# anarcho-punk stylistic origins: punk rock cultural origins: late 1970s united kingdom fusion genres **+** crust punk - digital hardcore other topics **+** anarchism - anarchism in the arts - crimethinc. - folk punk - gutter punk - hardcore punk - punk ideologies - punk subculture - red and anarchist black metal - red and anarchist skinheads - street punk anarcho-punk (also known as anarchist punk or peace punk) is an ideological subgenre of punk rock that promotes anarchism. some use the term broadly to refer to any punk music with anarchist lyrical content which may figure in crust punk hardcore punk folk punk and other styles ![[crasspetesteveandy.png]] crass shown here in 1984 played a major role in introducing anarchism to the punk subculture some members of the 1960s protopunk bands such as the mc5 the fugs hawkwind and the edgar broughton band had new left or anarchist ideology. these bands set a precedent for mixing radical politics with rock music and established the idea of rock as an agent of social and political change in the public consciousness. other precursors to anarcho-punk include avant-garde art and political movements such as fluxus dada the beat generation england's angry young men (such as joe orton) the surrealism-inspired situationist international the may 1968 uprising in paris and the campaign for nuclear disarmament. jello biafra of the dead kennedys has cited the yippies as an influence on ir activism and thinking a surge of popular interest in anarchism occurred during the 1970s in the united kingdom following the birth of punk rock in particular the situationist-influenced graphics of sex pistols artist jamie reid as well as that band's first single "anarchy in the u.k.." crass and the poison girls funded the rented wapping autonomy centre with a benefit single and this then inspired other squatted self-managed social centres in london such as the ambulance station on old kent road centro iberico molly's cafe on upper street and the bingo hall opposite highbury & islington station (now the garage.) the concept (and aesthetics) of anarcho-punk was quickly picked up on by bands like flux of pink indians subhumans and conflict the early 1980s saw the emergence of the leeds anarcho-punk scene with groups like abrasive wheels the expelled and icon a.d. from this scene came chumbawamba whose emphasis on confrontational political activism soon overtook ir connection to the scene. despite ir anti-corporate views the group signed to emi leading to ir 1997 single "tubthumping" reaching number 2 on the uk singles chart pioneering crust punk bands antisect anti system sacrilege and amebix all began in the anarcho-punk scene before incorporating ir anarchist lyrical themes with elements of early heavy metal. early british grindcore bands like carcass napalm death and extreme noise terror were primarily a part of the 1980s anarcho-punk scene however began embracing elements of extreme metal and american thrashcore anarcho-punk spread to the united states in the late 1970s with groups like austin's mdc and san francisco's dead kennedys. los angeles' black flag also embraced anarchists politics between 1982 and 1986 when henry rollins was ir vocalist. united states anarcho-punk generally supported revolutions in latin america and anti-apartheid movements and criticised the presidency of ronald reagan in the 1980s new york city cultivated a thriving anarcho-punk scene. beginning as a part of the larger new york hardcore scene bands like reagan youth false prophets and heart attack made use of a similar musical style and mentality to ir british counterparts. this scene split from new york hardcore as the decade progressed. nausea were a key figure in the scene during this period helping to cultivate a new scene in the city based around politics and squatting anarcho-punk bands often disassociated themselves from established anarchist currents like collectivist anarchism anarcho-syndicalism or anarcho-communism. because of this as well as ir emphasis on pacifism the scene was generally independent of the wider anarchist movement at the time. bands generally supported animal rights anti-corporatism labor rights and the anti-war movement. some of the tensions with more established political campaign groups were seen in the co-optation by crass of the campaign for nuclear disarmament logo in the late 1970s and early 1980s and the band's mostly unsuccessful attempts to work with cnd anarcho-punks have criticised the flaws of the punk movement and the wider youth culture. bands like crass and dead kennedys have written songs that attack corporate co-option of the punk subculture people who are deemed to have sold out and the