Issuepunkzine #135 has a great review of ‘The Fire Still Burns’ by David Gamage.
Neil Duncan has been reading the hefty collection of stories and inspirations from post-punk bands on Engineer Records and had this to say about the new book…
“I definitely consider any publication from Earth Island Books as being quality and being spot on regards PUNK and DIY. This latest release looks at the stories of 80 post-punk bands from all over and it includes so many that I know, that it’s been addictive reading. I have recently had a few long train rides, for which this book has been a perfect companion.
“For each band, there is a bit of back story, which could be interview style or the (former) band members telling it in their own words. The individual; stories might be fairly unique, but there is that common theme of how inspirational the music and the scene has been. Feels very much like a universal language, with people across the globe sharing some common values.
“And as you would expect, there are frequent references to bands, people and places beyond the 80 bands featured. It is inspirational; and amazing that all this has come about organically – there is no one person or organisation, ‘in charge’ – indeed such a concept would be anathema and a real buzz-kill. David has contributed so much to the scene in many different capacities, but grants himself no greater stature than the many other people involved.
“Whilst the book has had contributions from many different people, the shared love and enthusiasm for the music and comradery shines through and gives it the consistency you would expect from a single tale.
“It is a massive tome, over 700 pages, so I have not yet finished the whole thing and even when I do, it will be there on the shelf by my computer for me to dip into went I need a bit of inspiration and reassurance that there is some good in the world. (And I never even mentioned the many, many pictures, a lot of them in full colour!)”
You can pick up a copy of ‘The Fire Still Burns: Music inspired by the post-punk message’ here.
Comments