“Dead City Punx,” a movie that was “proudly rejected” by both Sundance and South by Southwest, will premiere on April 16 in Los Angeles at the Regent Theater. The next day, there will be a gallery opening at Beyond the Streets. Watch the trailer below.
The documentary, executive produced by Roger Gastman, Joseph Pattisall, and Zack de la Rocha, charts the band Dead City Punx “whose massive illegal outdoor shows are full of fireworks, fistfights, bonfires and graffiti pit them against the LAPD, LAFD and the mayor, ultimately resuscitating LA’s music scene while forcing the viewer to question what DIY and punk really means,” according to the official synopsis.
There will be two shows on April 16 at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., with the gallery show opening the next day. You can get tickets here.
The documentary is a mixture of fan-filmed concert footage and exclusive talking head interviews, seeking to capture “how four outcasts from society’s margins ignited a pandemic-era music movement that challenged definitions of public space, rebellion, and the right to assemble.” The documentary promises to be “raw, unfilted and as real as their shows.”
According to the official release, “pushes the viewer to question the very definitions of DIY ethos, activism, public space, excessive force, and rebellion in today’s modern world. The band Dead City Punx is anti-establishment, anti-authoritarian, and fiercely individualistic. It reflects a cultural moment where punk is not nostalgia — it remains a shout of defiance.”
