumerism, challenging the mass

music industry and politicising the ordinary (Bracewell, 1997; Dylan, 2003; Frith, 1983;

Reynolds, 2005; Nehring; 2007). For Michael Bracewell (1997), it was in fact this shock factor,

pumping through the veins of Punk and catalysing its furore across the music industries, which

lead to the subcultures inevitable death. A self-defeating vehicle fuelled by anti-government

mentality - Dylan Clarke (2003) agrees; punk committed suicide. Both Bracewell (1997) and

Clarke (2003) note that its expectations, driven by the fantasies piled onto it to drastically change

the ideologies of the masses, were the causes of its death (Clarke, 2003; Bracewell, 1997). For

Frith (1983: 20) it failed to alter the mainstream music machine because it was part of it. So did

19

it become just another consumer preference (Clarke, 2003, p. 231) and die along with the

Pistols? Or does a Punk legacy remain?

I argue that not only does it live on in those inspired by it, but that the ethics, sounds and aims it

withheld transferred into Post-Punk. In Hodkinsons (2011: 80) analysis of subcultural identity, he

magnifies the fact that subcultural identities can accompany, alter and adapt into adulthood,

pointing out that the energy of the movement became less prevalent or popular and more personal.

Likewise, Bennett (2006) argues that Punk lives on into adulthood for many, highlighting that

often those individuals remain involved in the scene from managerial or organisational positions.

In an interview with an older Punk, this maturing is aptly observed; You can always tell. Maybe

its just a jacket, or a patch or something just something there that says punk, yknow.

(Bennett, 2006; p. 229).

In a parallel fashion, Clarke (2003) argues that the movements following Punk sheltered its

existence and they remain the location of its force and energy, shaping the tone of more tightly

arranged and well edited music. What crawled from the wreckage? (Clarke, 2003, p. 232) He

asks.

The answer, I argue, is Post-Punk. Mature, stripped-back and intellectual, I will discuss how it

asked the questions Punk never quite could.

20

Figure 10: Gang of Four - To Hell with Poverty (live)

The Post-Punk epoch is spread over a definitively metamorphic political phase in British history,

one that mirrored its American counterpart as the respective populations witnessed the drastic

swing from centre-left governments to the conservative inaugurations of Ronald Reagan and

Margaret Thatcher (Reynolds, 2005). As the Labour partys demise shattered prospects for a

liberally ruled country, the working classes felt the new changes introduced by the right-wing

leaders harshly, predominantly in the industrial sector (Milestone, 1996; Spracklen, 2013).

Katie Milestone explores the relationship between political crunch-down and Post-Punk

prevalence in Manchester and Sheffield; the bleak, solemn, decaying industrial landscape suited

the mood and atmosphere of the music (Milestone, 2008; p. 1172). Likewise, Connell and Gibson

(2003), observe symbols of uniqueness and indicators of individuality in Durham and Bristol,

noting that the shutting down of the industrial North fuelled a renewal of the local cultural

industry, forcing councils to strategically capitalise on alternative programmes and methods of

economic gain, such as investment in new music venues and recording studios.

21

Still, in all the literature discussing the Northern scene, only few mention the thriving music

activity of the Leeds faction, notably Greil Marcus, who cites Gang of Four, Leeds Universitys

post-punk pioneers, as the most interesting band (Id) seen since the sex pistols and the most

exciting (Marcus, 1993; p. 50). After listening to their album Entertainment released in 1979, I

had to agree.

Thematically ranging from paradox to paradox, their songs explore self, sex, subjugation all

through the framework of scrutinising false consciousness within consumer culture (Marcus,

1993; p. 51).

Capital (It fails us now)

On the first day of my life I opened my eyes

Guess where? It was in a superstore

Surrounded by luxury goods

I need a freezer, I need a hi-fi

No credit, no goods - call my bank, I say

They say were bankrupt

Capital it fails us now, comrades let us seize the time

Capital it fails us now, scientist blame it on pollution

People are not happy

This is caused by alienation.5

5 Gang of Four - Capital (It fails us now) lyrics. Available online from: http://www.lyricstime.com/gang-of-four-capital-it-fails-us-now-lyrics.html

Accessed on: 11/03/2014

22

Alongside Gang of Four were bands Delta 5, The Au Pairs, The Mekons, Scritti Politti and Girls at

Our Best, a group of bands consisting of University students and locals alike, all politically aware,

musically radical and vigilant in attempts to voice responses to mass-culture (Bracewell, 1997).

Displaying intellectual quirkiness and confrontational attitudes, these bands manifested at the crux

of the Leeds music scene between 1979 and 1984, playing with anti-fashion and rebelling against

the insincerity they felt was embedded within consumerism (Lester, 2008).

Unlikely as it seems in todays culture, female presence alone in the music industry was a political

statement in itself. So why exactly did it sound so unique, so different, so forward thinking? And

how did it change from the Punk movement before it?

Paul Therberge (2001) argues that the DIY sound, inspired by Punk, was what made the music so

different and original. He states that; the aggressive, lo-fi approach to the recording medium

rejected the dominant practices and aesthetics of the record industry and played a role in defining

these genres, in ideological terms, as more authentic than other forms of mainstream pop and

rock (Therberge, 2001; p. 18). Marcus (1993; p. 53) similarly notes that the Gang Of Four are all

inheritors of Johnny Rotten their music has the feeling of beginning just where he left off. For

Simon Frith, the concept of pleasure is the driver behind the Post-Punk phenomenon, as he

questions what desires pop music can define, what pleasure can it evoke emphasizing that the

Gang of Four, the Au Pairs and Scritti Politti, were concerned with answering such queries (Frith,

1983; p. 21).

23

Figure 11: Delta 5 - Mind your own business.

In essence, is it somewhat obvious to draw the perhaps blatant connections between sound and

scene, Punk and Post-Punk? Regardless, I feel it is not only of interest to observe the range of

various contributory factors to creating particular sounds, but that this case study and others like it

can tell us much more about the relationship between politics and society. It fits in with a pattern

observed across many epochs of history and in various locations worldwide, that when society is

suffering under political regimes and unemployment rates are peaking; the cultural industries of the

arts and music tend to thrive (OConnor, 2000). By understanding the impacts of political change

on culture, it is possible to unhinge connections on a much wider scale, and this may help with

societal organisation and investment in future politically precarious situations.

