Newly Discovered Punk Rock Photos London 1977-1978
/
In 1977, American photographer Greg Smith arrived in London and found himself an accidental eyewitness to the explosive punk rock movement taking over the city.
Smith soon became a fixture with his camera at legendary underground haunts like the 100 Club and The Marquee capturing the raw energy and anti-establishment spirit of London’s punk rock bands, including Adam and the Ants, The Slits, Generation X, and Crass.
Smith’s concert photographs and portraits of band members were published in Sounds and New Musical Express magazines. He then started doing shoots for Ritz newspaper, including a portrait session with John Waters.
Smith also photographed artists and filmmakers in London, including Don Letts in his flat and Derek Jarman at his loft and at the premiere of his movie, Jubilee.
After a year in London Smith's visa expired, forcing him to depart the UK. Arriving in New York, he found the American punk scene lacked the same confrontational, politically charged spirit as the London scene.
Dejected, Smith stopped photographing shows and put his nearly 3,500 punk rock negatives and contact sheets into storage until they resurfaced nearly 40 years later.
Global ImageWorks is in the process of onboarding Greg Smith’s London punk rock photos.