Teenagers on the cusp of adulthood are the subject of countless novels, plays and films: when Simon Stephens’ Punk Rock appeared in 2009 it was criticised for borrowing from works such as The History Boys, and one review was titled ‘If Lord of the Flies met Skins’. Punk Rock does not, however, present a cookie-cutter teen drama. It is unsettling and unexpected, with a far from happy ending. 

Set in the library of Stockport Grammar School, the room bears witness to confrontations and discussions. The audience sees the teens preparing for their mock A-levels, planning their lives after school and dealing with the arrival of a new girl, Lily. Will’s roundabout flirting with her captures teenage awkwardness perfectly.

However, their conversations alone are unnervingly candid and energetic, as they jump from anodyne topics to hard-hitting questions. They are both dealing with personal demons, from self-harming to bereavement. Will and Lily match each other perfectly, particularly in terms of instability: there are definite rumblings of untold secrets and tension. But Lily rebuffs Will in favour of Nicholas, a stoically calm presence amongst his melodramatic classmates. 

Discontent slowly builds between Bennett, the cocky bully, and Chadwick, the softly spoken target. Though Bennett’s actions and insults gradually become more cruel and sadistic, no-one interferes. Lowered gazes and crossed arms combined with a few weak words of encouragement to Bennett show a stereotypically teenage pack mentality, exemplified by the desire to keep heads down and stay out of the firing line.

The initially light-hearted tone of their conversations – about love and sex, their flawed relationships with family and parents, and their plans for escape after school – turn into deeper realisations about the future of the world and the human race. Chadwick asserts that humans have ruined the Earth and that it will all end within two hundred years. He also poignantly asks Will, 'Why me?', after a dose of bullying from Bennett. Ultimately all the characters experience just how bad humans can be.

The slow-building tension and unravelling of the characters comes to a head in an aggressive climactic scene. Bennett transforms into a monstrous tyrant, lording over the other, seemingly weaker characters. His language is shocking and his actions humiliate.

One might expect Chadwick, the long-suffering underdog, to snap suddenly or to lash out, but his calm rebuttals and defiantly unbothered attitude turn him into the quiet hero of the play. However, Punk Rock continues in an unsettling key, choosing to avoid a satisfying conclusion in Chadwick’s moral victory over Bennett. Instead more tension explodes, leading to a jaw-droppingly visceral scene.

A disconcerting play performed with careful attention to detail, particularly during the subtler and slower moments, Punk Rock is an original piece that provokes and disquiets.