Think back to a time of mugs of Bovril, Thatcher, and lovely mustard-coloured jumpers. It’s the year of our Lord 1976, and despite a bleak political climate, British post-punk is a bubbling creative cauldron, positively overflowing with artists like Wire, The Fall, Cabaret Voltaire, and, of course, Newcastle’s very own musical madmen, Punishment of Luxury.
Formed by radical theatre actors Brian Bond, Neville Luxury, Red Helmet, Les Denham, and Jimi Giro, Punilux began making avant-garde, ahead-of-its-time post-punk music together in a Gateshead basement. Their live shows soon became infamous for their theatrical flair – featuring light shows, masks, and outlandish costumes. But behind the eccentric visuals were biting, intelligent lyrics. Frontman Brian Bond painted lurid lyrical portraits of protest against Orwellian surveillance, Western capitalism, and racism.
“The time is right to sow the seed of change into the Euromind,” he hollers in the satirical Oi! track ‘All White Jack’ – a song that caught the rabid attention of the National Front, who were too thick to realise the band were mocking them.
Punishment of Luxury also caught the attention of the late, great John Peel, who championed their debut single ‘Puppet Life’, released through the independent label Small Wonder in 1978. Their Peel Session – which still holds up brilliantly – is available online on a certain well-known video platform.
Their first studio album, ‘Laughing Academy’, was released via United Artists, and by 1979, the band found themselves onstage at Reading Festival, sandwiched between The Cure and The Tourists. Unfortunately, following the label’s takeover by EMI, the band were dropped. They went on to release a second album in 1983 amid changing line-ups before disbanding.
Fast forward to 2009, and Punishment of Luxury reunited for a homecoming gig at The Three Tuns in Gateshead. Tickets sold out almost immediately – much to the band’s surprise – and they’ve continued to perform together ever since.
Now, 51 years after they first started their crusade, you can experience a slice of post-punk history as Punishment of Luxury return to the stage at The Georgian Theatre in Stockton, thanks to Big Figure Promotions. Expect theatre, protest, and a sound that still feels way ahead of its time.
Well, they do say old punks never die.
Tickets, priced at £15.00 in advance, are available at georgiantheatre.co.uk.