24

Figure 12: Joy Division - Shadowplay

The North backward, unsophisticated, artless (Katie Milestone, 1996, p. 99)

When the Sex Pistols took on the North in their 1976 tour, playing in Manchester and Leeds, it was

to a crowd containing future members of bands The Smiths, Joy Division, Happy Mondays and The

Buzzcocks (Milestone, 2008). During our discussion at the Brudenell Social Club, Steve Goulding

of The Mekons was quick to announce the hilarity of their performance; I thought they were shit,

he exclaimed to the audience, they forgot their own drum kit!. Bernard Sumner of Joy Division

relays this in a documentary interview; they were shit. It just made me want to get on stage and be

shit too!6 Manchester stood as an industrial hub even more built up, industrial and bleak in the

early 1980s than its Yorkshire counterpart, Leeds. Katie Milestone thoroughly explores the city

and its identity, picking apart the combinatory factors leading to the eventual thriving music scene.

6 Sumner, B. (2013) In Punk Britannia, Episode 3. BBC. Available online at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaA0BfADpYg Accessed online on: 12/02/2014

25

She writes; In Manchester, it was the combination of a variety of seemingly disparate things such

as of the impact of exposure to new forms of popular culture (the Sex Pistols concert at the citys

Free Trade Hall), policies (Margaret Thatchers Enterprise Allowance Scheme) and the

availability of particular types of urban space (the Afflecks Palace pop cultural market for

example) that allowed pop cultural industries to begin to flourish. (Milestone, 2008; p. 1173)

Similarly, Connell and Gibson (2003) magnify the importance of musical infrastructures in the

process of movement development, alongside a loyal and available following; signifying the fertile

ground provided by University towns for such scenes to thrive. In light of this, the various

mechanisms in place contributing to the creation of the Leeds sound share huge parallels with that

of Manchester, but there are contrasts. For starters, the city of Leeds was less urban and less

industrial, meaning less availability of space for recording music and performing gigs (Spracklen et

al, 2013). Furthermore, the suburban band around the city was significantly smaller than that of

Manchester practical purposes prevented gig-goers from travelling, the trains wouldnt run late

and buses never ran overnight.

However, the large population of students in both cities provided a perfect breeding ground for

alternative scenes, despite their suffering under newly introduced neoliberal economic policies

(Spracklen et al, 2013). Whats more, in both towns, a melting pot of different backgrounds led to

the generation of politically driven, stripped back sounds; the art school crew, the working class

Northerners, the university intellectuals and The Situationist7 inspired contingent were drawn

together by shared common interest in making this kind of music (Milestone, 2008). For the Leeds

scene, a major influence lay within the art faculty of the University. Headed by a Situationist

International member, Tim Clark, the department fuelled the sarcastic, combative approach to their

meta-rock (Lester, 2008; p. 18). The North created its own cultural infrastructures which destroyed 7 (The Situationist International was an organization/left wing movement of avant-garde intellectuals and social

revolutionaries)

26

conventional expectations and turned away from the London scene, using inspiration from the

miserable and moody environments of a perpetually declining industrial homeland to shape an

equivocal, enigmatic and dour sound (Bracewell, 1997; Nehring, 2007; Milestone, 1996; 2008)

The story of Manchesters Post-Punk evolution is certainly a case study whose formula is

applicable to Leeds and other deindustrialised towns of the Thatcher period; yet why exactly did the

scene across the Pennines not quite make it to the same level of global success? And why is it

comparatively under-researched within the context of academia?

The Leeds Post-Punk scene was significantly less successful than that of Manchester for a number

of reasons. Before this period in Leeds musical history, there was no scene in Leeds; this was

equally about putting Leeds on the map as a town capable of producing decent or exciting cultural

product as well as attempting to really partake in the wider industry. Furthermore, the second bands

such as Gang of Four and The Mekons started to gain popularity, they were shipped off to America

to sell themselves, like so many other bands, which dampened their abilities to leave a mark on the

British scene. Not only this, but these band members were in fact predominantly from the South, so

they inevitably lacked that understanding of the Northern landscape which so tightly binds the

Northern Post-Punk bands to their audiences. It is the connections made and bridges built wherein

fans and musicians meet on a shared platform of ideological understanding which catapults those

bands into success and binds a loyal fan base. Where Joy Division could sing about the Northern

apathetic acceptance that this was just the way things were (Milestone, 1996, p. 95), their

audiences would be simply mesmerised. These musicians were committed to liberating and

mobilising their audiences through articulating their experiences in a penetratingly raw yet

empathetically compassionate manner on stage, confirming collective understanding; exciting in its

surprise.

27

Indeed, in Manchester, a larger catchment area of suburban, working class youth on the outskirts

seeking interests opposing those of their parents and their backgrounds kick started a fan-base

which catapulted bands bred on the outskirts of the city into pop success at its core. Comparatively,

the Leeds scene was significantly smaller, which was re-established by the panel interviewed at the

Brudenell Social Club event. According to John Keenan, Leeds largest music promoter, the scene

was limited to surviving in a small square mile between the University and town; put simply, the

logistical setup of the city put barriers in place, preventing an expansion of an insular scene into

mass culture.

In general, although clich and completely cheesy, it is the music itself which brings people from

different backgrounds, classes and environments together. Hesmondhalgh (2008; p. 15) underlines

the opportunities within music for people to make connections with each other, enriching their

inner lives and enhancing a sense of community. As such, the brief explosion of subculture in these

settings indicates a solid format through which young people can connect and identify. It creates a

shared interest community, enabling genuine interaction and bridging social boundaries. This, in

particular serves to counteract notions of alienation and diaspora prevalent in suburbia

(Hesmondhalgh, 2008).