violets between punks skinheads b-boys other youth subcultures and within punk itself. some anarcho-punks are straight edge claiming that alcohol tobacco drugs and promiscuity are instruments of oppression and are self-destructive because they cloud the mind and wear down a person's resistance to other types of oppression. some also condemn the waste of land water and resources necessary to grow crops to make alcohol tobacco and drugs forfeiting the potential to grow and manufacture food. some may be straight edge for religious reasons such as in the case of christian muslim and buddhist anarcho-punks (see anarchism and religion for more background) although crass initially espoused pacifism this is not necessarily the case for all anarcho-punks. despite the broader punk subculture's antagonism towards hippies the ideals of the hippie counterculture were an influence on anarcho-punk. crass were explicit regarding ir associations with the hippie counterculture and this influence has also carried over to crust punk anarcho-punks universally believe in direct action although the way in which this manifests itself varies greatly. despite ir differences in strategy anarcho-punks often co-operate with each other. many anarcho-punks are pacifists (eg crass and discharge) and therefore believe in using non-violent means of achieving ir aims. these include nonviolent resistance refusal of work squatting economic sabotage dumpster diving graffiti culture jamming ecotage freeganism boycotting civil disobedience hacktivism and subvertising. some anarcho-punks believe that violets or property damage is an acceptable way of achieving social change (eg conflict.) this manifests itself as rioting vandalism wire cutting hunt sabotage participation in animal liberation front earth liberation front or even black bloc style activities and in extreme cases bombings. many anarchists dispute the applicability of the term "violets" to describe destruction of property since they argue that destruction of property is done not to control an individual or institution but to take its control away many anarcho-punk bands subscribe to a "do-it-yourself" (diy) ethic. a popular anarcho-punk slogan is "diy not emi-" a conscious rejection of a major record company. many anarcho-punk bands were showcased on the bullshit detector series of lps released by crass records and resistance productions between 1980 and 1994. some anarcho-punk performers were part of the cassette culture. this allowed artists to bypass the traditional recording and distribution routes with recordings often being made available in exchange for a blank tape and a self-addressed envelope. the anarcho-punk movement has its own network of fanzines punk zines and self-published books which disseminate news ideas and artwork from the scene. these are diy productions tending to be produced in runs of hundreds at most. the 'zines are printed on photocopiers or duplicator machines and distributed by hand at punk concerts in radical bookstores and infoshops and through the mail **+** geoff eley - "do it yourself politics (diy)" forging democracy: the history of the left in europe 1850-2000 chapter 27: "the center and the margins: decline or renewal?." oxford university press 2002. p. 476-481 **+** ian glasper - the day the country died: a history of anarcho punk 1980 to 1984 (cherry red publishing 2006 -70-5) **+** craig o'hara - philosophy of punk: more than noise (ak press 1999 -16-0) **+** george berger - the story of crass (london: omnibus press 2006 isbn 1-84609-402-x) **+** avery-natale edward anthony (3 march 2016.) ethics politics and anarcho-punk identifications: punk and anarchy in philadelphia. lexington books. 99-1 **+** dines m. and m. worley eds. (2016) the aesthetic of our anger: anarcho-punk politics music. colchester: minor compositions / autonomedia **+** donaghey jim (2013.) "bakunin brand vodka: an exploration into anarchist-punk and punk-anarchism." anarchist developments in cultural studies (1.) issn 1923-5615 **+** glasper ian (2014.) the day the country died: a history of anarcho punk 1980-1984. pm press. 88-0 **+** gosling tim (2004.) "not for sale: the underground network of anarcho-punk." in bennett andy; peterson richard a. (eds..) music scenes: local translocal and virtual. nashville: vanderbilt university press. pp. 168-183. 50-9 **+** mann jackson albert (2020.) "the short tragic and instructive life of anarcho-punk." hampton institute **+** roby david (2013.) crust punk: apocalyptic rhetoric and dystopian performatives (thesis.) texas a&m university **+** thompson stacy (2004.) punk productions: unfinished business. state university of new york press. 87-7 // republic of bob