‘Shot From Both Sides’ – photos of UK Punk Gigs 1981-86 

A COLLECTION OF photographs of punk bands from across the UK punk scene playing live—including many from the anarcho-punk scene—taken by Paul May in the early 1980s has been published by Sealed Records.

Shot From Both Sides: Photos of UK Punk Gigs 1981—1986 brings together live shots of UK punk bands of all types from across that six year period, interspersed with flyers, posters, tickets and ephemera from the time and the newly written recollections of people who were their either on stage, organising the event, or in the audience.

May’s interest in documenting the performance of punk bands was eclectic, inclusive and non-doctrinaire. Amongst a vast array of UK and touring bands pictured are Dirt, Flux of Pink Indians, Hagar the Womb, Conflict, Crass, D&V, Icon A.D., Icons of Filth, Rubella Ballet, Oi Pollio, The Sears and many others.

In their introduction, the publishers say:

Paul’s book is a snippet of a bygone era. A visual chronicle of a young punk who, armed with a camera, documented what was happening around him. To understand Paul’s book fully, you need to ask yourself what makes a person keep a detailed list of every gig they attended over 40 years ago, or to keep a meticulous archive of all their negatives, as well as a collection of letters and ephemera from their youth, even after moving continents and starting a new life abroad 28 years ago. We are simply too lucky to have people like him around to shed some light onto an otherwise seemingly black and white photocopied era.

— Sealed Records

This first book to be published by Sealed Records—known for releasing music by Passion Killers, The Subhumans, Karma Sutra, and many others—has been produced in hardback format (232×297 mm), printed in colour and runs to almost 500 pages.

Want to know who won a scuffle between Stoke-On-Trent punks Asylum and 80s pop stars Dexy’s Midnight Runners? What to do when your band has to play after The Seats Of Piss, and the microphone has been down the front and back of Hendrix Deadboy’s nether regions most of the set? Henry Rollins and Ian MacKaye’s brushes with skinheads on the first Black Flag UK tour? Just a few of the numerous and unique reflections revealed in SHOT FROM BOTH SIDES, the first book from Paul May, and Sealed Records.

SHOT FROM BOTH SIDES is based around the live gig photography of Paul May, a punk from Grays, Essex, in the UK. In the 80s, Paul took hundreds of photos of punks, and punk bands, documented the gigs he saw, ran a tape label, and did the cult punk fanzine Final Curtain. Ordered chronologically, SHOT FROM BOTH SIDES sets the tone for each year from 1981 to 1986 with a recap of important historic and political events, notable records, tapes, and fanzines that were released. Each section of photos culminates with personal memoirs from a diverse mixture of figures and band members giving context to the photos, gigs, the era, and spilling forth some great stories that you won’t likely get elsewhere, and features a selection of relevant ephemera and additional photos, from unseen Nick Blinko sketches to flyers, ticket stubs, and set lists of bands large and small.

What emanated out of Paul’s zine in the 80s was a limitless amount of youthful enthusiasm. Someone who wanted not only to be there and participate, but to share what he loved with as many people as possible, someone who was less concerned with trends, and just as excited about the newest unknown band who just done their first gig, to the newest record by an established band. It’s completely unsurprising to me that Paul is still at gigs, still buying records, still taking photos, and still sharing and participating in the DIY punk community. The manner in which this book is compiled does a great job at showing that same enthusiasm, and gives a rare view into what it was like to live through the punk scene in the UK at the time.

Paul’s documentation ranges from early punk rock bands like Anti Nowhere League, and the Adicts, to skinhead bands like Blitz and Major Accident, hardcore punks Discharge and Broken Bones, UK82 like Chaos UK and Disorder, American hardcore bands Black Flag and Hüsker Dü, Anarcho punks Crass and Rudimentary Peni, foreign hardcore bands like Rattus, Wretched, and Anti-Cimex, to more metal tinted bands like Onslaught, Sacrilege and English Dogs. Getting a full range of punk as it evolved, and a chronologic presentation is fascinating for anyone wanting to clearly see the evolution in sound and fashion styles as punk tread deeper into the 80s.

SHOT FROM BOTH SIDES’ greatest strength is that is manages to continue in the tradition and enthusiasm of Paul’s fanzine, by appointing both importance and space to punks, friends, and lesser known bands. Pieces of history often lost with other modern documentations of punk which choose to focus on coverage of names that will sell books. Paul’s photography continually gets better as the years, and book progress, showing both the evolution of the artist as a photographer, and highlighting the importance of punk empowering anyone of any skill level to participate. Punk wasn’t just about the bands and big names, it was the movement that sought to tore down the barrier between the performer and the audience, placing an equal level of importance on everyone in the community, and all of the participants that made punk possible. At last, a book that truly understands that.

– Tom Mayhugh/ General Speech

ISBN 978-1-0369-0367-1
1st Edition December 1st 2025
Hard back 3mm board
492 pages
232×297 mm
130 gsm silk paper
2.50 kg

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

— Sealed Records

Paul May. Shot From Both Sides. Photos of UK Punk Gigs 1981—1986. London: Sealed Records. ISBN: 978-1-0369-0367-1. https://sealedrecords2.bandcamp.com/merch/seal-031-paul-may-shot-from-both-sides-photos-of-uk-punk-gigs-1981-86-book