A few years ago we had the privilege of sharing some of the concert footage that video artists Pat Ivers and Emily Armstrong compiled between 1977 and 1980, when New York’s punk and No Wave scenes were at their peak. Back then, NYU Fales Library had just acquired and was digitizing their vast Nightclubbing archive, comprised of 82 bands and 115 shows, and the filmmakers hooked us up with a trove of rare video and photos from one of the golden eras of NYC rock.
But let’s face it, when it comes to performances like The Cramps at Irving Plaza in 1979, Iggy Pop doing Frank Sinatra,
and Richard Hell tearing it up with the Voidoids nothing beats seeing (and hearing) em on the big screen. That’s why Anthology Film Archives screened them on a weekly basis back in 1980, and it’s why the series is once again returning to Anthology, this time with Q&As featuring the filmmakers along with members of Suicide, Patti Smith Group, and the Dead Boys.
Since there’s so much footage to choose from, the clips have helpfully been broken into seven different programs with themes like punk, new wave, no wave, interviews, fan favorites, plus entire performances by Suicide and The Dead Boys, during which Ivers and Armstrong will be joined by band members Martin Rev and Jeff Magnum, respectively.
Have a look at the full schedule. And please, no slamdanding in the aisles.
PROGRAM 1:
PUNK
Seminal performers like Iggy Pop, Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, Dead Kennedys, and Rocket from the Tombs anchor this exploration of hardcore music with rare early Bad Brains, and the Dead Boys.
NEW WAVE
In 1980, from Tokyo to Minneapolis, punk music was evolving to create New Wave. With a poppy, electronic sound, bands like The Plastics, The Suburbs, Ballistic Kisses, Bush Tetras, The Go-Go’s, Human Sexual Response, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Our Daughters Wedding, Pylon, and Strange Party embodied this musical shift.
Total running time: ca. 85 min.
Fri, July 14 at 8:00.
PROGRAM 2: SUICIDE
NEW YORK PREMIERE!
MARTIN REV IN PERSON!
Conventional wisdom tells us that punk began in 1975 or 76. Not for Suicide, a punk band since 1970. Innovators Alan Vega and Martin Rev put forth the model for the synth duos that went on to dominate the 80s – but with their own unmatched style and legendary use of drum machines, organs, and synths. Travel back in time with us for this SUICIDE LIVE show.
Followed by a Q&A with Martin Rev, from Suicide, as well as Pat Ivers and Emily Armstrong!
Total running time: ca. 45 min + Q&A.
Sat, July 15 at 8:00.
PROGRAM 3:
JAY DEE DAUGHERTY IN PERSON!
GREATEST HITS
This program hits the bases with the very best performances from fan faves like Divine, The Cramps, Richard Hell and the Voidoids, Levi and the Rockats, the Go-Go’s, and more.
INTERVIEWS
Culled from their collection of 25 interviews with musicians, writers, and scene makers, this program finds Ivers and Armstrong talking with Jay Dee Daugherty and Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith Group), Walter Lure (The Heartbreakers), James Chance (Contortions), Jeff Magnum and Cheetah Chrome (Dead Boys), and Richard Lloyd (Television).
Followed by a Q&A with Jay Dee Daugherty, from the Patti Smith Group, as well as Pat Ivers and Emily Armstrong!
Total running time: ca. 85 min.
Sun, July 16 at 5:45.
PROGRAM 4:
NO WAVE AND BEYOND
Not for the meek, this program features Downtown’s most cutting-edge artists, from Velvet Underground veteran John Cale on his Sabotage tour to rare footage of James Chance and the Contortions, and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks at the Paradise Garage in 1978. No Wave superstars DNA, the Lounge Lizards, and Sun Ra round out the noise fest.
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD BOYS
JEFF MAGNUM IN PERSON!
Join us for a program that features a legendary live concert by the Dead Boys at CBGB’s in 1977, at the height of their power! This is American punk at its most raw, honest, and urgent.
Followed by a Q&A with Jeff Magnum, from the Dead Boys, as well as Pat Ivers and Emily Armstrong!
Total running time: ca. 85 min.
Sun, July 16 at 8:00.