Spike Waltzer documented the Punk, SKA and New Wave in Los Angeles between 1978-1980, photographing artists including Blondie, John Lydon & PiL, The Clash, Madness, The Specials, Patti Smith and many more.
An exhibition at COAG, curated by Jason Bick, with proceeds going to Big Issue, accompanied a new book, Picture This: A Public Image, which features Waltzer’s photographs alongside essays from LA-based music journalist Don Snowden.
My big issue
For me, punk was always about creating space for voices that were ignored or marginalised – whether on stage, in the crowd, or through photography. My big issue is showing that creativity and rebellion aren’t just aesthetics; they’re ways of responding to the world. Through my work and events, I want to highlight communities and ideas that might otherwise get overlooked.
My most punk moment
Honestly, it’s less about a single moment of chaos and more about times when everything felt raw and uncontrolled – like being in a packed, sweaty mosh pit at my first punk show, or playing in a punk band in Miami back in 1979. Punk was never controlled nor polished; the best moments happened when spontaneity and risk took over.
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What role does art play in wider socio-political conversations?
Photography, like punk, has always been about truth in motion. My work captures people on their own terms, without filters or ceremony, showing the world as it actually is – chaotic, challenging, human. It invites reflection: who gets to be seen, whose voice matters, and what happens when people refuse to stay quiet. It’s not just about nostalgia – it’s about reminding people that culture, protest, and resistance are ongoing. Punk, and my photography alongside it, has always been a reminder that the personal and the political collide in the spaces we create, and my art aims to connect audiences with that energy, provoking thought, participation, and dialogue.
DEBBIE HARRY
Image: Spike Waltzer
Don Snowden: “Blondie were willing to play along for laughs some of the time. In fact, by the time they rolled into Spike’s camera range atop an armoured tank, they were full-fledged pop stars” .
THE SPECIALS
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Image: Spike Waltzer
Coventry’s finest brought 2-Tone to LA in February 1980, when they played three shows at the Whisky a GoGo.
DS: “The Clash played a vital part in the LA scene story… live, they were everything everyone hoped they would be”.
JOHN LYDON
Image: Spike Waltzer
The Olympic, 4 May 1980. DS: “Olympic Auditorium in downtown LA was primarily known for hosting boxing and wrestling cards, perhaps a fitting scenario for the initial stages of the moshpit era, captured by Spike’s camera here”.
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X
Image: Spike Waltzer
Whisky a Go-Go, April 1980. DS: “X was the flagship band of the LA scene, the one who grew into the indisputable force that weathered the most head-on resistance from the music industry and broke down the barriers”.
THE UNDERTONES
Image: Spike Waltzer
With their single My Perfect Cousin and second album Hypnotised riding high in the UK charts, The Undertones embarked on their second US tour, including a show at the Whisky in July 1980.
PATTI SMITH
Image: Spike Waltzer
The high priestess of punk captured by Spike.
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