Top 10 British Punk Bands
Some say punk music was born in the UK. From the Sex Pistols to the Clash, Britain boasts some of the greatest punk bands ever to grace the stage. For this list we're counting down the best of the best, and taking a look at the greatest British punk bands in history. Expect hardcore anthems, multi-coloured mohawks, fashion statements and angry lyrics. The Damned, Buzzcocks, The Adverts, Stiff Little Fingers, Crass... They're all in with a fighting chance for today's top 10.
Special thanks to our user Freemantle_uk for submitting the idea on our interactive suggestion tool: WatchMojo.com/suggest
00:29 #10. The Adicts
01:15 #9. Stiff Little Fingers
02:18 #8. The Jam
03:18 #7. XRay Spex
04:17 #6. The Adverts
05:19 #5. Crass
06:12 #4. Buzzcocks
07:15 #3, #2, #1: ???
Crass is definitely my favorite band ever!
No Discharge?! They were the progenitors of d-beat, crust, powerviolence, and grindcore! Massively influential.
Agreed!
Damn right, Discharge is an innovator and helped form a few new genres from their badass hardcore punk
In 76/77/78 - the height of British Punk - The Stranglers were at the forefront. Rattus, No More Heroes and Black & White are classic albums.... threatening, confrontational and menacing. Punk at its finest.
People were skeptical about this channel but it's so far blowing the main channel out of the water. As a punk/hardcore fan, this is one of the best videos I've seen in a while! However, this list is badly missing any Oi! bands bar the Sham 69 mention (Cock Sparrer, Cockney Rejects, The Last Resort..). Maybe you should do an Oi! only list, even on the main channel to include European Oi bands.
millerhxc totally agree where are Sparrer + Exploited on that list you can't have a top 10 without them.
But Discharge, and Charged GBH should have made the list.
millerhxc Same
Oi! is awesome but the lack of the exploited is confusing... Be it uk82(uk crossover thrash) they're still an awesome band and should have been on here!
Let's not forget the Business, Angelic Upstarts or the single greatest OI band ever....BLITZ!
I can’t believe The Stranglers didn’t get a mention. Again they don’t get the recognition they deserve, absolutely fantastic band with some phenomenal studio albums, seen them live quiet a few times and they have always been brilliant. I’ve come out of the gigs buzzing from their amazing playing and performance. My all time favourite band. 🖤❤️
I love the Stranglers, but they weren’t a punk band. They started in 1974, they were a lot older than the punks. They were just aggressive and jumped on the bandwagon.
They don’t get a mention . Because the person Who put this list together is an absolute idiot
@@philipstockdale1335 They always sounded pretty damn punk to me!
@@philipstockdale1335 Yet the Jam are punk? But you are correct the lads where more pub rock new wave.
@@philipstockdale1335 They started the Punk movement .
The Northern Irish punk scene was brilliant and underrated. No Undertones, Rudi or Outcasts!
Check out the Vinyl Richie video Top Ten UK Punk Albums.
I'm from US and the Clash was the first punk band I've listened to. ...now I'm forming a band myself \m/
how is the band going?
UK Subs and The Fall deserved to be mentioned.
Here's my top-ten: #1: The Clash #1.5: Discharge #2: Exploited #3: Pistols #4: Stranglers #5: SLF #6: X-Ray Spex #7: GBH #8: Blitz #9: Anti-Nowhere League #10: The Partisans (on the strength of 'Police Story' alone )
I don't usually think of The Jam as a Punk band. I think of them more as a Mod Rock band.
David Jackson maybe post punk?
David Jackson....One can argue endlessly about the Jam being either a punk band or a mod revival band. To my ears their first two albums are punky. After that, certainly not
The Jam lean towards pop punk more than punk rock, I would still class them as proper punk though.
David Jackson yep, they weren't punk (Weller would LOVE ta hear his music classed as punk haha) you're spot on it was Mod music. Mods and punks are the complete opposite. Big up The Undertones!!!
Hunyadi János thanks mate, never knew that about them.Quite amazed.
I've been waiting for this post for soooooo looooong
same
Your lack of mentioning UK punk legends GBH, The Exploited, and Discharge is really disappointing
jordancivic96 Siouxie Soux and the Banshees The Stranglers Tubeway Army didn't have them either
Totally agree JC85, could add Disorder in there too.......
gbh is my favorite
Chelsea
Punk was more mid 70s to 77 those bands brought back the rawness of punk but wasnt the punk genre but a spinoff. Oi!
