Photograph: Courtesy Erick CastlesThe provocative DIY spirit of punk rock is alive and well in Los Angeles, and local rabble-rousers Dead City Punx are proving it. This weekend, an exhibition celebrating the band’s “volatile and unapologetic street-level activism” takes over Beyond the Stree ts gallery, and as founder and curator Roger Gastman says, it’s a celebration of “art on its own terms.” The show, which runs on La Brea Avenue through May 30, brings the band’s history together with other anti-establishment artists that reflect the “Punx” ethos.  Known for its retrospective explorations of street culture—from music (Beastie Boys, Gwar) to photography and street art (Estevan Oriol Teenage Angel, Guerilla Girls)—BTS’s approach to its subjects and themes are always multi-faceted and deeply reflective. This new Punx project is no exception.  An accompanying book release and documentary film (coproduced by Rage Against the Machine’s Zack de la Rocha) provide a bold immersion into the volatile world of the L.A. band’s creative anarchy, including the communal energy of its illegal gigs and the damage left in their wake when law enforcement breaks them up.   Formed in 2020, Dead City members Meka, Grumpy, Mike and Adrian (all use first names only due to the nature of their notoriety with authorities) were lifelong friends growing up in various parts of L.A. They started jamming when Mike had just gotten out of jail.  Mike’s raw and ravaging lyrics and shrieks, and his bandmates’ wicked thrash conveyed what a lot of the city, especially its youth, were feeling at the time: frustration, hopelessness and a hunger to connect as death tolls and erratic lockdowns increased during Covid-19.  The band quickly built a name for itself via its wild backyard bashes in the outskirts of the city and rogue pop-up shows. Last-minute announcements on Instagram and word of mouth beckoned its growing fan base to outdoor settings like the L.A. River and a plot under the 110 freeway, both of which have become legendary in the local hardcore scene. Fights, fireworks and graffiti often ensued as well, making the band a target for LAPD’s illegal party suppression unit—and even the mayor. Karen Bass called the renegade ragers “egregious and unacceptable,” which the band’s followers seem to wear as a badge of honor as they boldly share social media clips from the events, many of which are seen in the new documentary. Courtesy Beyond the Streets Though they are known as a pandemic-era band, Dead City’s fury was a reaction to police brutality as well as the virus. Distrust of the government—which has historically been a pillar of punk rock—didn’t dissipate with the coronavirus or Joe Biden’s term and many of the problems that arose in 2020 are more prevalent than ever right now.  “It wasn’t until the Covid restrictions kind of got lifted that the band started really exploding,” Grumpy remembers. “And during that time the George Floyd protests were happening and riots started happening. I feel like that energy kind of got captured in our music and at our shows because everyone was outside protesting and [graffiti] writing and setting shit on fire… The next thing we know those things were happening at our shows. People wanted to be outside and we gave them a place to have that outlet.” “People see a mosh pit and they judge it as this crazy, violent, dangerous thing. [But] it’s just people that have anger and stress and need to let it out.” Dead City’s sonic blasts (most songs average about a minute and a half) were clearly cathartic. Mike says his lyrics are about “street stuff that I had experienced personally, like getting off of drugs,” and while destruction has ensued during and after their sets, he adds, “we’re just playing music and we do try to keep everyone safe. We got medics. We’ve had fentanyl tests and Narcan… so we’re doing our part and actually looking out for our people.”  Though the band insists they aren’t actively promoting violence or destruction at their shows and publicly denounced it after last year’s rooftop fiasco in Downtown which saw vandalism of a metro station and some local businesses—overall Grumpy says he doesn’t mind the chaos. “People are doing what comes naturally. Mike’s lyrics are relatable and this is a strong community,” he says. “People see a mosh pit and they judge it as this crazy, violent, dangerous thing. But in reality, it’s just people that have anger and stress and need to let it out… it’s not so much focused on actually physically harming people, but just running around and having that freedom.”  Of course, rule-breaking and anarchistic expression is nothing new for punk rock. It’s what made bands like the Sex Pistols in the UK, Dead Kennedys in Northern California and Black Flag here in SoCal so powerful, and popular. But Dead City channeled this defiance in a new era, with ubiquitous smartphones capturing it all. Courtesy Beyond the StreetsPUNX: The Art of Dead City Friends The sheer volume of video footage and photography captured at their shows and shared on social media evoked something fresh that Gastman saw as “spontaneous eruptions of resistance” and a new form of street art worthy of a film, book and gallery exposure.  Combined with news reports, police body cam imagery and cell content, the viral moments and materials were—and are still—altering the punk landscape. The immersive exhibit hopes to highlight this contemporary cultural shift as it amplifies the band’s message and the DIY documentarians/fans who embody its ethos. The art show features works by several unknown creators as well as established names like Ed Templeton and Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova.  “It’s not a bunch of photos of Dead City and Dead City art… you’re walking through a lot more than that,” Gastman says of Beyond the Streets’ latest exhibit. “There are some great artists that just fit the punk rock aesthetic that are in here, too. It’s about the Dead City aesthetic… literal DIY expression. It’s not about what was. This is current. Come see what’s going on with punk right now.”  “PUNX: The Art of Dead City Friends” opens Friday, April 17, from 7 to 10pm, at Beyond the Streets Gallery (434 N La Brea Ave) and runs through May 30. Admission is free and regular hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 11am to 6 pm.  ...read more read less