Punk Waltham Forest

Celebrating the history of punk music in the borough.

In 1975 Pete Stennett opened a shop at 162, Hoe Street in Walthamstow with his wife Mari, the now legendary Small Wonder Records. After seeing The Sex Pistols perform at Walthamstow Assembly Hall on 17 June 1976 he was inspired to start a label and transform the shop into the place to go for the latest new sounds of punk.

Punk Waltham Forest 2016 celebrates Small Wonder, marks the 40th anniversary of the Sex Pistols gig and raises awareness of the borough’s local punk heritage. The project is a part of Punk London a year-long celebration of 40 years of punk culture running across the capital.

NEXT EVENT UPDATED! - FRIDAY 11 NOVEMBER

Rubella Ballet & Noel Martin's Menace plus Filthy £ukre, Strum, County Hospital & Airdrop.

7.30pm - doors open. The Sinbin @ The Plough & Harrow, Leytonstone, E11 4JU in partnership with Horsemeat Sandwich.

Click here for tickets - £8 adv (including booking fee). £10 on the door.

Rubella Ballet and Noel Martin's Menace celebrate the launch of the Small Wonder Records exhibition in Leytonstone with this special gig at Leytonstone Ex-Servicemen's Club.

Rubella Ballet formed in 1979 when Crass invited their audience to use their equipment. The newly formed group then took to the road with Crass and the Poison Girls, quickly establishing a unique niche and standing out from the multitudes in black combat wear with their vibrant visual image. After reforming in the late 1990s, recent gigs have shown that their power continues undiminished, with an original, atmospheric black UV light show and performances that continue to defy stereotypes.

Noel Martin's Menace will be performing many Menace favourites including the seminal punk classic 'G.L.C.' that was released on the Small Wonder Record label.

More info - https://www.facebook.com/events/1116143405160114

SATURDAY 8 OCTOBER

"She's a Punk Rocker UK" - film screening and discussion with director Zillah Minx

2pm-4pm, Hale End Library, Castle Avenue, Highams Park E4 9QD

Click here for tickets - £5 adv (including booking fee)

She's a Punk Rocker UK explores the human stories behind the events that redefined youth culture and changed the social dynamics of British society. The women featured reveal insights into punk's anima, exposing aspects of the subculture that have been largely ignored or misrepresented by the media. Their personal oral histories recount their experiences of being a punk amid the backdrop of gigs, fashion, music, politics, friends, relationships and major events.

The established history of punk rock is a largely male-dominated representation of the era. She's a Punk Rocker UK redresses that imbalance, recounting events from the perspectives of punk women and recalling their pivotal roles within a dynamic movement that irreversibly changed the face of society, politics, art and music. Featuring a wide selection of interviewees from all sections of the subculture, She's a Punk Rocker UK represents the definitive history of punk from a female perspective.

Key interviewees include legendary music journalist and founder of the charity Releases, Caroline Coon; the late X-Ray Spex vocalist Poly Styrene, and former Adverts bassist Gaye Advert.

Director Zillah Minx is best known for her role as vocalist in the punk group Rubella Ballet.

See below for the full programme of punk related events running across the borough from September to November

Small Wonder Records - The Exhibition
Discover the legendary record label that brought us the debuts of Crass, The Cure, Bauhaus, The Cockney Rejects, The Cravats and many more and through their Hoe Street shop turned Walthamstow into one of THE destinations for fans of the emerging punk and post-punk sounds.

The exhibition is produced and curated by Neil Meads; BBC video journalist and music blogger - www.musiclikedirt.com - with curatorial support provided by Julia Spicer; curator, artist and DJ www.doloresrocket.com.

5th – 24th September – Hoe Street Central, 3 Central Parade, Hoe Street, E17 4RT

OPENING HOURS: Mon - Wed: 12 - 7pm
Thurs:(8th) 12 - 6pm / (15th & 22nd) 12 - 9pm Fri: (9th & 16th) 12 - 8pm / (23rd) 12 - 6pm Sat: 11am - 9pm Sun: 11am - 8pm

3rd – 22nd October – Hale End Library, Highams Park, E4 9QD
7th – 26th November – Leytonstone Library, Leytonstone, E11 1HG
www.facebook.com/SmallWonderE17
@smallwondere17

Friday 9th September Small Wonder Records – Live
With The Cravats and The Proles, both bands signed by the record label, and Small Wonder DJs.
Venue: Ye Olde Rose & Crown Theatre Pub, 55 Hoe Street, Walthamstow, E17 4SA
Time: 7-11pm
Tickets: £10 in advance (plus £1 online booking fee) / £14 on the door. For tickets: bit.ly/PunkWF.

