In the winter of 1976 England was in the grip of new cultural phenomena and on the brink of economic meltdown. The poisonous cocktail of inflation spiralling out of control, unemployment and the pending collapse of the British currency, due to relentless borrowing, spelled trouble. But behind the gloomy headlines and macroeconomic hardship, the creative upheaval of the Swinging Sixties was still very much alive. Punk, the original sound of the suburbs was skittering across the United Kingdom like a dust covered needle on and old LP. Urban kids sick of the old guard of sixties deities like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin and others were on the march. Punk was not just a musical movement; it was a much wider cultural imperative. A new empowering regime that said if you want to do something - then go on, you can do it.

This ethos extended to owning your own record label, running your own clothes shop, opening a nightclub … or publishing your own magazine. From a tower block in a grim corner of Southeast London, musician Mark Perry, also known as Mark P, started the cult fanzine ‘Sniffin’ Glue’; a title creatively borrowed from the Ramones song ‘Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue’. It was soon on sale across London at the coolest stores who were at the vanguard of this new movement - Rock On in Camden and Soho market, Compendium Books in Camden and Rough Trade records in Notting Hill.

In another corner of Southeast London, Tony Moon and his mate P.JAC were starting their own fanzine ‘Sideburns’. Largely dedicated to their shared twin passions, The Stranglers and proto-punks Dr. Feelgood, the very first edition was published in January 1977. On page two, self-taught editor Moon - desperate to fill a blank page - picked up a felt tip pen and instinctively drew what has now become one of the most quoted statements from the punk era. He hurriedly dashed off a diagram with three guitar chords and the slogan “Now Form A Band.”.

‘Sideburns’ was a long time ago, but somehow this singular image survives in people’s imaginations. Its stark simplicity seemed to encapsulate the entire punk ethos and over the years it has been reproduced in books and shown on documentaries. Widely regarded as having derived from the pages of the better-known Sniffin’ Glue, only the British music journalist, Jon Savage, and author of the book ‘England’s Dreaming’ gets it right: Three Chords was from Sideburns and was drawn by Tony Moon. Speaking in May 2000 to The Independent newspaper in an article about Punk, Mark P of fanzine ‘Sniffin’ Glue’ said of the three-chord diagram “that wasn’t in ‘Sniffin’ Glue’. It’s so mythical now, but it never was. I’ve had to put so many people right. I’ve had people tell me that I’m wrong, saying ‘course you did it. Don’t you remember?’ I wish I had. It’s a great idea. It was perfect.” .

Three decades later, and by then a published writer and film maker, Moon looked back at the forming and wild years in the seventies, wanting to finally assert his authorship. In 2010, he teamed up with Peter Lloyd to re-produce Three Chords, one of the most recognised Punk images.

I wish I had [drawn Three Chords]. It’s a great idea. It was perfect.” Mark P, editor of ‘Sniffin’ Glue’

Peter Lloyd studied Printmaking at the Royal College of Art, where he was awarded the prestigious Augustus Martin Award in 2000. The screenprinted images of cartoon-style and vibrant-coloured Mexican wrestlers created in the early noughties are testimonial to Lloyd’s highly skilled and innovative techniques, applying fake fur, fabric and diamond dust - before it became fashionable - to the surface of the printed work. His work is exhibited widely and as well as in private collections in England, Germany and the USA, his work can be found several public collections, including Hochschule de Kunst in Berlin, and the Tate and Royal College of Art in London.

Exclusively available through Eyestorm, the two-colour screenprint maintains the original page layout of the sketch and was released in an edition of 150. The print edition is signed by Tony Moon and Peter Lloyd, stamped and numbered on front.

You can find Three Chords and see it in more details here.