DOA (1980)

Essentially a documentary about the Sex Pistols' ill-fated US tour of 1978, DOA is much more than a rockumentary - it's also an insight into the bleak landscape of late 70s London.

Director Lech Kowalski filmed the Pistols as they toured the deep south of the US - the crowd, the hostility towards the band and the band themselves - in particular Sid Vicious. The film features the only interview in existence with Sid and Nancy - don't expect any deep insights into their relationship - both seem unable to stay awake, let alone string together a coherent sentence. But elsewhere, there's some great live footage, a bored Rotten (obviously sensing the end in sight) and some (pretty forgettable) interviews with American punk fashionistas of the era.

But this isn't just a Sex Pistols film, it's a film on punk - and the world from which it emerged. Cut into the Pistols footage is a cross section of bands that followed in their wake - Generation X, The Dead Boys, X-Ray Spex and Sham 69. But best of all there's Terry and the Idiots. Apparently, Kowalski got lost on the way to Kings Road, ended up in Hackney and met Terry - an unemployed loser with a newly-formed punk band. Enjoy the band's first gig in the local (the Golden Shoe), watch him get a pint poured on him - then imagine the same thing happening all over the country, as punk bands sprung up in every city - most as bad as Terry and the Idiots, but all with dreams of using punk as a way out of their dull existence.

But that's not all - we get pictures of derelict London in the 70s, violence at National Front marches and of course, footage of the establishment (and Mary Whitehouse) decrying the foul-mouthed youths. It's all too easy to forget the impact of punk, with the word gradually being watered down over the years. Yet, with the possible exception of rave, no music-based movement has ever hit at the core of society as punk did when it burst into the public eye in 1976 - and the reason why DOA is still worth watching today is because it doesn't just show a couple of bands and a few strange haircuts - it shows this fear and the desolate environment that created punk.

However, before you rush out with your credit card, there's some bad news. This isn't currently available to buy. My copy is an old VHS tape - you might find a similar one on eBay or your local car boot sale. And if you do, my advice is to pick it up - even if you don't like punk, you'll find it entertaining and a great record of a bygone era.

Comments

[Terry Sylvester]

I think your comments about Terry & The Idiots are out of order. We should have been massive. We were much better than themost overrated overhyped band ever the Sex Pistols!

[frankenfag]

Great review, definitive punk doc.

@Terry "we should have been massive"

so what held you back?

[Terry Sylvester]

Frankenfag, what held us back? What do ou think held us back you nugget! we hasd every girl in the Mead throwing themselves at us!