As one of the young punks of the scene it’s amazing to see how punk is still going nearly 50 years later. Even if the mainstream media turned away from punk in the mid 80s, It’s still very much alive and well in the underground where it’s supposed to be!
So glad this channel exists
. 🙏🙏🙏
LittleBenjiPlays 2 the only channel with watch mojo to mention the stone roses in more than one video
No Gen X, Lurkers, Siouxsie, Vibrators?
also no Chelsea, UK Subs, Wire, Magazine, Gang of Four, Spizzenergi, The Other Ones, Peter and the Test Tube Babies etc. pp. there were just so many...
Also the ruts deserved to be on the list not a "honorable mention"
Anti Nowhere League really should be on here. The most underrated band to come out of England
Dude, fuck yeah. People are sleeping on gold.
They were a joke, and a shit one at that
Check out the Vinyl Richie video Top Ten UK Punk Albums.
So fucking what!
bloody half metal group! (how many"o"'s in bloody?)
I was glad to see Crass get mentioned; most sites ignore them. I would have also liked to have seen Poison Girls here.
My dad showed me the buzzcocks and I still listen to them
Alright...this is the best list put out so far. My only question is where are the Stranglers? No More Heroes is as punk as it gets! Besides nice and sleazy does it!😜
Big faves of mine at the time. And they were there at the start. Not true Punk - but neither were some of these. Their early stuff before punk was very weird check it out, lol.
@@martinpepperell8424 Will do. Thank you for the suggestion.
The Clash as number one its the only and obvious choice, but the Undertones, The Stranglers and Sham 69 should be in the list without a doubt!!!
My mum was a punk in her youth and still very much to her soul today. Back in her youth she had a purple mohican, diamond nose stud. Moved out at 18 and pretty much as angry as you can get, very much f**K the establishment and police, later turned hippie/punk . My late uncle John was a punk in his youth too . My mum was born in 1961, my uncle was born in 1967. A lot of her music she listened to in her youth I ended up getting into later on in my twenties. I still have my uncles The ramones shirt from his youth which I wear sometimes. My uncle was very much into the Ramones whom I currently dabbling in the music of My mum is still a fan of the sex pistols and owned a lot of their merch, this is on my to do list Much like my mother I became a fan of the clash all too quickly, like mother, like daughter, like uncle. She also loved David Bowie/Ziggy stardust and Echo and the Bunnymen The Buzzcocks The undertones If I've missed any I apologize, these are just some of the bands my mother liked that come to mind. The ones I've been raised on that I am still dabbling in or enjoy.
THE DAMNED!!! 1!!!!!!
Okay, since when were The Jam influenced by Prog Rock? They got their influences from sixties R'n'B, soul, ska, and bands like the Small Faces, The Who and The Kinks. Also, Paul Weller has repeatedly stated that he couldn't stand Prog Rock bands, and the stadium rock of the seventies.
The jam is one of Britain’s greatest bands
Can't argue with that.
The Cure- post punk band.
But the jam is not punk
@@jimmythegentconway8690 how
Mods
Surprised Siouxsie and the Banshees wasn't on this list.
This channel always forgets about Sioxsie for some reason, bullocks!
She's more of a Goth / New Wave artist
Emilie Hofer Is she fuck. Do some research
+Emily Hoferm Sorry to deny you, but she herself would never identify as such, the song Hong Kong Garden and their debut álbum The Scream is an icon of the post punk movement.
Emilie Hofer www.theguardian.com/music/2005/sep/24/popandrock.siouxsieandthebanshees There are loads of academic and non-academic articles that recognise her as one of the most influential women in punk alongside Bikini Kill
Heres my list of bands I saw live from 78 onwards... 1. Sex Pistols. 2. Clash. 3. Stiff Little Fingers. 4. Sham 69. 5. Stranglers 6. The Professionals. 7. 999 8. The Damned. 9. Generation X 10. The Slits.
no Buzzcocks?
@@1985cactus YEAH WHERE TF IS BUZZCOCKS
man i am so close to you, but without doubt No1 is The Clash. By far.
@@1985cactus I didn't see them live.