Figure 13: The Negatives - Bradford

28

The moment we feel music taking us out of ourselves, is a moment when the terms we usually

use to construct and hold ourselves together suddenly seem to float free (Simon Frith, Sound

Effects, in Marcus, 1997; p. 211).

Amongst debate on music, identity and place, numerous examples of sound and space

relationships within cities across the world, from Seattle and the grunge scene, to Detroit and the

Techno scene, are researched and examined with a means to understanding why these places

produce these sounds. Fundamentally, the processes involved in generating certain scapes or

scenes are a combination of environmental, societal, political and cultural equations that add up

to exerting reactions in music. There is a growing body of literature contributing to analysing this

interrelationship, from music-technology backgrounds to those of human geography. Nonetheless,

it is a limited and constricted discussion; some twenty years ago declared an intellectual and

spiritual bankruptcy in studies of contemporary culture by Professor of Musicology, Philip Tagg

(1994; p. 203). Thus, arguments and opinions Ive selected are from a range of disciplines, which

essentially form to build the varied mesh of information and theory, covering place and identity,

music psychology and popular culture.

The multifaceted, complex web of flows and constructs that define place are impacted upon

continually, shaping and being shaped by the political, social, cultural and economic contexts that

frame them (Connell and Gibson, 2003; Hudson, 2006). This means that movements or scenes in

music and culture are often fleeting, their remnants surviving in the products of song and the

nostalgias of imagination (Clarke, 2003; Connell and Gibson, 2003).

29

Ray Hudson (2006: 633) notes that music in both its production and consumption can be an

important influence in shaping the typically hybrid identities of people and places, of engendering

a sense of place and deep attachment to place. Similarly, Baker (2008: 4) discusses the role

played by music making practices in creating a local scene, reiterating that a sense of uniqueness

is derived through musical articulation of a localitys physical and symbolic attributes. Such

notions are heavily analysed in Connell and Gibsons Sound Tracks (2003), in which the process

behind genre creation are discussed; These processes are complex, yet the credibility of some

musical styles and genres arises from their origins, their sites of production, evident in a number

of possible ways: smaller locations, places off the beaten track, isolation and remoteness from

hearths of industrial production or working class communities. This is particularly evident in

music with unusual arrangements or vocal sounds. (Connell and Gibson, 2003; p. 93)

The landscapes and contexts in which music activities are situated can entirely morph the sounds

produced into new and radical genres, inspired by a complex coalescence of musical forms, local

attitudes and political influences. It is precisely this notion, which I endeavour to examine further

and more in depth relating to the Leeds Post-Punk sound between 1979 and 1984.

Through researching the sound/space relationship from a range of different backgrounds and

perspectives, I have found that taking information from varied mediums of writing has enabled me

to note where there are gaps in the literature and understand how I am going to contribute to it. I

intend on using the information gathered at the Brudenell Social Club event to further evolve my

argument, using first hand opinions and speculation from those involved in the scene at the time.

30

On December 17th 2013, after the majority of students had left town for Christmas, The Brudenell

Social Club in Hyde Park, Leeds held a panel event on the Post-Punk music scene in the city.

Featuring some of the main players of the scene, the event provided the perfect opportunity for

ethnographic observation alongside unstructured interviewing and discussion of why and how the

Leeds sound came to be. This was not the only theme discussed; there was an emphasis on the

citys cultural and political backdrop in the early 80s, as the panel members consistently

reinforced the fact that the environment was hugely different to the present day.

Overall, the turnout was impressive. My two friends and I were the youngest in the audience by

far, noticeably so. When question time came around and I put my hand up, the panel instantly

embarked upon quizzing me, inquisitive and puzzled by my presence at the event. When I

responded that I was in fact writing my dissertation about them, the music they produced and

performed, they battled over the microphone in an attempt to thank me, and exclaim their joy and

pride in hearing this. At the end of the night, Kelvin Knight, Delta 5s drummer rushed over to

repeat that he was genuinely honoured that his band was being written about.

It seemed completely natural to be gathering information in such a setting. I observed, as an

outsider, the banter thrown across the room, whilst noting subtly the appearances of everyone,

their attitudes towards the panel members and the types of questions that were asked. Perhaps had

I met the interviewees in the context of a coffee shop or in an equally neutral location to discuss

their involvement in the music scene, answers could have differed. It is undeniable that the setup

of the event potentially provided more room for glorification of the past and exaggerated

nostalgia, although I felt their answers were sincere and genuine.

31

The initial question posed to the six men on stage was;

What first got you interested in music and playing in bands?

John Keenan, one of Leeds most successful promoters was handed the microphone and the first

thing said was; Nothing else was happening in Leeds. I wasnt even a fan of punk. Keenan had

begun promoting in the summer of 1977, organising performances at Leeds Polytechnic and

eventually moving on to found The F Club (he laughs whilst recalling local fanzine The Leveller

claiming in an article that the F stood for Fascist). These events began to attract an alternative

crowd, fuelling the emergence of a so-called scene in Leeds.

Kelvin Knight is next to discuss his involvement, recollecting the boredom of his teenage youth;

There was absolutely no music scene in York, where I was from. I wanted to start a band when I

came to visit Leeds, I went to the F Club to see Madness and realised that this was the place to

be.

The panel unanimously agreed that the feeling was really good in Leeds at the time, calling it a

cosmopolitan heaven, a kind of paradise, which led a huge populous of young people to visit the

city, some relocating from their suburban parental homes to join friends in the student areas of

Hyde Park and Woodhouse.

The Punk scene is discussed with enthusiasm. Steve Goulding, drummer of The Mekons, a band

heavily influenced by Punk and once referred to by a music journalist critic in the 1990s as the

only 1977 leftovers with an answer to Reagan-Thatcher (Bracewell, 1997, p. 13), discusses the

North/South musical divide.

32

He reiterates to the audience that technology and communication in the late 1970s kept scenes and

music genres far from being accessible

The only way you found out about music was through Top of the Pops, fanzines, or John Peel.

That was pretty much it. When the Sex Pistols tour came to Leeds, I thought they were shit! Then

suddenly by the end of summer in 1977, we were all listening to Patti Smith. Until then you had

read about punk but it was a very London thing, it hadnt really reached the Northern parts of the

country.