Sunday 11th September Stow Film Lounge presents Radio On (Christopher Petit, 1979, Cert 18)
Venue: The Chequers, 145 High Street, London E17 7BX
Time: 7.30pm
Tickets: FREE. Limited to 50 places. To book your place: bit.ly/PunkWF.

Friday 16th September All revved up and ready to go: 1976 Punk’s Big Bang
We examine the conditions that created punk with a panel who swear they were there (and have the photographs to prove it).
Glen Matlock – bass guitarist in the Sex Pistols,
John Ingham - former manager of Generation X and the Go-Go's
Richard Boon - former manager of the Buzzcocks and founder of record label New Hormones
Moderated by Clinton Heylin, author of Anarchy in the Year Zero: The Sex Pistols, the Clash and the Class of '76.
Venue: Walthamstow Library, High St, Walthamstow E17 7JN
Time: 6-7pm
Tickets: £4 (plus £1 online booking fee). For tickets: bit.ly/PunkWF.

Saturday 17th September Pop-Up Punk Art School
Make your own punk-inspired DIY art with artist and curator, Ellie Pole and graphic designer and lecturer, Gillian Fielden.
Venue: Hoe Street Central, 3 Central Parade, Hoe Street, E17 4RT
Time: 11am-2pm (for families), 2.30-5.30pm (for adults)
Tickets: FREE. Limited to 16 places per session. To book your place: bit.ly/PunkWF.

Saturday 17th September Walthamstow Music History Walking Tour with local music historian, Mark Hart.
Meeting point: Hoe Street Central, 3 Central Parade, Hoe Street, E17 4RT
Time: 12pm (90 minutes approximately)
Tickets: FREE. Limited to 50 places per day.

Saturday 17th September Hitsville UK – The state of Independence, DIY and empowerment
From 1977 the UK experienced a massive creative upsurge in music served by a growing number of independent labels. Fashion, journalism and design thrived unshackled and female artists were at the forefront. We explore the period with;
Gina Birch – founding member of The Raincoats,
Richard Boon - former manager of the Buzzcocks and founder of record label New Hormones
Moderated by Mark Hart, Walthamstow Rock 'n' Roll Book Club.
Venue: Walthamstow Library, High St, Walthamstow E17 7JN
Time: 6–7pm
Tickets: £4 (plus £1 online booking fee). For tickets: bit.ly/PunkWF.

Saturday 17th September Guadalupe Plata, Pussycat and The Dirty Johnsons and The Wimmins’ Institute.
Three brilliant bands reinterpreting punk for today’s audiences.
Venue: Ye Olde Rose & Crown Theatre Pub, 55 Hoe Street, Walthamstow, E17 4SA
Time: 8pm
Tickets: £10 in advance (plus £1 online booking fee), £12 on the door. For tickets: bit.ly/PunkWF.

Sunday 18th September Walthamstow Music History Walking Tour with local music historian, Mark Hart.
Meeting point: Hoe Street Central, 3 Central Parade, Hoe Street, E17 4RT
Time: 12pm (90 minutes approximately)
Tickets: FREE. Limited to 50 places per day. To book your place: bit.ly/PunkWF.

Sunday 18th September Small Wonder Remembered.
Small Wonder Records celebrated by artists on the label and the fans. With:
Geoff Deane – screenwriter and former member of The Leyton Buzzards
The Shend - The Cravats
David Quantick – writer and broadcaster
Moderated by John Robb, from Goldblade and The Membranes and author of Punk Rock: An Oral History.
Venue: Vestry House Museum, Walthamstow, E17 9NH
Time: 3-4pm
Tickets: £4 (plus £1 online booking fee). For tickets: bit.ly/PunkWF.

Thursday 22nd September Stow Film Lounge presents Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976, Cert 18)
Venue: The Chequers, 145 High Street, London E17 7BX
Time: 7.30pm
Tickets: FREE. To book your place: bit.ly/PunkWF.