@@paulhank7967 Sorry, misread the post. My bad.
Where were the Stranglers in all that? How could you miss them out!
Agree 100% - Being a yank I was not familiar with some of these bands, but thought overall good choices. The Stranglers not being included is a big miss though.
OMG I love The Clash❤️
Leftist lib shits
The Stranglers?
Gus Webb No The Stranglers No The Undertones No Siouxie and the Banshees and No Tubeway Army (my favourite) they only go for the ones most people know rather than the Underrated ones
At the time people thought members of the stranglers were too old to be a punk band so were classed as a new wave band same happened with Tom Robinson Band. In retro spec most people do class them as a punk band though; they do deserve to be on the list.
True post the Raven but they were much more like Punk than bands like the Jam that made the list. Compare 5 minutes to In The City and tell what is Punk and what isn't.
The stranglers are one if the best bands of all time....especially the cornwell years
If the Jam is on the list, then so should the Stranglers be, as they are far better in all aspects than most of the bands on the list.
Generation X should have 100% been on this list. In my opinion.
They were the original pop punk band.
They was american, not British !
@@miti314 they’re british.
@@JaixBlud ok, sorry. I don't know why, but I thought Billy Idol was american ! 🤭
That moment when WatchMojo UK do a better job than WatchMojo.com itself.
Thiti2000 3rd Channel Why not?
Great channel!
When "I'm stranded"- The Saints September 1976 came out, Malcolm McLaren heard it and started to take interest in the Punk seen he soon got the Pistols and others who were around in the studio. That was the beginning of PUNK.
Punk started in NY.
@@waxedwaswrong4615 and obviously in Australia! Saints are fucking good! And the best 76 punk band ever!
You included the Clash, Sex Pistols, Damned, Jam, X-Ray Spex and you couldn't even mention the Stranglers. I'm very disappointed.
I agreed with the top 4, but what about Magazine, Siouxsie and the Banshees and the Slits?
Those are all Post-punk bands.
Magazine, nicely said 🙂
thrilled to see XRay specs on here.. i've NEVER met another human in my very long existance that knows this amazing band!!
This top is OK but... No Stranglers??? really??
Because their music was NOT punk.
@@texasboy5527 Oh Ok so The Jam were punk were they .
@@patbassman8251 Nope. The Jam werent punk either.
Sham 69 should have made this list. And how come no Anti-Nowhere League?
I honestly thought the singer of sham69 was Glen Matlock the first time I saw heard of them
Anti-nowhere League are sadly underrated.
If you like punk music check out Slaves they are doing punk in 2017 and it still sounds authentic and real. I suggest listening to People that you meet, Cheer Up London, What Are your gunna do.
The Stranglers??!!
Their music was NOT punk!
@@texasboy5527 What would you know your from Texas
Great list but I'd have liked to have seen The Fall and Art Brut too.
If The Clash isnt at the top so help........
Same
I love the pistols but the clash is simply the greatest
Random Profile the flash are so boring pistols are proper punk
+Boris Daspider You can't even spell their name right.
na in a punk list sex pistols should undoubtedly be no1. If it wasnt for them then joe strummer wouldnt have quit his band and formed the clash and the clash dont have an album that captures the sound of punk quite like never mind the bollocks
The Sex Pistols simply had to be number 1. No question about it.
It's Mojo. They know nothing.
no way... only for stupids Punk Rockers
The buzzcocks ever falling in love was best song on here. Love that song
My top 10 greatest British punk rock bands of all time. 10. Stiff little fingers 9. The ruts 8. GBH 7. Uk subs 6. Susie and the banshees 5. The stranglers 4. The buzzcocks 3. The damned 2. The sex pistols 1. The clash
Interesting lis, although I think you got the top 2 the wrong way round. A couple of points to make: The Adverts released two albums - aside from Crossing the Red Sea they released Cast of Thousands in 1979, which included the incredible Televisions Over. Also I am surprised to see that Siouxsie & the Banshees do not even get an honourable mention. Formed to play at the 100 Club punk festival in 1976 they had a long career, virtually creating the Post Punk movement with The Scream in 1978. There are very few women in the list, with only Poly Styrene & a glimpse of Gaye Advert. Perhaps you could create a list of the top 10 women in British punk - Siouxsie, The Slits, Poison Girls, Penetration etc. All as good as any in the list in this video.
