Free Exhibitions at the Arts Santa Mònica: The London Punk Tapes

Another riveting review…

This week it’s your last chance to visit the sordid underworld of seventies London. On Barcelona’s most famous street (La Rambla) the Arts Santa Mònica museum is showings the last days of their free exhibition ‘The London Punk Tapes’, which comes to a peaceful end on the 26th of September.

I finally made it to this gem yesterday. With no expectations or per judgments I popped into the Arts Santa Mònica to have a quick look at this highly talked of audio visual exhibition. During my stay in Barcelona I’ve learnt to expect the unexpected (especially in the context of art), so I was ready and waiting for obscure, sexual and vulgar images to flash past my eyes. I love real art and I must admit I do have a small soft spot for picturesque vulgarity. I read the synopsis and had the parental guidance sign kindly pointed out to me before entering the sound proof box, but nothing quite prepared me for the enchanting filth I was about to play victim to…

I absolutely loved it!

The exhibition is an audio visual concoction of sound, film and photography, be prepared for the notorious Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Damned, Subway Sect, Billy Idol & Generation X, The Slits, and The Buzzcocks to blow you ear drums and dilate your pupils. Jordi Valls recorded some of the first live British punk concerts on audio cassettes between 1976 and 1977, the images and sounds have been brought together by Franc Aleu-Urano Films. Capturing the breakout and infestation of this anarchist movement these historical early punk gigs tell the story of how this rebellion youth changed the face of popular music and dominated the charts and fashion throughout the decade.

Find out more… Watch this. But remember you’ve been warned.

The London Punk Tapes