Blitzkrieg Bops

A riotous look at the intersection of politics, protest, and punk—and what it means to turn to art for survival.

Since its inception, punk has defied convention. Angry, unruly, and driven by an anti-establishment ethos, it became a rebellion bound in leather and a fist raised against oppression.

Chronicling a brief history of punks at war, Blitzkrieg Bops studies those who have soundtracked resistance—from Stiff Little Fingers protesting the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the South African group National Wake defying apartheid, the Russian protest group Pussy Riot and the Ukrainian feminist punk band Death Pill standing up to Putin, to those fighting for a free Palestine to this day.

Through new interviews with these artists and by interrogating the record(s), journalist Alli Patton explores how punk’s charged lyrics and cathartic noise can inspire movements and fuel liberation. Their music challenges corrupt governments, confronts authoritarianism, and fights the establishment—often at great personal risk.