FOCKIN LOVE THE JAM
YES its about damn time more punk stuff
I'm happy to see The Clash at #1, one of my favorite bands, but i think the Sex Pistols represented the essence of punk better, so they could've been #1... of course, if you ranked these punk bands by their success, it makes a lot of sense to put The Clash at #1
I still would put the Pistols at the top. People soon forget just how powerful and influential that album was at the time and still reverberates today. Great production, great music and message, it's all contained in one glorious album. I'll always prefer them to The Clash however unpopular that is.
@@seekah1 absolutely right on.
Nope!
@@nickchristian8195 yup
The Clash made 2 good punk albums, Pistols one... so 2-1 make them the winner ;-)
I'd put Stiff Little Fingers in the top 5.
No mention of Killing Joke? Granted they were slightly late on the punk scene (1979), however, they should be on the list not least for the huge impact and influence they had on so many groups over the years. They are practically the godfathers of industrial music. That and their early live shows being brutal and primal, with vocalist Jaz Coleman's guttural roar and stage presence as a demonically possessed madman scaring the living daylights out of those who didn't "get" them. Then Geordie Walker would summon seven shades of Hell out of his guitar, and Big Paul Ferguson's immense thundering tribal drumming would finish off anything in their path.
Your number one choice makes me happy.
Dear God what blasphemy to not list the Pistols as #1! Also Where is the Vibrators (Pure Mania) who never quit touring since the were playing at the 100 club so many decades earlier. It was a pleasure to get to talk with "Eddie" John Edwards at a gig years ago in Tampa, Florida at the Brass Mug. To hear true recollection of the Punk scene as it was happening, rather than reading second hand knowledge, was remarkable and educational... BTW there set was STILL amazing. They were touring with the UK Subs at the time.
The Jam #8????????? My list : 3) The Clash ❤️ 2) The Jam ❤️❤️ 1) Sex Pistols ❤️❤️❤️
Don't get me wrong - I love both the Sex Pistols as well as the Clash, but surely, #1 should definitely have been the Sex Pistols.
I would have been blown away to also see Penetration in here, they were great
I cannot believe Sex Pistol is only Number 2. They are #1!
Without the stranglers there would be no pistols or the clash, just putting that out there
The meteors or the stranglers could of had a spot. Sex pistols over the clash in my opinion
Morgan Freeman Wearing sunglasses Amen to that
George P yes I thought the sex pistols would be at the top
Can't really argue with the bands you've picked as I'm a fan of most of them, but this just makes it look like punk ceased to exist after the 80s, as a younger punk/hardcore fan, there have been plenty of young exciting British punk bands like Gnarwolves, Heck, Creeper, Milk Teeth and Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes who I think deserve some credit. Heck if you wanna throw pop punk into the mix, Neck Deep are one of the breakthrough bands of recent years. I get that a lot of these are too young to get a mention, but even if you wanna go back a few years, where's Gallows? Arguably the most important British punk band of the 2000s, a more debatable one is Enter Shikari, I know they don't necessarily sound like a punk band, but everything they do represents the punk atitude as a whole, they're very poilitical, they do what ever the fuck they want, they don't try and be like anyone else, just listen to Anaethetist and tell me that ain't punk as fuck. I get it's not based on my opinion, but come on I think Gallows at least deserve to be in the honourable mentions.
I was going to mention Gallows
TheMindsweeper give me some of that sweet Frank Carter stuff right now, he's blowing it out of the water at the moment
Glad to see HECK and Shikari get a mention
Jack Lewis not American, also have you listened to anything recent, no!
Enter Shikari? American? What have you been smoking?
i just recall that rock the casbah was the first song armed forces radio played when they set up for desert shield lol
Dang straight The Clash top this list!
It would have the Pistols at number one for me and Sham would have definately appeared in the top ten. Also Siouxie and the Banshees didn't even get an honourable mention? My favourite band is the Cockney Rejects but I get how they didn't feature in the top ten.
I do definitely miss the Ramones and I am proud for having Seen 4 Bands
I think UK Subs should have been on there. Great band
Great top but what about uk subs ?
first one of these i’ve seen to (rightfully) place the clash above the pistols. both are incredible bands but the clash were on another level. those who say the later albums weren’t “punk” have no grasp on what punk means - it’s not a sound and shouldn’t be reduced to just that.
