Patti Smith Group Live in Zurich, October 1976

On October 12, 1976, Patti Smith performed at the Rote Fabrik in Zurich until the concert was interrupted by a mysterious tear gas attack. A bootleg recording from that evening is the starting point for Dominik Bachmann’s research and this attractively prepared photo book. The book brings together unpublished photos by Eric Bachmann, François Bitzi, and Roland Stucky, and also makes available for the first time, an interview that Smith gave to Swiss television. The numerous finds are supplemented by historical documents, newspaper articles, and texts by Bice Curiger, Veit Stauffer, Peter K. Wehrli, Suzanne Zahnd and Corine Mauch complement the historical finds.

Patti Smith is a poet, musician, and visual artist, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures of the New York punk scene in the 1970s. With her debut album Horses (1975), she merged poetry and rock music in a way that redefined both genres. Smith’s work is known for its raw energy, political edge, and literary depth, and she remains a powerful voice in music and culture today.