The fact that subculture was cordoned off from certain parts of Britain at the time highlights the

impact of technology in todays culture, and emphasises the element of isolation, which infiltrated

the sounds produced by each respective end of the country.

33

If music felt political in 1976, but doesnt now then we need to look not at whats happened to

the music, but whats happened to our feelings. (Frith, 1983; p. 21).

Although having no fixed political agenda, the Punk scene in Leeds was surrounded by the

presence of The National Front, a radically racist political party whose aims are to inhabit a white,

British only nation. Knight recalls being pinned up against the wall and called a N***a lover

after being followed by a group of radical, right-wing young men;

Being in a band was scary, even in the local Merrion Centre, a load of NF boys would hang out

there all the time, if they got you theyd really kick your head in, it was worse if you dressed like a

teddy boy.

This level of paranoia between the left and right wing led to the scene being pushed from Leeds

core, central venues to more peripheral and multicultural locations such as the Leeds West Indian

Centre in Chapeltown. Despite John Keenan exclaiming to the audience that music should be

about bloody engagement not politics!, the panel are quick to talk about the extremist politics

surrounding the scene at the time. Paul Grape Gregory informs us of the anti-Thatcher attitudes

upheld by most;

She was destroying the countrys heartland, we hated her! Everyone hated her! Many people

soon realised that the stage was the wrong place to be political on, but we did support the miners

strikes and there were a load of performances at their protests.

34

A solid fifteen minutes of conversation is given to nostalgic storytelling of the city and its best

hangouts as the panel reminisce about pubbing, gigging and dancing. The Fenton pub situated a

small walk from the University campus was the central location for the members of the Post-Punk

clan to reside in. Knight is quick to remind the audience that in 1980 and the years surrounding it;

pub closing time was 10.30pm on weekdays and 11pm on weekends, meaning that were you to be

stranded in the city having missed the last bus, it was potentially a very dangerous situation to be

in. Mark Wilson held the attention of the room as he talked of the National Fronts violent raid of

The Fenton pub one night

You didnt want to be stranded in town after a night at the pub. It was a different place, not like it

is now, it was desolate. The main National Front attack on The Fenton was very scary, doubly

scary as it was one of the few places we could really escape to. After that, The Faversham became

the new location, the new go-to safe place.

Undoubtedly, the politically aware group attracted the wrong kinds of attention at times. The

majority of bands involved in the Post-Punk scene were also often involved in promoting

feminism and performing at Rock Against Racism gigs. The lyrics and sounds produced by bands

such as Gang of Four, Delta 5 and The Mekons continued to mirror the political opinions being

deliberated by their contemporaries, critiquing the ever-expanding reign of capitalism and the

symptoms it leaves with society. The men on stage appear proud of their feminist values,

proclaiming that it became a popular set of morals to proudly parade, and the politics behind

feminism and socialism inspired much of their music. In The Mekons song Authority, themes of

female empowerment, industrial decline and blind consumerism are portrayed in a mocking and

cynical tone.

35

Authority

Her surrender is her guarantee

She loves to know she can't be free

Every wish is like a debt, how strange her debt is infinite

Industry culture land where we live and obey commands

It's very sad I'm afraid the goose that laid the golden egg is dead

I never cry nor ever smile faking orgasms all the while.8

Here, the word her abstractly refers to women in general, highlighting a distanced and subjugated

set of circumstances. I reason that it is precisely this elaborate articulation of cultural and social

dilemmas within lyrics, which further expands the gap between the Punk and Post-Punk genres.

Punk pushed boundaries simply by shocking, in a knee-jerk kind of manner, whereas the Post-Punk

formula forces its listeners and fans to listen, providing them with though-provoking, lyrically and

politically scandalous ideas against the mainstream pop world and ultimately calling for attention to

be given to these themes (Clarke, 2003; Bracewell, 1997). Karl Spracklen et al (2013) define this

attitude as Oppositionality, meaning the way in which people and subcultures reject the

restrictions of instrumentality and express their refusal to conform as passive consumers

(Spracklen et al, 2013; p. 167). For all its unacceptable behaviour and drastic avoidance and

rejection of the ordinary, the legacy of Punk stands strong in comparison to that of its

philosophising successor. Was it just another charade, a fad passing through the music and arts

industries to shock and annoy? Has Post-Punk succeeded in not following that trail? And what des

this tell us about wider issues of society and the subcultures that navigate through it? I endeavoured

to answer these queries throughout the evening at the Brudenell Social Club 8 The Mekons - Authority lyrics. Available online from: http://www.mekons.de/lyrics/lyrics.htm Accessed on: 12/03/2014

36

The sound we produced was like part of the air we breathed. (Steve Goulding, The Mekons)

After a half hour bingo game we were asked to write down any questions we had for the panel and

hand them over to the host. I must have written at least six rather heavily detailed questions

regarding the impacts of industrial milieu and declining economy on the music sound produced.

Mine were saved till last.

Question 1 comes from Terry, wheres Terry?, asks the host on stage. The blokish Northerner

next to me raises his hand; Just wanted to ask about like locals interacting with the scene n that.

What about people who were from Leeds? How would your average working class lad get

involved with it all?

This question was something I hadnt previously considered yet felt was completely relevant. The

Leeds scene was certainly composed of a more middle class populous, (entirely different to

Manchesters Post-Punk movement) as the University contingent dominated and there was a

smaller population of band members from Leeds or Yorkshire. I realised that this must have

impacted on the sound the people at the forefront of the scene were not born and bred in the

declining industrial heartland. How did this affect the music?

Kelvin was quick to answer, as a Yorkshire man and member of one of the most famous Post-

Punk bands to come from Leeds;

37

Now this is very important! He said, finger pointed at Terry and then to the rest of the audience.

It wasnt just uni students. Gang of Four, Delta 5 and The Mekons were a mixture of toffs and

locals! We came from all walks of life! We welcomed people from all different backgrounds no

matter whatPeople wanted to get involved because it was cool, it was an extremely explosive

time in Leeds. Very narrow. But very explosive.