The clash self titled first album was great, after that they sold there soul. Would not have had them top of the list? Crass absolutely
How about the Stranglers?
This channel is way better than the US one.
Didn't the adverts have a second album called cast of thousands?
The UK invented the 80's New Wave!!! GO 80's REBEL AND ANARCHY!!! LOL!!!
Actually U.K invented music lol
The clash are the best my favorite band numerically I like more the clash than any other band
I agree with everything insept for i feel the ruts should be in the top 5 at least not only honourable mentions but still great list
Lockwood.....BINGO!!!! And do you know Leatherface?
Chaos Uk.?????Saw them live last year here in Belgium,i saw about 30 gigs that year,and Chaos uk was one of the very best.Great band still going strong,should be on the list in my eyes
Split up a year or two ago I think, but a great band. I think their spin off band FUK are still going though
I hope the damned is on this list
nr 3!
Third
Should have been No.1
My rank puts the Damned at 1 999 Stranglers Conflict Buzzcocks Jam Subhumans Chaos UK Discharge Stiff little fingers Sham 69
Good list
Good list, but your forgot the Queen of Punk, Siouxsie and the Banshees!!!
Wire? :(
The Ruts should be in the top 3. Stranglers, Chelsea, Generation X, Adam and the Ants, The Undertones
Chelsea wer my fav band glad someone remembers them, still going today.
Great list. Never understood the appeal of X-ray Specs. Rather see siouxsie. Also love Gang of Four and Wire
I luv 'em all!! + 999 + the partisans +angelic upstarts + + + ❤
The Jam are about as ,punk as bee gees are heavy metal! I love the jam but no way are they punk.
steve rust Yeah they are part of the 80s mod revival movement.
At the time they were classed as mod punks so still punk
Their early stuff like in the city is close to punk but not quite there.
@@julianaylor4351 The Jam were 70,s and 80,s you amateur!!!
Where's the U.K. Subs?
What was the guitar the frontman of buzzcocks and the guitarist of the adverts used
I'm glad to see the Subhumans on here, although they deserve more than an honourable mention. They're still going strong, as is the other band of singer, Dick Lucas, Citizen Fish, a ska-punk group. If you want social commentary on the state of the UK, the Subhumans is the best group to listen to. I'd have liked to see Penetration on here.
The Clash, the only band that mattered.
My mother would agree
Do top ten british indie bands (libertines and the cribs ect) Or top ten iconic modern musicians (Amy Winehouse, Pete Doherty, The Gallaghers ect)
Lmao when said put your boots on and say oi he sounded so upper class 😂😂😂
Buzzcocks should be higher.
EATherridan Buzzcocks Should be first
buzzcocks r new wave NOT PUNK......
Agree
The ultimate British Punk band is The Clash, by far!
It is
If I had to make a list I’d put 1.Damned 2.Pistols 3.Clash 4.Buzzcocks 5.X ray specks 6.Adverts 7.Slits 8.Generation X 9.Jam 10. Stranglers
Au Pairs, Poison Girls, Slits, Siouxie & the Banshees.
What about the Undertones from Derry.
This list says best British punk bands. Since they are Irish, they don't qualify otherwise I'd agree with you.
bill williams, Ths Undertones were from Derry, which is in Northern Ireland, so if Stiff Little Fingers are on list, Undertones should be too...
David Jackson Northern Ireland is British
But SLF were good.
When I was a young punk, one question was often asked of punks who were nervous about doing something, or if their punk credentials were being questioned... "Who are you, Sid or Feargal?" Nobody wanted to be called a Feargal. It was a major insult.
And no Stranglers???
No GBH or The Exploited?
Buzzcocks are the best!
I'm so happy #1 is the clash There a bloody good band
Fuck the clash
Already, I am addressing complaint. The Adicts should be higher!! nice list tho
Top 10 Clash songs please!
The Clash? My ass. UK Subs!!!!!!
Fuck off, UK subs are bollocks compared to The Clash.
It's Crass not Clash.
where the fuck were the exploited
I wondered that too 😑😑
😑😑
Or GBH for gods sake?
This channel don't like Oi! genre
Glad The Clash got No1 UK SUBS, SIOUXSIE, SKIDS outsiders?