Punk Days
The Vivid, unique autobiographical story of a poor mixed-race kid in ‘70s London, who finds liberation in Punk Rock
A one person show written and performed by Hassan Mahamdallie. Punk Days is the vivid, unique autobiographical story of a poor mixed race kid growing up in a grim ‘70s London plagued by extreme racism, who finds liberation in Punk Rock that detonated a youth rebellion against a rotten society that promised no future for its new generation, only stifling social control and rancid dreams of past glories long dead.
There is no future
In England’s dreaming
Don’t be told what you want to want to
And don’t be told what you want to
need. There’s no future, no future
No future for you.
It was the summer of ’77 and I was a rebellious 16 year old: the Labour government was on the rocks, the Nazi National Front was on the rise, and the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebrations were rudely undermined when the Sex Pistols’ ‘God Save the Queen’ went to the top of the charts, and was promptly banned by the BBC. The Pistols’ ‘Anarchy in the UK’ exploded like a depth charge, blowing accepted musical rules out of the water. The Clash’s debut single ‘White Riot’ pointed us to a different future. But what exactly was a White Riot? Wasn’t that what the Enoch brigade and NF thugs would like to do to us given half a chance?
‘There I was waiting for the band to come on I was surrounded by hundreds of Sieg-Heiling skinheads. Then Sham 69 leapt on stage, and the Hitler chants reached a frenzy, drowning out the opening song. Behind me there was an almighty crash, as the bouncers threw a skin through the entrance-hall’s plate glass doors. All hell broke loose’
For more information, please contact Isobel Hawson isobelhawson@me.com or download the show pack
