30 Years of One Chord Wonders

30 years of One Chord Wonders: Semiotics, punk and Popular Music Studies 

Dave Laing is one of the key figures in the development of Popular Music Studies. From his landmark text The Sound of Our Time (1969) to recent work on live music and copyright, Dave has applied rigorous thought and astute analysis and produced a number of influential works. This conference marks the 30th Anniversary and reissue of his seminal book One Chord Wonders: Power and Meaning in Punk Rock (1985; 2015), a tour de force in which he applies a subtle understanding of semiotics to punk.

Join us in celebrating this work and in reflecting on the continuing importance of both punk and semiotics to Popular Music Studies today.

Provisional Programme

10.00-10.15: Welcome etc.

10.15-11.15 Dave Laing: One Chord Wonders 30 Years on.

11.15-11.45: Tea/coffee.

11.45-13.15: Popular Music Studies Post One Chord Wonders

Simon Frith: title tbc

Sara Cohen: title tbc

13.15-14.30: Lunch

14.30-16.00: Punk Post One Chord Wonders

Nick Crossley: The micro-mobilisation of punk in London, 1975-76

Helen Reddington: Space the play: The sound of female punk in the 1970s

16.00-16.30 Tea/coffee

16.30-17.30: Final thoughts – Barbara Bradby (chair), Andy Linehan, Martin Cloonan

Tickets cost £25 and can be booked via Eventbright