Fans of the DC punk scene are in for a major treat this evening, as the IFI screens Wes Orshoski's Salad Days.
This intriguing portrait of an oft-overlooked era explores how the passion and DIY ethic of the city’s musicians and fans cultivated a vibrant scene that played an integral role in shaping the worldwide alternative music explosion of the early 90s.
Through interviews with key figures like Ian McKaye (Minor Threat and Fugazi) and Henry Rollins (State Of Alert), the documentary crafts a detailed history of the Washington scene. Generous amounts of archival footage capture the energy and excitement of gigs of the era, while key contributions on DC’s impact come from Thurston Moore and Dave Grohl, the latter a member of the DC band Scream before eventually joining Nirvana.
Many factors differentiated DC from similar music movements in other other cities; for example, the majority of the musicians came from respectable middle-class backgrounds and fell in love with the music of the first waves of punk like The Clash and The Ramones.
Other practices gave it its own identity, such as many of the bands demanding an all-ages policy for their shows, with underage patrons marked by Xs on their hands, for fear they might try to grab a cheeky pint. Minor Threat even released the song ‘Straight Edge’, promoting refraining from the use of alcohol, tobacco and recreational drugs.
The story of Dischord Records is told in loving detail: friends releasing friends’ records from a shared house where tasks such as the sleeve design, hand-folding of record covers and posting out of releases for mail order took place.
Fugazi's McKaye emerges as a one of the people who played a pivotal role in creating the scene and laying its foundations. There was no animosity or competition "We didn’t want to own the scene we just wanted there to be a scene."
Tonight's screening is followed by a DJ set by Niall McGuirk.