Throughout the 70s and 80s, photographer Graham Smith captured the unique scene of the London Punks.
of 60s hippie culture and the impossibility of a beautiful, happy paradise. This pessimistic attitude bonded with the commercialization of taboo Rock and Roll music had spawned groups of leather-clad youth with a distinct distaste for “the man,� or authority and the establishment. The Punks were iconoclastic, drastically against mainstream media and society, and strove to deface mainstream figures and values. Although nihilistic, there also came with it a sense of self-reliance and freedom to those involved in the movement. Despite being branded as troublemakers and rabble rousers, some individuals truly discovered a sense of home and belonging in the subculture. It had a large shock factor in the 70s, including the music, how people dressed, and the subject matter and crude design qualities. Punk art spread by word of mouth or self-made print, or sometimes even the mainstream media itself.