This fusion of cultural and political difference combined to create a community, which the entire

panel agreed to be more important than anything. Steve Goulding of The Mekons went on to

explain that the people and their backgrounds only played a small role in forming and shaping the

kind of music created. He elaborated that unbeknown to many, Leeds has a long-standing history

of radicalism which naturally infiltrated the music they were writing; stating the sound we

produced was like part of the air we breathed.. What was also underlined, was the importance of

the DIY attitude, often noted by academics as the unique ingredient to Punk, which came directly

from a lack of cultural industry or formal music business in the area;

We nurtured that DIY sound you know, it was like, if youre gonna go and do it, go and bloody do

it. There was nobody around to help you.

Knight reiterated Gouldings point stressing the logistics of the situation. This particular sound

became so intrinsic and embedded in their playing also due to the fact that there was only one

recording studio, shared by a multitude of similar sounding musicians. Not only did they mature

musically together, but rather than being rivals, they were close contemporaries, inspiring and

feeding off each other. Connell and Gibson (2003: 102) underline the role of infrastructures of

musical exchange as solidifying meaning within cultural interaction. For the panel, these

infrastructures were where they grew up together, sharing music and inspiring one another. They

celebrate Dr Feelgood as a main funky, underground inspiration.

38

Figure 14: Dr Feelgood - Roxette

When I am eventually called out to ask my question to the panel, the attention of the room turns to

me I feel the need to explain my reasons for being there. After being thanked and praised by the

admiring panel for choosing to research the music scene they pioneered, I ask:

Would you say there is a Leeds sound?

I had expected the panel on stage to respond perhaps instantly and passionately with an

Of course theres a bloody Leeds sound you silly student! - in my imagination they chimed in

unison, potentially even offended by the cheek of my question. To my surprise, their response was

divided.

I wouldnt say there is a Leeds sound. Said Mark Wilson of Pink Peg Slax, I mean Goths, they

had a Leeds sound, they came from Leeds and did their Goth thing.

I can only assume his lack of involvement in the Post-Punk scene (as a rockabilly) was the reason

he produced this answer.

39

Whoa there! responds John Keenan, you cant say that! The people involved in this scene were

totally shaped by being in Leeds!

It seemed I had created something of an on stage debate! After they eventually come to the

conclusion that, yes, there was a distinct Leeds Post-Punk sound, I go on to ask my second and

even more controversial question.

So, why do you think it is, that the Leeds music scene at the time didnt quite take off in the

same way as Manchester or Sheffields?

I brace myself. They look quizzical. Quiet. Im nervous I might be shouted at. A member of the

audience breaks the silence.

It never happened for Leeds in the same way cause of the Yorkshire temperament!

The panel nod. They seem to understand what this means, unlike me.

We were very loyal to our Yorkshire crowd, we tended to play to them and that was cool with us.

They were so faithful to us so we were faithful to them, reiterates Kelvin Knight.

The question master moves on, and I feel slightly at a loss. I didnt feel I had really got to the

bottom of my investigation. I had fantasised over true synchronicity with the literature I had been

reading, some kind of ornately phrased academic recipe for the Yorkshire sound, utilising terms

such as place-making and subcultural identities. I had naively hoped that the band members

themselves would be able to pull apart the equation for the production of their Post-Punk sound. I

40

wanted them to hand the answers for my dissertation over on a plate. What an unrealistic

expectation.

Until, that same audience member who had interrupted my questioning already puts his hand up

and shouts Can I say summit?, in a thick Leeds accent.

We all turn around

Yeh, well, in the answer to the girls question about the Leeds sound n that, well I think it was a

number of things

Firstly, it was such a minutely concentrated scene, with a melting pot of factors in like, one

square mile. This whole scene literally happened in one square mile, between university and town.

It was a combination of Northern grit, plus a lack of resources making that DIY sound, and it

was all in this tiny core hub where everything was exploding. It was the sheer determination of the

scene! Plus, you had the influence of all the London students, who were down right intelligent

It was angry and intense, which attracted the local crowd perfectly, cause we were all angry

and intense. It just fitted in with the community. And it was a huge community, in such a small

space! It had a real feel to it.

A completely apt summary... I scribbled down an equation.

Lack of resources + square mile + pissed off Northerners + clever Londoners + sheer

determination + Northern grit + huge community + genuine feel + angry + intense = That

Leeds Sound.

The panel nod again.

41

The impact of nostalgia in accordance with validity of information is a concept necessary to

explore in order to create an in depth analysis of my findings. It is important to note that whilst

questioning these men, nostalgia and general notions of remembering affect their reactions,

answers and stories. The panel did guide the conversation on the whole, on occasion fighting over

the microphone to answer questions or unveil an anecdote. It was clear that all were susceptible to

wistfulness and the hazy memoires they retain and probably rarely have a chance to present. All of

the panel are all still involved with the music industry, thus the experience shared and the values

they commonly withhold are internalised facets of their identities (Hodkinson, 2011). Bennett

(2006) notes that experiences of Punk and subculture are highly personal; stating that, the private

quality of memory is enhanced with age something I gathered through ethnographically studying

the behaviours of the men. When asking his informants about their opinions of the modern Punk

music scene, Andy Bennett is humoured to find the response to be They can all play, mind

youThey write proper songs (Bennett, 2006; p. 229). This exact question was asked at the

Brudenell Social Club event and merited the exact same answer.

As I was observing their mannerisms and patterns of speech as they spoke of their experiences, it

was possible to identify glorified ways of presenting the past. The repeated name-dropping,

though endearing was certainly overplayed (i.e. before playing with The Clash was mentioned,

Kelvin Knight would pronounce And heres another name drop!). Clearly, the point of the

evening was to entertain the audience, so the motives behind stories told and answers given may

have differed due to the context.

42

I think this is a common feature of everyday conversation and do not feel that my findings are

untrue or over exaggerated purely because of the setting and the context in which they were

received. To add, the audience were familiar faces to the men on stage, they pointed out ex

groupies and fans in the crowd, meaning that there was a comfortable social platform before them

and ease to their gesticulations as a result.

