“Punk is musical freedom. It’s saying, doing and playing what you want. In Webster’s terms, ‘nirvana’ means freedom from pain, suffering and the external world, and that’s pretty close to my definition of Punk Rock.” Kurt Cobain
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The beginning of punk rock is often furiously debated. This is partially because everyone has different definition of punk rock, and partially because its foundation stones are found in several places.
The first concrete punk rock (often shortened to punk) scene appeared in the mid ’70s in New York. Bands like The Ramones, Wayne County, Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, Blondie and the Talking Heads are pioneers of punk rock. The bands were unified by their location, solidarity, and shared musical influences. They created fast, hard-edged music, typically with short songs, stripped-down instrumentation, and often political, anti-establishment lyrics.
Typical punk rock instrumentation includes one or two electric guitars, an electric bass, and a drum kit, along with vocals. Punk rock songs tend to be shorter than those of other popular genres—on the Ramones’ debut album, for instance, half of the fourteen tracks are under two minutes long.
Punk rock lyrics are typically frank and provoking; compared to the lyrics of other popular music genres, they frequently comment on social and political issues. Punk’s legacy lies in its introduction of self employment and activism. Trend-setting songs such as The Clash’s ‘Career Opportunities’ and Chelsea’s ‘Right to Work’ deal with unemployment and the grim realities of urban life.
By the late ’70s, punk had finished its beginning and had emerged as a solid musical force. With its rise in popularity, punk began to split into numerous sub-genres. A number of overlapping punk rock subgenres have developed since the emergence of punk rock in the mid 1970s. Even though punk genres at times are difficult to segregate, they usually show differing characteristics in overall structures, instrumental and vocal styles, and tempo. However, sometimes a particular trait is common in several genres, and thus punk genres are normally grouped by a combination of traits and twee.
Punk Rock also introduced punk fashion which is very popular till date. It includes tattoos, piercings, metal-studded and -spiked accessories, bright colored funky hair styles. Punk fashion is extremely popular among both musicians and fans.
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