Suite101

Post-Punk Music

Jason C. Reeher

The post-punk era is often ignored by music critics. The focus of rock histories and television retrospectives is often on the punk years themselves and with good reason; punk forever changed rock music, and allowed true, rebellious rock and roll to become basic and non-commercialized once again.

This set the stage for a revolution: the post-punk years of 1978-1983. This rough five year period coincides with the beginnings of several important underground movements, including Gothic, Industrial, and, ultimately, New Wave.

But the post-punk bands, including the Cure, the Smiths, Public Image, and the criminally underexposed Joy Division, were in a class all their own. As the restrictive measures of punk, and all the cliched fashion statements it entailed, came to a close, post-punk groups took up the gauntlet. These exciting new bands used the DIY spirit to launch a more introspective, even gloomy, but still vibrant sound.

Come with me to explore the early '80's world of post-punk. If you know these bands already, you'll revel in their triumphs. If you have yet to discover this era, I envy you; the neophyte is sure to find a new favorite band among the visceral, seminal artists of the post-punk years.


latest articles
Post-Punk Music

Interpol: Joy Division-lite or Post Punk Superstars?

They sound more like Yo La Tengo or Luna than Joy Division. So why does everyone keep comparing Interpol to Ian Curtis? We've got the evidence at hand...

The 20 Greatest Post-Punk Artists of the 1980s

A list of 20 of the greats post-punk artists of the 1980s.

Test Your Post-Punk IQ

Many young bands, from Deftones to Interpol, claim to be influenced by the great artists of post-punk. But what do you really know about the groups of the late 1970s and early 1980s? We've got you covered here, with this post-punk IQ test.

Danceable Doom: Sisters Of Mercy

Sisters of Mercy took the dark mood of goth and added rich layers of keyboards, creating a new kind of "danceable doom." See how Andrew Eldritch, a bunch of session musicians and a drum machine became one of the greatest and most innovative of post-punk bands.

Bauhaus, Part Two

By the fall of 1982, the post-punk movement was in full swing. As gothic bands delivered new wave records from England to the United States, Bauhaus were trying to break out of the very genre they had created. To do so would involve a groaning creative shift within the band.

Bauhaus, Part One

Bauhaus are a towering legend in post punk rock and roll. But the band that invented goth also did far more, much to the chagrin of Peter Murphy's critics...and to the delight of Bauhaus' legion of fans.

Known Pleasures: Joy Division's Substance at the end of an era

As a companion to the New Order album of the same name from the previous year, the posthumous Joy Division record "Substance" collected singles and rarities from the band’s brief career, including several tracks from their early days, when they were known as Warsaw.

“Jonathan, Jonathan? We wanna know something.”

Jonathan Richman was one of the leading lights of the proto-punk movement. As the leader of the Modern Lovers, Richman hung with the Velvet Underground and Andy Warhol, and made barn-burning Lps with unforgettable, unhinged rockabilly-influenced songs like “Roadrunner” and “She Cracks.”

Days of the New...Who?

You’re probably wondering what second-wave grunge band Days of the New are doing in a series featuring post punk. Well, wonder no longer; I’ll explain it all, and how this unlikely band from Louisville, Kentucky invented a whole new genre.

New Order: Lowlife

Probably one of the most acclaimed albums of the post punk era, New Order’s 1985 LP, Lowlife, is also one of the best electronic rock albums of all time. As the band became more accessible - even chart-friendly - New Order’s sound and stark image continued to evolve, setting a template ...

view all articles

discussions
Post-Punk Music

THE 20 GREATEST POST-PUNK ARTISTS OF THE 1980S (3 msgs)

Danceable Doom: Sisters Of Mercy (1 msgs)

The Emperor Has No Clothes (1 msgs)

The punk era ends; post-punk is born (1 msgs)