43

If pop music is a form of pleasure, then one way of making it political is to politicise its

pleasures, to lay bare their construction, to challenge their taken for granted dance floor

funThe politics of pleasure lies not in what art school musicians put into their packages, but

what pop fans take out. (Frith, 1983, p. 21)

So, what has been left behind by the Leeds sound? What have people taken from Punk and Post-

punk? How has the music itself informed and shaped people and place and vice-versa?

It is actually an incredibly difficult question to answer. There is no fixed answer. As the evidence I

have found and the questions I have asked are heavily based on perception and personal

experience, (which inevitably changes constantly along with the shifts in cultural and artistic

identities), my findings are highly theoretical. For each individual, music can mean something

completely different, as no one persons experience of something is ever totally identical to

anothers.

However, it is more a question of when brought together, and the collective impetus of personal

experience combines, what is created and why? How has the sound produced mirrored the place

which produced it? And finally, how this music interacts with its audience, wider culture and the

identities of place.

44

I have found so many new and unexpected connections and angles from which to observe the

interrelations between space, place and sound. Initially, I had set out to examine and analyse four

separate yet interlinked objectives.

Why exactly Leeds produced the sound it did at that time.

Whether or not this was more effective than the Punk movement before it.

A comparison with the Manchester Post-punk movement.

What can sound/space/place relationships tell us on a conceptually wider scale?

Firstly, I reviewed the movement of Punk as a precursor to the Post-punk movement that followed

it, asking, which was more effective, and what legacy remains. I feel now that Punk has imprinted

its legacy on British subcultural history to a larger extent than Post-punk, however, Post-punk

succeeded in what it set out to do much more effectively. Post-punk was like the mature older

brother of Punk. It didnt lose its temper with society in the same way, it withheld, and calmly

articulated greatly intellectual lyricism as a response to the issues it had with society and politics.

Punk died so soon after it had begun, whereas Post-punk continued long after its beginnings in the

1980s, inspiring bands far into the future (such as Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Blur and Pulp). In so

many ways, Post-punk won, mainly because it did what it set out to do. Its legacy still stands

strong, although, it is a shame that it is rarely connected directly to politics, unlike Punk which

generations after it look to as a glorified and radically political subculture. People nowadays tend

to remember Punk as the political musical subculture, not the movement that followed.

Therefore, can it be said that Punk was in fact more effective? Does effectiveness depend on

legacy, an intangible imagined collective of musical-political identity, thought of by the majority

as one thing but built by academics and journalists as another?

45

I have only come to the conclusion that Post-punk is a more effective long-term pop-culture

answer to politics than the movement before it because I have conducted this in depth, well

informed research paper. Prior to beginning my dissertation, I certainly thought differently. I had

wanted initially to write it on Punk as a political subculture, but soon found after reading from a

few different sources that it was quite far from it and there was little to say on the matter. It was a

highly simplistic response to social and political problems. The more I read, the more I realised

that Post-punk was the topic to be researching. It offered so much more lyrically, theoretically,

conceptually than the movement before it and unlike Punk, didnt sell out to capitalism or die out

with an embarrassed fizzle becoming a walking parody. I dont condemn Punk for this, simply I

feel it is unfair that what followed, particularly in the city Leeds, is so quickly forgotten and

under-researched.

Is it a generalisation to suggest that people are able to see Punk as a short-lived explosion with no

real or informed agenda other than to shock they just think its cool, because its currently quite

unattainable, slightly alien, and highly rebellious, and this is why it retains such a legacy.

Regardless, I argue, with or without majority vote, most likely against mass perception, that yes,

Post-punk is more politically effective subculture and a music genre.

Secondly, I observed the contributory factors combining to create the unique Post-punk sound;

looking predominantly at Leeds as a declining industrial town and using a case study of

Manchester to compare and contrast similarities and differences. I discussed the importance of

simply geographical logistics in preventing the Leeds scene from booming as much as

Manchesters. I argued that for the Manchester Post-punk contingent, their Northern upbringings

rooted them to their landscape in a way that Leeds couldnt quite match. In essence, meaning an

overall slightly looser place based sound identity formed from the Leeds movement, who were a

greater mix of different backgrounds. Nevertheless, I state that there is a distinct Leeds sound, a

concept wholly reinforced after interviewing ex Post-punkers at The Brudenell Social Club.

46

This paper, overall, aimed to form a greater understanding of the impact of place on the

subcultural movements that occupy it, and the music that emerges from it. I have used the Leeds

scene in the early 1980s as a case study through which connections between space, place and

sound can be formulated. The event at the Brudenell provided me with first hand accounts and

opinions from some of the most highly successful musicians of the Post-punk movement in Leeds.

This was incredibly insightful, and gave me an opportunity to ask the people themselves what they

thought, and they (or rather Mr interrupter in the audience) provided me with huge insight to the

ways in which Leeds as a place shaped the sound it produced.

The Leeds sound is a response to the environment it stems from, an articulation of local

uniqueness and an answer to the politics that governed society at the time. Nevertheless, it is not a

wholesome representation of Leeds as a place, because the music, the people who created it, the

subcultures than influenced them no longer exist and were only ever fleeting and ever changing

within the complex entity of place (Connell and Gibson, 2003). Therefore, a sense of locality, a

sense of uniqueness and a sense of legacy remains, predominantly in that fixed past place, shaped

by nostalgia yet surviving in the lyrics, sounds and scenes of today.

Word Count: 10, 317 (extension approved).

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Baker, S. (2008) Cultural Precincts, Creative Spaces: Giving The Local A Musical Spin. Space And Culture. Sage Publications: London. Bennett, A. (2006) Punks Not Dead: The Continuing Significance Of Punk Rock For An Older Generation Of Fans. Sociology. Volume 40 (2). p. 1219 1235. Bracewell, M. (1998) England Is Mine: Pop Life From Wilde To Goldie, London: Flamingo. Clark, D. (2003) The Death And Life Of Punk, The Last Subculture. (In Muggleton, D. and Weinzierl, R. The Post Subcultures Reader). p. 223-234. Connell, J. And Gibson, C. (2003) Sounds And Scenes A Place For Music? In Sound Tracks: Popular Music, Identity And Place. London: Routledge.

