Tuesday 10 November 2026
The V&A South Kensington has announced details of Punk to Pop, a major immersive exhibition exploring the creative explosion in music, art and fashion from 1972 to 1985. Opening on 13 March 2027 and running until 2 January 2028, it will show how the 70s fuelled the 80s, and how underground scenes united by a punk DIY attitude shaped the future of popular entertainment. Expect around 300 objects, theatrical staging and a sonic headset experience, with names from Sex Pistols and Grace Jones to Joy Division and Wham!. A limited number of tickets are on sale now.
1. Three acts, from glam to MTV
The exhibition is told in three acts. Act 1, Grey Britain and Glam, sets the scene with posters, photographs, archive footage and newspapers from a 70s world of strikes and unrest, contrasted with glimpses of glam such as Bowie’s 1972 Top of the Pops performance and ABBA’s 1974 Eurovision win. Act 2, Going Underground, dives into punk, Northern Soul, disco, post-punk, goth and the New Romantics. Act 3, Pop Powerhouse, takes visitors into the 1980s and the arrival of MTV in 1981, with objects staged within immersive large-scale projections celebrating music videos, live performance and the political power of pop.
2. Some seriously iconic objects
Highlights include Sex Pistols album artwork designed by Jamie Reid, handwritten lyrics by Joy Division’s Ian Curtis, and The Clash’s Mick Jones’ first electric guitar, on loan from The Rock & Roll Public Library. There are photographs of Grace Jones by Andy Warhol, clothing worn by disco legend Sylvester, and glam rock costumes worn by Roxy Music’s Brian Eno and Bryan Ferry, alongside a gold suit worn by Marc Bolan of T.Rex. Stage costumes worn by Blondie’s Debbie Harry also feature, as do never-before-displayed stage costumes worn by George Michael. An original Kraftwerk vocoder and designs from Factory Records complete the post-punk story.
3. Vivienne Westwood takes the spotlight
Vivienne Westwood is spotlighted throughout Act 2, tracing her radical punk spirit from the invention of a punk style at SEX and Seditionaries to creating the ‘Pirates’ look and taking British fashion to the world stage. The section also introduces punk’s protagonists, including Malcolm McLaren, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Buzzcocks, The Slits and X-Ray Spex. Look out for a life mask of punk model and actress Jordan, painted as per her make-up in Derek Jarman’s film Jubilee. The story then moves on to Rock Against Racism and the creation of 2 Tone, as socially conscious bands like The Specials and The Selecter took the underground into the mainstream.
4. Northern Soul, goth and the New Romantics
Beyond punk, the exhibition celebrates the subcultures that kept Britain dancing. The Northern Soul display includes rare records and a piece of the wooden floor from the legendary Blackpool Mecca. The goth section, spotlighting Siouxsie Sioux, Bauhaus, The Damned and The Cure, sets the music beside its historical influences, including Fuseli’s ‘The Nightmare’, medieval stained glass, a steel gauntlet from 1490, a first edition of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and a Victorian mourning dress. For the New Romantics, there is the bass guitar of Japan’s Mick Karn, a synthesiser used by Spandau Ballet in the Blitz Club and fashion photography by Robyn Beeche.
5. A story about rebellion and reinvention
Curated by Kate Bailey, Senior Curator of Theatre and Performance at the V&A, with Project Curator Emma Mills, the show explores how artists responded to austerity, boredom and political turbulence. Kate Bailey said: “Punk to Pop tells the story of a creative and technological explosion that rewired music, fashion and design from the 70s to the 80s. Born from frustration, rebellion and boredom, a generation tore up the rule book, fuelling cultural change through a DIY spirit.” The exhibition is sponsored by Virgin, whose Chief Experience Officer Sam Kelly said: “Punk is a mindset, and it’s in Virgin’s DNA.”
Tickets and info
Punk to Pop, V&A South Kensington, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL
Dates: 13 March 2027 to 2 January 2028
Tickets: A limited number on sale now, with the full ticket release in early 2027
Prices listed on the V&A website: £29 (Thursday), £31 (Friday to Sunday); concessions available
Museum opening hours: Daily 10am to 5.45pm, Fridays until 10pm