Following on from the last post, we've also recently taken on amateur 8mm footage shot by Canadian Jack Kiljan during his visits to London between 1977-1980. Jack was an enthusiast for all aspects of UK culture from theatre and films to punk rock. Much of his films focus on London's Soho and Piccadilly Circus where he shot graffiti, newspaper headlines, band posters and signs for films and shows with an almost obsessive attention to detail creating a cultural timecapsule back to the days of seedy Soho, The Great Rock n Roll Swindle, The Slits and The Empire Strikes Back:
Whilst in London, Jack also visited and filmed various gigs at venues such as the Marquee Club in Soho, the Roundhouse and also larger music festivals including the Chelmsford Punk Rock Festival and Rock Against Racism in the late 1970s. Positioned in the the audience, Jack captured performances from famous artists like The Boomtown Rats and Elvis Costello, plus more underground acts such as Slaughter and the Dogs. His eye was also often drawn to the punks he encountered at gigs and on central london streets, giving a view of the subculture which veers between the familiarity afforded by being a fellow punk rock fan and the strange detachment of experiencing first hand a foreign culture that he'd, until then, only been able to admire from afar:
As with Captain Zip, the amateur quality of the footage not only lends it an intimacy but also fits well the with unpolished punk aesthetic. Having been locked away in film cans for years, this footage has never been broadcast, giving viewers a new glimpse of an era in UK culture which holds enduring appeal to programme makers and music fans alike.
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