Cooper, R. (2013) The Sex Pistols, Creators of the Punk Rock Image. Available online at: http://punkmusic.about.com/od/artistssz/p/sexpistols.htm Frith, S. (1983) Post Punk Blues. Marxism Today. Available Online At: http://Www.Amielandmelburn.Org.Uk/Collections/Mt/Pdf/83_03_18.Pdf. Hesmondhalgh, D. (2008) Towards A Critical Understanding Of Music, Emotion And Self-Identity. Available Online At: http://Eprints.Whiterose.Ac.Uk/42750/9/Hesmondhalgh.Dj8.Pdf Hodkinson, P. (2011) Ageing In A Spectacular Youth Culture: Continuity, Change And Community Amongst Older Goths. The British Journal Of Sociology. Volume 62 (2) p. 262-282. Hudson, R. (2006) Regions And Place: Music, Identity And Place. Progress In Human Geography (30). p. 626 634. Lester, P. (2008) Gang Of Four: Damaged Gods. Omnibus Press: London. Marcus, G. (1993) In The Fascist Bathroom: Punk In Pop Music, 1977-1992. (Originally Published As Ranters & Crowd Pleasers). Harvard University Press.

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Milestone, K. (1996) Regional Variations: Northernness And New Urban Economies Of Hedonism (In From The Margins To The Centre: Edited By Oconnor, J. And Wynne, D.) Popular Cultural Studies: 10. p. 91 116. Milestone, K. (2008) Urban Myths: Popular Culture, The City And Identity. Sociology Compass. Volume 2. p. 1165 1178 Nehring, N. (2007) Everyone's Given Up And Just Wants To Go Dancing: From Punk To Rave In The Thatcher Era. Popular Music And Society, 30:1. p. 1-18. OConnor, J. (2000) The Definition Of The Cultural Industries. The European Journal Of Arts Education, Volume 2 (3). p. 15-27. Reynolds, S. (2009) Totally Wired: Post Punk Interviews And Overviews. Faber And Faber Ltd. Spracklen, K., Richter, A. & Spracklen, B. (2013) The Eventization Of Leisure And The Strange Death Of Alternative Leeds. City: Analysis Of Urban Trends, Culture, Theory, Policy, Action. Volume 17 (2) p. 164-178. Stevenson, N. (1999) Vacant: A Diary Of The Punk Years 1976-79. Thames And Hudson. London. Tagg, P. (1994) From Refrain To Rave: The Decline Of Figure And The Rise Of Ground. Available Online At: Http://Www.Tagg.Org/Articles/Pmusrave.Html Therberge, P. (2001) Plugged In: Technology And Popular Music, In The Cambridge Companion To Pop And Rock. p. 3 - 25.

All videos sourced from www.youtube.com

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Students Evaluation of Dissertation and Mentor This form provides an opportunity for you to comment on your experience of doing a dissertation, particularly the effectiveness of the DSG and the support you received. It will not be seen by your dissertation markers, but may be looked at by the External Examiner (for example, in the case of those students close to the threshold between two classifications, where particular attention is often paid to the dissertation). Your Name: Claudia Gould Name of Mentor: David Bell

Approximately how often did your peer group meet?

Every 3 weeks (approx.) until closer to the hand in date when meetings became more regular

Approximately how often did you meet with your group mentor?

(a) In a group session? 5

(b) On an individual basis? 10-15 (many informal and quick)

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Use the following space to add other comments on your dissertation and/or your supervision experience (optional):

I found the dissertation supervision provided by mentor David Bell to be invaluable. I have luckily

had a fantastic peer group as well, whose suggestions and insights have been incredibly helpful. The

entire process of meeting the others regularly with and without Davids supervision meant that we

could support one another, inspire each other (with the simplest of things such as layout or structure

ideas) and ultimately reassure each other that we were all in the same boat.

I found the one-to-one meetings most beneficial, as it really gave me an opportunity to simply

angst, worry and question every last detail. David Bells expertise and cultural knowledge has been

so useful. He has been able to source multiple readings for me, suggest innovative ideas for doing

my dissertation and sharing fantastic music, which I am now into for life. Furthermore, his local

knowledge is second to none, and as my dissertation has been predominantly on Leeds-based and

university activity, this has been incredibly useful.

Not only has David provided fantastic academic support, but also, and perhaps more importantly, I

have had continual excellent personal support. Any obstacles that have come my way throughout

the dissertation process, I have felt able to discuss and work out with his help and advice. His

upbeat and fantastically positive attitude has driven me to thinking I can actually do this at times

when I have felt so far from seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! I am forever grateful for his

help.

Also the help of Natalie Ania and Frances Drake, my personal tutor, has meant that any issues I

have had had are listened to and understood. Natalie has been the most supportive and helpful

person at times of real need, which has made the entire process much easier. Frances has been

brilliant, a friend and maternal figure in the department over the last three years.

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Throughout my dissertation process, the peer group have been helpful in every way. I have enjoyed

listening to the challenges they have faced throughout the process, and have found group meetings

to be greatly reassuring. If we had not had group sessions regularly, I think I would have felt more

stressed and under pressure.

Towards the end, longer two-hour sessions to discuss the logistics of writing and presenting were

held, which solidified unwarranted concerns and dispelled any worries and queries. These were also

greatly helpful, and we have all discussed how thankful we are to have a mentor who really puts in

so much effort to help us all feel supported.

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DSG Report Form Name of Student: Claudia Gould Meeting Number: 1 Date: 28/09/2013 Members present: 1 Apologies for absence: n/a Meeting With Mentor (DB)

Issues to be raised (complete prior to each meeting): Change of dissertation topic over the summer holidays. Need to work out a new theme and idea. Worried about time.

