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The Bronx on the R1 Punk Show

So, the day has come. The Punk Show has been axed from Radio One. The show will stop broadcasting this September after 13 years on air, ending Mike Davies’ tenure as a Radio One DJ.

It doesn’t come as too much of a surprise that Radio One are chucking punk to the curb. The clues have been there – from the distance between them and the Lock Up at Reading Festival and the move to a late night slot a few years back, but it’s still a massive shame to see such an institution depart, especially as it’s not really being replaced. In my head, it’s one of the only routes to national radio that wasn’t priced out or unobtainable for new and DIY bands, and Mike has given airtime and opportunities to so many great new UK bands over the years.

I’ll remember the Punk Show for bringing me some truly fantastic music over the years and having a huge influence on me as a teenager and young adult. Excellent bands we’ve covered here have gone swiftly on to be on the playlist on the Punk Show, a few of them getting to travel to Maida Vale to do sessions. At a time where DIY bands face even more pressure to caricaturise themselves into something sellable, Mike could see through that and give bands those opportunities based on their own merit, and you have to tip your hat to him for doing that again and again remorselessly.

As someone that’s done a little bit of Radio over the years (as it goes I have a guest slot next week on the Review Show, which shares a similar fate to the Punk Show), the announcement has given me a twinge of “what can I do?”. In my head I’d love to see something fill the void for those that really enjoyed the show, and Mike – I’ll just go ahead and put it out there that if you fancy starting a podcast or something similar with me and the Punktastic guys once the show’s gone to keep up the good work, then please do get in touch.

From now until September, we’ll be pushing the shit out of the last few months of the Punk Show, so go listen to this week’s edition over this way for a start.