‘The New Musick’: Post Punk pt.1

On this week’s episode we return to 70s for the first of a mini-series on post-punk. A historical period, an unhelpful genre descriptor, a structure of feeling? Whatever it is, the guitar bands of the UK and NYC in 1978 were creating some serious music. Jeremy and Tim discuss where the term came from, what exactly the ‘punk’ it was following was, and some the music’s early proponents. With reference to The Slits, Wire, Talking Heads and more, we hear about the Hacienda, John Peel, Modernism and Mark E Smith. The guys unpack how funk and reggae were influencing bands like The Contortions in their experimentation with rhythm, visit the CBGB club in New York, and dispute received ideas about the division between punk and disco. Finally, we introduce a major character in out story over the coming months: Arthur Russell. Tracklist: The Slits - New Town (John Peel Session) Wire - I Am the Fly The Fall - Stepping Out Talking Heads - Tentative Decisions The Contortions - I Can’t Stand Myself Books: Simon Reynolds - Rip It Up and Start Again John Savage - ‘The New Musick’ in Time Travel

You can listen to ‘The New Musick’: Post Punk pt.1 online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

‘The New Musick’: Post Punk pt.1 is an episode from Love is the Message: Dance, Music and Counterculture by Love is the Message podcast.

This episode is 01:27:16 long.

This episode was published on Jan 28, 2026.

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