What is Clockwork Punk

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Punk rock music and fashion is a rebellious style that began in the early 1970s. It was a reaction to the overwhelming conservatism of the post-WWII era. Musically speaking, punk embraces loud distorted guitars, fast tempos, and songs with raw vocals. Fashion wise it often features ripped jeans or skirts with studded patches. Clockwork Punk is a subgenre of Steampunk that combines elements from Punk rock and Victorian era clothing styles.

A Clockwork Orange[Blu-ray] [1971] [Special Poster Edition] [Region Free]
A Clockwork Orange[Blu-ray] [1971] [Special Poster Edition] [Region Free]
£14.06
A Clockwork Orange[Blu-ray] [1971] [Special Poster Edition] [Region Free]
A Clockwork Orange[Blu-ray] [1971] [Special Poster Edition] [Region Free]
£14.06

Clockwork punk draws heavily on fantasy and science fiction genres for inspiration as well as from other types of punk music like grunge, heavy metal, new wave, deathrock and psychobilly. It blends in these musical elements with various industrial and gothic styles and with the aesthetics of early 20th century technology. Punk rock is often associated with anti-fashion. Clockwork punks embrace it as part of their style and use it to construct their punk identity.

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Clockpunk clothing pulls inspiration from a wide variety of sources including Victorian, Edwardian, World War I, World War II, Punk rock, Goth culture/S&M fashion, science fiction costumes as well as drawing from other genres such as Pirate, Steampunk ,and Heavy metal music. It also combines other elements like sci-fi pulp art , Punk literature, Art Deco design elements and architecture.

Themes and concepts often found in Clockwork Punk are the end of the world scenario, dystopian societies, rebellion against authority, survival of humanity after an apocalypse, post-apocalyptic wastelands, robot rebellions and most importantly freedom. Although it draws some inspiration from the cyberpunk genre it does not belong to it. It can be set in the present day or in a post-apocalyptic future where remnants of humanity live in a world without technology.

What makes clockwork punk slightly different to steampunk is that it is so heavily focused on clockwork and gears. Many attribute it to the Stanley Kubrick movie ‘A Clockwork Orange’ from the early 70’s. Bowler hats, pocket watches and clockwork paraphernalia feature heavily.

Characters and themes found in Clockwork punk relate closely to punk rock song lyrics. Political and social commentary is also present as well as struggles between minority groups, such as the wealthy ruling class and the poor underclass as well as how scientific advancements have affected society.

There are many Steampunk groups that follow the Steampunk genre. Some of these include Clockworkpunk, Punkpunk , and Victorian punk. The most common of these is Victorian punk because it follows the Victorian era style withpunk music.

Overall, Steampunk looks to take a particular interest in two things: clothing styles from around the Victorian era combined with an Industrial aesthetic, and sets in alternate histories with either a steampunk or punk rock theme.

If you enjoyed this article you might also like to read about Industrial steampunk