When punk rock was all the rage

It’s hard to convey to anyone who wasn’t there just how explosive and truly volatile the Southland punk scene of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s really was -- back before it was reduced to a uniform and a haircut any kid could pick up at the local mall.

Photographer Ann Summa takes a stab with a new exhibition of photos she took in the L.A. clubs from 1978 to 1984 when she was documenting the rise of Black Flag, X, the Germs, the Screamers and countless other L.A. punk bands along with the touring groups such as the Clash, Iggy Pop and the others who found their way west in those days.

Dozens of her shots, the vast majority of them previously unpublished, are on display through Dec. 15 at Track 16 Gallery in Santa Monica ( www.track16.com) in a black-and-white testament to a period and style of music that typically generated a love-or-hate response from those who were privvy to it.

For the final night of this show, which precedes the publication next year of a book of her punk photos, Summa is lining up a concert featuring Human Hands, the Deadbeats, Urinals and others to be confirmed. Expect a wild night.