Normil Hawaiians live at DOK, August 25-26

To those of a certain vintage, the punk explosion that reverberated through music in the late 1970s remains more than just a memory. Among its main attributes were a DIY ethos that encouraged self-expression and musical innovation rather than aspiring for celebrity status (although bands like The Clash certainly achieved mainstream success.) Many of the free-spirited youths who were inspired to form bands and create their own music all those decades ago have refused to grow old gracefully and have kept on writing songs that say something about Britain as it is, still as divided as ever. Which brings us to Normil Hawaiians.

​Formed by musicians from various parts of England, Normil Hawaiians came together in the immediate post-punk period, a key moment in musical history. While the initial three-chord angst of early punk quickly became tired and cliched, the post-punk period ushered in wholesale experimentation. Normil Hawaiians certainly embodied this forward-looking spirit, and have touched many sonic bases during their on/off career, from earlier experiments with funk-tinged indie (reminiscent of Gang of Four or A Certain Ratio) and on into more psychedelic soundscapes.

DOK Artist Space will be hosting consecutive nights of live music by this unique collective on Friday 25th and Saturday 26th August. There will also be Performance Art, including spoken word by Rodney Relax. Two nights of eclectic and thought-provoking entertainment commence at 5pm.