Punk Off - The Sounds of Punk and New Wave, Dominion Theatre Review
Written by Cathie for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Rebel rebel how could they know? Just how long Punk and New Wave will live in your soul? Directed with passion by Ged Graham and a fabulous selection of songs chosen and arrayed by music director Adam Evans this show showcases the best and most memorable of the Punk era. The show is a loose narration of the origins and rise of the Punk and New Wave movement in concert form. We see the humble beginnings to the mighty rise of Punk in the charts through the eyes of music, fashion and dancing.
There is an impressive array of songs played with bands covered including The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Smiths, Elvis Costello, Blondie and many more. Songs that received particularly loud cheers included ‘Rebel Rebel’, ‘Cool For Cards’, ‘God Save The Queen’, ‘Hanging On The Telephone’ and many more. Throughout the show, we are guided by fierce and proud narrator Kevin Kennedy, whose direct lines and pride in all the punk movement achieved received rallying cries from many in the audience. He keeps the premise and information simple but this style is what works so well to make the show a great trip down memory lane without any distractions.
The musicians ( Adam Evans, Reece Davies, Lazy Violet, Ric Yardborough, Phil Sherlock) are all absolutely incredible to watch perform on stage. It’s clear to see that they put their heart and soul on stage to honour those past musicians as much as possible and are having a rollicking time whilst doing so. The performance had passionately high energy for the entire night and the entire audience danced along for the last few songs. They are also supported by dancers Louisa Clark and Joshua Fowler. Their renditions of the classic punk moves and truly fabulous choreography by Clark are magnetic to watch and really add fun and style to the energy of the show.
The set design (se7ven productions) is a simple band stage with an image of Camden lock rail bridge and several facsimiles of doors and windows bracketing either side of the set. This simple design works well to evoke the feeling of a punk concert and keeps the focus on the music. The audience on the night I attended was mostly mature theatregoers who were happily cheering along as they roundly remembered the music of their youth. However, while the show is clearly geared towards the generation that grew up in the 1970s the show is easily accessible enough that younger audience members will enjoy it just as much as the others.
This tongue in cheek homage to punk is the perfect night out for remembering the highs and lows of the Punk way of life with fondness and warm nostalgia. If you are a lover of punk music, want to relive your youth or just like a night out at the theatre with a fabulous band belting out continuous hits then this is the show for you.
★ ★ ★ ★
