Ghost Notes: Portrait of Punk in Derby
Ghost Notes explores Derby’s enduring punk spirit through portraits and sound, capturing how this subculture shapes identity and community. Commissioned by FORMAT Festival, photographer Francis Augusto documents punk’s evolution—from radical roots to modern expressions—revealing a vibrant, intergenerational movement that continues to challenge norms and foster creativity in unexpected spaces.
Photography Francis Augusto
Derby at Dawn.
Derby sits at the heart of England, where industrial ambition meets untamed spirit. As sunset bathes the city in amber light, its curving roads trace stories of resistance and creativity. From the Assembly Rooms to underground venues, this city has nurtured movements that changed British culture. Derby maintains its character through economic shifts and social transformation - a place where radical ideas find fertile ground and community thrives in unexpected corners.
Commissioned by FORMAT Festival, Deda and Derby QUAD for "Dancing Through Time," Ghost Notes examines how punk culture endures in Derby as both historical movement and living force. Through medium-format photography and oral histories, the project documents how punk's DIY ethos has evolved while maintaining its core values across generations.
"Punk means to me a platform to step forward into culture and participate in it rather than passively receive it," explains Glyn Lenney, who was active in Derby's 1970s scene. This spirit continues with 19-year-old musician Joey Greener, who embodies punk's enduring ethos: "I want to build something, create a scene or help grow a scene that's already there."
There's An Art to Making Trouble Derby was really...
Derby was the radical of the Midlands”. Wrapped in a black jumper and reclining in her garden chair, Maggie pauses for a thoughtful drag of her cigarette, her white hair luminous against the foliage. Her animated recollections of Derby's print workshops and protest movements reveal how the radical energy she helped nurture in the 1970s still courses through her memories.
The project photographs participants in significant spaces—from historic venues like the Exeter Arms to a home where a supportive community was cultivated by the indomitable and warm Maggie Nix. These aren't just photo sessions but extended conversations where stories unfold naturally. As Artel Black reflects, "Derby was the radical of the Midlands. We were the radical," highlighting the city's unique position in punk history.
Ghost Notes reveals punk as more than music or aesthetics—it's a complex social ecosystem where people create meaning through shared practices. "Punk is in your actions, not in the way you look," explains Dan Wheeler, a local musician and darkroom owner whose DIY approach to business mirrors punk's ethos.
Through the interplay of carefully composed portraits and candid oral histories, the work captures both the visible markers of punk culture and the invisible bonds that have allowed it to thrive in Derby for nearly half a century—from the "Year Zero" of 1977 to today's emerging artists reclaiming unused spaces for performances.
32 Years Later
As a defiant teenager, Glyn Lenney declared, 'I'm never going to... effing work in an effing factory'. Ten years later, he found himself working in one for 32 years. This stark reality, shared by many who lived through punk's heyday, speaks to how youthful dreams often yield to life's practicalities. Yet through his basement archive and dedication to preserving Derby's musical heritage, Glyn's punk spirit endures—a testament to how rebellion can take different forms as we age.
Public House, Punk Home
Glyn Lenney stands outside the Exeter Arms in Derby, one of the city's enduring music venues. Throughout his interview, Lenney emphasised how punk gave people the freedom to express themselves: "I'd say punk gave you the spirit that you could be in a band," he reflected. "You know... you could do things." Pubs like this one were vital to Derby's music ecosystem and the DIY spirit, where aspiring musicians could cut their teeth performing and build the confidence
“Ghost Notes reveals punk as more than music or aesthetics—it's a complex social ecosystem where people create meaning through shared practices.”
Holding Space
Working in the spaces between established venues, Gez has been helping emerging promoters and musicians find their footing while addressing contemporary representation challenges. 'There's a scene that's bubbling, and I think it can be nurtured and built up, and I want to help that,' he reflects, highlighting his active role in fostering the next generation of Derby's culture while maintaining punk's core values of community, DIY ethos, and creative resistance.
Midlands Soul
Standing where Artel Black once spent his days at R.E. Records, mere footsteps from the Blue Note nightclub he also managed. As a DJ and venue operator in the 1980s, he transformed Derby's musical landscape while navigating a complex position—often the only Black person in predominantly white punk spaces. 'Punk was my thing. Nobody else was. And that has shaped the way I thought about a lot of things,' he reflects, embracing how this outsider perspective became his strength.
Never Stand Still
Artel Black, former manager of Derby's legendary Blue Note Club in the 1980s, where pioneering acts like New Order, Birthday Party and The Pogues played. “The minute I walked into the Blue Note Club, my life changed. I remember the afternoon like it was yesterday... That moment, that afternoon, my life changed.” Black helped shape Derby's alternative music scene, from being a Clouds nightclub regular to an influential figure in the city's cultural landscape.
Original, Not Ordinary
In her early sixties, Lidia reflects on Derby's punk scene with the same originality that defined her youth. 'I've always had my own opinion and I'm not afraid to say what I think,' she admits with characteristic candor. From her teenage years collecting vintage clothing to facing violence for her appearance, Lidia embodied punk's defiant authenticity. Today, her perspective bridges decades of cultural rebellion, offering wisdom on how punk's ethos of individual expression persists even as the world grows 'grey and boring.'
Keeping The Light
On In Derby's White Horse pub's practice room, Joey’suuuuuy band rehearses for free in this supposedly haunted space lined with vinyl records on the wall. While older generations mourn lost venues and events, Joey and his peers create their own. They transformed The Waterfall's function room into a 400-capacity venue and held a gig. "I want to create a scene or help grow what's already there," he says. "When we put on gigs, it's brilliant - 400 people outside this place. That's how you keep that energy thriving.
Joey Fucking Greener
At just 19, Joey represents a new generation refusing to accept Derby's musical decline. Instead of lamenting closed venues or fleeing to bigger cities, he transforms unexpected spaces into thriving performance hubs. 'Don't write it off... there won't be a music scene if no one makes a music scene,' he insists, highlighting that Derby's creative future depends on active participation. Though he doesn't identify as punk, his actions—creating opportunities where none exist and filling rooms with energy—speak louder than any label, carrying forward a tradition of fierce independence and community spirit.
Punk Never Dies
Aaron Williamson embodies the defiant spirit that defined Derby's 1970s punk scene in this intimate portrait. As he recalls, "Punk gave you the belief that you could be who you want to be." He describes it as "year zero" - a cultural reset that liberated young people from conformity when the mainstream offered little. For Williamson, the movement wasn't about fashion but fierce independence - "a platform to step forward into culture and participate rather than passively receive it." Decades later, his expression still carries that revolutionary energy in his own practice, a living connection to punk's enduring legacy of creative resistance.
Listen to Ghost Notes while you keep reading: HERE
About Francis
Francis Augusto (b. 1993) is an award-winning artist born in Uige, Angola. Augusto’s work uses an ethnographic approach to explore the human experience, with a focus on the ordinary, interaction, and identity. His work invites viewers to peer into the lives of others, fostering empathy and curiosity. In his debut exhibition, ‘Songs of Love and Loss,’ Augusto explores the dynamics of romance.
To see more of his work, follow him on Instagram
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