Solutions discussed (to be completed during/after the meeting): Take time to think about what you want to write about. No rush just yet, keep looking around for inspiration, brainstorming etc etc. Helpful suggestions discussed potential themes of fashion, art, music and culture. Quite interested in looking at subcultures but not sure about the relevancy of subcultures within the context of a geographical dissertation. Will keep brainstorming and reading around my subject ideas.

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DSG Report Form Name of Student: Claudia Gould Meeting Number: 2 Date: 01/10/2013 Members present: 1 Apologies for absence: n/a Meeting With Mentor (DB)

Issues to be raised (complete prior to each meeting): I have found my topic! Is it geography enough? Reassurance and guidance on how to approach research. Ideas thrown around and debated.

Solutions discussed (to be completed during/after the meeting): Going to see the play My Generation. Get email of Alice Nutter, send her an email potentially interview? Research the punk and post-punk scenes in Leeds. Get lots of books out on the Punk movement from Edward Boyle. Read Rip it Up and Start Again by Simon Frith. Not necessary at this stage to have a fixed title, it will come naturally later on in the dissertation process.

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DSG Report Form Name of Student: Claudia Gould Meeting Number: 3 Date: 02/10/2013 Members present: 7 Apologies for absence: Adam Warren Meeting With Mentor (DB)

Issues to be raised (complete prior to each meeting): General catch up since summer holidays. Better understand everyones projects. Sharing our topics and ideas. Raising concerns if research has changed direction at all. When to stop researching / start conducting data collection. Interim Report what to expect?

Solutions discussed (to be completed during/after the meeting): Lots of reading will be inevitable eventually irrelevant, all pointers in the right direction. Reassurance and guidance given continue as we are going. Keep note of references and ideas as you go along, dont panic. Interim to be to useful to self, an update as to where you are and where you want to be. It should be realistic, you can bullet point. Dont worry about literature review, it is bound to change as you continue researching and gather data. Dont let it stress you! Mentioned that there are previous dissertations, which would be good to look at to get guidance.

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DSG Report Form Name of Student: Claudia Gould Meeting Number: 4 Date: 24/11/13 Members present: 8 Apologies for absence: n/a Peer-Group Meeting

Issues to be raised (complete prior to each meeting): Going over the interim report collectively to ensure we are all on track and see what concerns we might all have.

Solutions discussed (to be completed during/after the meeting): n/a

Questions for mentor (record after peer-group meeting only; bring to next meeting with mentor): Should we be panicked if the literature review seems to be changing lots, do we have to do one or can we integrate literature throughout?

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DSG Report Form Name of Student: Claudia Gould Meeting Number: 5 Date: 04/12/13 Members present: 7 Apologies for absence: Romy Bartram Peer Group Meeting With Mentor (DB)

Issues to be raised (complete prior to each meeting): Making plans for the Christmas holidays and reiterating changes since interim report was written.

Solutions discussed (to be completed during/after the meeting): Had a general catch up round the room, which reassured us we would all, be at different stages and be doing things in slightly different ways, does not mean any of us are wrong. Narrowing down the literature being looked at, making sure that I keep trying to source more academic papers rather than just media/informal ones. Research being undertaken over holidays David informs me of a panel event being held at the Brudenell Social Club. Group discussions about what we aim to have completed over the holidays. Questions for mentor: Coding process.

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DSG Report Form Name of Student: Claudia Gould Meeting Number: 6 Date: 31/01/14 Members present: 7 Apologies for absence: Gaby Salmon Peer Group Meeting With Mentor (DB)

Issues to be raised (complete prior to each meeting): Has everyone achieved what he or she had hoped to over Christmas holidays? What we plan on getting done next? Other deadlines interfering with progress. Have I completed enough primary research?

Solutions discussed (to be completed during/after the meeting): Goals set up for where we want to be over next 4 weeks. Independent thought and bias encouraged. Make a thorough plan for day by day. Keep actively making time for dissertation; regardless of how much you do, for instance just taking a few hours to edit bibliography here and there. Questions for mentor: Planning concerns, presentation ideas.

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DSG Report Form Name of Student: Claudia Gould Meeting Number: 7 Date: 10/02/2014 Members present: 1 Apologies for absence: n/a Meeting With Mentor (DB)

Issues to be raised (complete prior to each meeting): Discussed all literature read so far. Planned ideas for presenting work, complexities of pdf idea is it possible? Concerns about writing organisation

Solutions discussed (to be completed during/after the meeting): David suggested some more academic reading on subcultures and suggested books to read and songs to listen to. Keep checking in, devise a thorough plan for the next meeting.

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DSG Report Form Name of Student: Claudia Gould Meeting Number: 8 Date: 18/02/2014 Members present: 1 Apologies for absence: n/a Meeting With Mentor (DB)

Issues to be raised (complete prior to each meeting): Presentation of thorough plan. Discussion of themes and ideas, making sure I am keeping in check with my aims and objectives.

Solutions discussed (to be completed during/after the meeting): Get going! Thorough plan approved! Start writing.

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DSG Report Form Name of Student: Claudia Gould Meeting Number: 9 Date: 07/03/2014 Members present: 8 Apologies for absence: none Group Meeting With Mentor (DB)

Issues to be raised (complete prior to each meeting): All the small details of handing in dissertation

Solutions discussed (to be completed during/after the meeting): A long session going through every single minute detail we need to remember. Indenting for binding. Where to go for binding. Appendix details, font details, spacing details, contents page explained, acknowledgements explained, abstract explained. Thanks and good luck given!

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Dissertation Interim Report (1)

Introduction

The initial plans I had made for my dissertation were to investigate the rave culture scene at

Glastonbury Festival. I found the connection between music, people and their behaviour

fascinating. I wanted to see if there were particular reasons behind attending festivals and spending

a large sum of money on a ticket. Glastonbury embodies utopian hedonism; was this responsibility

free world of spontaneity leading people there and why? Unfortunately I had to change my

dissertation topic last minute, which has delayed my new research. Nevertheless, I have taken what

excited me about researching rave culture and applied it to an entirely different scene, one I find

altogether more real.

Ideas/Aims/Objectives

The topic I have now chosen to research for my dissertation is the music scene in Leeds (and