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As the spark of punk fizzled out towards the late seventies, its embers flew in various different directions - the post-punks took what they had learned from punk and ran in a million different directions. Of course, London was a foundational city in the development of the genre’s offshoots.
It was only right that the exclusive Q&A session for the incredible Forever Now Festival took place in the heart of Soho. Music Is To Blame was there, taking in the ephemeral experience, and asking some of punk’s finest all about the festival.
In the luxurious cinema bar basement of the Karma Sanctum hotel in Soho gathered a group of punks new and old, itching to hear about this promising new festival. Forever Now festival has a seriously impressive lineup. Headlined by Krautrock legends Kraftwerk, the festival also boasts appearances from genre giants like Billy Idol, The The, The Damned and The Psychedelic Furs, to name a few. Taken from an album title of the latter, the one day festival is almost fictional in its lineup - with many people believing it was fake upon its announcement! Over the course of the day, fans will be able to enjoy two stages of music and a literary stage featuring interviews and panels hosted by punk historian John Robb.
Robb hosted the evening’s panel; a conversation with Theatre of Hate’s Kirk Brandon and Steve “Abbo” Abbott from UK Decay, two seminal bands who, although towards the bottom of the lineup, played a significant role in the punk and post-punk scenes. The three on stage all agreed that the festival’s lineup was somewhat of a defining moment for the genre - a new beginning rather than just a celebration of the past. “It’s not the kind of festival you go to just to see one band. It’s nice that it’s a focused festival - that everyone going will know most of the bands.” Abbo shared. Brandon expressed that “we might not see a lineup like this ever again. [The festival is] defining music in this decade for a genre that is undefinable, saying “I was there” will mean something.” Abbo emphasised this by comparing the event to seeing The Clash for the first time - “something had been wiped clean.”
The two frontmen have a long history, touring together often over their band’s careers. There was a comfortable vibe throughout the room, as if everyone were old friends reminiscing on lives lived and music loved. It turns out that the event was the first reunion between Brandon and Abbott after not seeing each other since 1982!
One of the most significant talking points of the evening, to me at least, was the discussion of the beginnings of punk as “a reaction against the fact nothing was happening”. This applies both to the idea of no one standing up to political injustice, but also speaks of the experience of Abbo and many other countryside punks, who formed bands with “the backdrop of boredom”. This statement resonates in a particularly interesting way in the modern day - with a scarily similar swing to conservatism taking over and a culture focused on “clean”. Over the last few years, a large number of incredible new punk bands have surfaced, twisting and turning the beloved genre in new ways, using the past to speak for the future. In this regard, Forever Now Festival has come at a perfect time.
Of course, the festival has not come without criticism. Announced in the wake of festivals such as When We Were Young, as well as a spike in reunions and tours, nostalgia is a hot ticket for the music industry at the minute. In response to my question of the relationship of art and nostalgia the panel has an introspective response. The main consensus was that the bands on the lineup play for the sake of playing, they are playing for the love of the genre, and for the fans. Music, to Brandon, “is memory”. It is a transportative force. The panel furthered the rhetoric of relevancy; they emphasised that the festival is not “nostalgia, but a wakeup call.” They divulged into the way the music industry controls counter-culture. “The industry takes a moment of revolution and turns it into a product.” Although the festival is a curated and seemingly profitable venture, both Brandon and Abbott represent their fellow artists in the sincerity of their performance - their dedication to the genre and its community.
The evening was an intimate look at the bigger picture, a deep dive into the culture of post-punk and what it can tell us about how we are living today. Much of the music is as relevant today as it was upon its release. Like the frontmen agreed, Forever Now is a turning point. It is a reintroduction to the genre into the 21st century, an exciting opportunity for generations to pass down what made their youth so special. It is an opportunity for young fans to finally see bands they grew up with.
Tickets for the festival are available now. Find them here and see the turning point of modern post-punk for yourself!
Eylem Boz
