I recently went to the launch of Punk 1976-78 at the British Library – and had an absolutely fantastic night! 
Very much enjoyed the speakers and seeing good friends there. However, I think the most bizarre thing for me about the night was a huge PA stacked up on their hallowed marble floors and blasting out ‘I wanna be your dog’ by the Stooges….
The evening was a fantastic juxtaposition of The Damned, Clash, Pistols, Adverts, etc, within a temple of learning! Eventually lots of dancing ensued, a beer or two thrown about and a Sniffin Glue writer was attacked by a tablecloth and spent hours dancing with it. All good fun and captured for posterity on film…
The exhibition was fairly comprehensive too – but a glaring omission – virtually nothing on The Roxy, the most important punk club of them all and very little on women musicians that came to prominence in Punk bands. Where were the Slits?!
However, the evening was a blast – and thank you British Library for a really great and memorable event!
The team that brought you the back-building of No.6 Denmark Street – and having a bit of a celebratory drink…! Henry Scott-Irvine, myself and Alistair Choat Esq. with the lovely Anne Engebretsen…
As one of the British Library development team told me, ‘It’s a lot more lively tonight than the recent Shakespeare launch…..!’
For more photos from the Punk 1976-78 launch, visit the British Library Facebook page