UK Punk photo book almost sells out of first press in under a week.
The new book, Shot From Both Sides – Photos of UK Punk Gigs 1981-86 by Paul May, published on 1 December has almost sold out of the first edition already.
Taking its title from a clever deviation of the classic Magazine tune, this book from Sealed Records, who have been re-releasing hard to find anarcho-punk records and demos, is the coffee table book for people who don’t have coffee tables. I’ve had a peak at the digital version and sized at 232x297mm says “big” to me. So, what is inside this mighty tome that will be adorning the scaffold plank on brieze blocks of your aging crusty?
Graced by an iconic image of Icons Of Filth frontman Stig on the cover, there are some truly great photos taken by Paul May – many unseen before – that manage to capture the excitement, energy and fun that people were having in that period. See list below for who is captured.
The photos are accompanied by written contributions from a significant number of punk band members from that period.
Apparently Sealed Records are already “running very low” on copies of the book, with “most of the first press run spoken for”. It’s a massive tome with nearly 500 pages and apparently weighs in at 2.6 kilos printed in top quality stock.
Bands featured: Actus Reus • Adicts • Ad-Nauseam • Amebix • Angelic Upstarts • Annihilated • Anthrax • Anti-Cimex • Anti-Nowhere League • Antisect • Anti System • A.O.A. • Assassins of Hope • Atavistic • A.W.O.L.• A.Y.S. • Bad Beach • Bad Brains • Bad Dress Sense • Black Flag • Blitz • Breaknecks • Broken Bones • Butcher • Chaos • Chaos U.K. • Charge • Chron Gen • Chronic • Commited • Concrete Sox • Conflict • Crass • Criminal Sex • Crucifix • The Cult Maniax • Dead Wretched • Depraved • Destructors • Deviated Instinct • Devoid • Dirge • D.I.R.T. • Discharge • Disorder • D.O.A. • Drongos For Europe • D & V • Eat Shit • English Dogs • Epidemic • Erazerhead • Existenz • Extreme Noise Terror • The Fits • Flux Of Pink Indians • G.B.H. • Generic • Genocide Association • The Genocides • Girlschool • Government Issue • Hagar The Womb • Head Of David • Hells Belles • Heresy • Hüsker Dü • Icon A.D. • Iconoclasts • Icons Of Filth • Impact • Insane and Aborted • Kobra • Kronstadt Uprising • The Legion Of Parasites• Leukaemia • Ligotage • Lita Ford • Major Accident • Marionette • Mau Maus • Menstrual Cycles • Metallica • Miracle Babies • Napalm Death • Nig Heist • Oi Polloi • One Way System • Onslaught • Part 1 • The Partisans • Phallic Symbols • Picture Frame Seduction • Potential Threat • Rabid • Radical Elite • Rattus • Riot/Clone • Ripcord • Rock Goddess • Rubella Ballet • Rudimentary Peni • Sacrilege • The Samples • Scream • Screaming Dead • Sears • The Seats Of Piss • The Skeptix • Skum Dribblurz • Soldiers Of Destruction • Special Duties • Stagnant Era • State Victims • Stigma • Street Walkin’ Creatures • Stupids • Subhumans • Toxic Reasons • U.K. Subs • Van Damme • The Varukers • Vice Squad • Warlock • Wrathchild • Wretched • Youth Brigade •
Written contributions by: Andy | Stagnant Era • Barry | Ad-Nauseam • Baz | Ripcord • Beano | Asylum • Carol | Devoid • Charlie Claesson | Anti-Cimex • Cian | The Legion of Parasites • Con and Paul Larkin | Major Accident • Dave | Butcher • Dave | Head of David • Dave Evans | The Samples • Dave Fergusson | Stress • Dave Floyd | Riot/Clone • David | Existenz • David | One Way System • David Sardy | Radical Elite • Daz | The Commited • Dean and Nick | Rabid • Debbie | Dirge • Deek | Oi Polloi • Dig | Genocide Association • Ed Wenn | Bad Dress Sense • Eno | Lama • Fabietto | Wretched • Fausto Ortenzi aka Frog | Chaos • Gizz Butt | The Destructors • Glib | Dirge • Grant | Rudimentary Peni • Henry Rollins | Black Flag • Ian MacKaye | Minor Threat • Iconoclasts • Icons of Filth • J Robbins | Government Issue • JJ | Toxic Reasons • John Dryland | Cargo Records • Justin | Napalm Death • Kalv | Heresy • Kaos | Chaos U.K. • Keith Haynes | Picture Frame Seduction • Lee | Depraved • Levs | Mau Maus • Luca Colombo | Kobra • Mackie | Blitz • Michelle Harding | sister of Dead Wretched guitarist Paul “Bazz” Harding. • Mick Lugworm • Mid | Deviated Instinct • Mo | Onslaught • Napoleon | Eat Shit • Neal Tait | Street Walkin’ Creatures • Nick Jardine | The Sears • Nick Norris | Bad Dress Sense • Oddy | Broken Bones • Pat | Epidemic • Paul Condon | Bad Dress Sense • Paul Condon | Breaknecks • Peat Protest | Assassins of Hope • Pete | Antisect • Pig Killer | ENT • Rich | Soldiers of Destruction • Richard Copcutt | Soldiers Of Destruction • Sam Bignall | Screaming Dead • Scott | A.O.A. • Si Cobb | Anihilated • Sned | Generic • Stig C. Miller | Amebix • Taf | Disorder • Tam | Sacrilege • Tim | Skum Dribbluurrrzzzz • Tom Withers aka Tommy Stupid | Stupids • Tommy | Drongos for Europe • Tony Burman | Miracle Babies • Vincent G Learoyd (Vomit) | D.I.R.T. • Vom Ritchie | Miracle Babies • Zillah Minx | Rubella Ballet •
Shot From Both Sides – Photos of UK Punk Gigs 1981-86 by Paul May
ISBN 978-1-0369-0367-1
1st Edition December 1st 2025
492 pages
Available from Sealed Records
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