Crass Art Exhibition London 12th to 27th April 2024

 Looking forward to getting down to see this one. Gee Vaucher's artwork was a crucial, striking element of the total Crass package. Brilliant!

Up Yer Tower! Rebellion 2023 - Day 2

 

The Del Strangefish Inexperience

Empress Ballroom

Day Two

Day two dawns and it is out of the blocks early for a 12.45 start, meaning time for one livener before entering the Gardens for a set by The Del Strangefish Inexperience. Del is of course Del Greening of Peter & The Test Tube Babies (in)fame. I don’t know much about the band but I am guessing that it is something of a vehicle for Del who now has entered the literary circle of punk musicians turned writers. I suppose if you are showing your face up there on the literary stage it makes good sense to have something to put up on the musical stage too. Keep the profile up whilst the Test Tubes step back for a while.

Whatever the rationale for the Del Strangefish Inexperience, it suits me fine as it offers Del a chance to play Test Tube songs that can now be legitimately be described as obscurities. Opening with ‘Intensive Care’ (‘Watch him play one note so well!’), the set also included ‘Excuses’, another early one from the  ‘Loud, Blaring, Punk Rock’ album, and ‘Boozanza’ (‘Anyone remember Trapper?’ Del asked). From memory, ‘Banned From The Pubs’, ‘Blown Out Again’, and ‘My Unlucky day’ were also in the set.

Some ours were then spent wandering and taking in the atmosphere of the weekend before there was a musical parting of the ways in that The Vapors were playing in the Opera House whilst Subhumans and Neville Staple were on in the Empress Ballroom - Melksham punk and Coventry ska of course won the Day for me.

Subhumans

Empress Ballroom

The Subhumans were brilliant as indeed they always are.

They were followed onto the stage by Neville Staple. The last few times that I have seen them I have been very impressed, but the loss of Terry and with it the final demise of The Specials still smarts. Nevertheless, Nev, Sugary and band made a very good account of themselves.

Neville Staple From The Specials

Empress Ballroom

Somewhere in between whilst giving my battered ears half an hours respite I saw a few bits from Attila The Stockbroker who was doing his thing in the Spanish Hall.

Attila The Stockbroker

Spanish Hall

What followed was my highlight of the festival, missed by most, but given the original band's history, that situation seems right and proper. In the Pavilion was TV Smith and Paranoid Visions Replaying Cheap. I'll skip over them here as an extensive post and gig will follow. Make do with a photo for now!

TV Smith puckers up at the prospect of reviving 'Cheap'!

Then last but not least for a weary punk... Steve Ignorant's Crass set.

I follow a Crass Records Facebook page and I am always amazed at the stick that Steve comes in for on the page... Crass sell out, merch slave etc etc. He has the blessing of Penny and the band to go out and play Crass material. Crass are popular around the world, but not so many every got to see them. I was 15 and down in Sussex when they split in 1984 so my first Crass experience was at the 'Gathering of the 5000' in April 1987.... a night of chaos with a handful of Crass songs thrown in.

I don't think what Steve does with the band now is Crass by numbers or Karaoke Crass as some have suggested at all. Certainly when it comes to songs like Bata Motel' and 'Poison in a Pretty Pill' Carol's vocals are faultless. There is great love and respect of the original in what they are doing with this material. Fair play to them.

Steve Ignorant Band

Club Casbah

And so to bed with Carol Hodge's dulcet tones ringing in my bleeding ears!

Captain Sensible On Chas 'N' Dave's Knees Up 18th June 1983

 

Now I realise that I may get shot down in flames here but I am a fan of Captain Sensible's solo material! Unfortunately, and perhaps on more justifiable grounds the good Captain was never gonna have an easy time of it when ever he put something out on his own. If The Damned suffered under the 'Clowns of Punk (not to be taken seriously)' label, Sensible had it in a double measure. To this end he did not help himself. As the man has said himself, 'Happy Talk' is a millstone around his neck, albeit I suspect quite a lucrative millstone even all these years later. There are other abominations in the back catalogue too, 'The Hockey Cokey' anyone?! 

But amidst a stack of dross there are some pearls. 'This Is Your Captain Speaking', Cap's first solo offering saw the unlikely paring of Sensible and Crass's Penny Rimbaud. Released on Crass Records in November 1981 the three track EP saw a new political side to Sensible's song writing such as 'The Russians Are Coming' which addressed the nuclear threat at the then height of The Cold War. A great song pinned down by Penny's militaristic drumming. Lightening the mood somewhat but consistent with the Crass and the new Sensible ideology is 'Our Souls To You'.... almost like 'Reality Asylum' with humour. The week that he spent with members of Crass in their Dial House retreat inspired him to take the anti-war message further. He contributed 'Hey Jo' to the great anti-war punk compilation 'Wargasm'.

In 1982 he wanted to produce a pop album which he did with the production assistance of Tony Mansfield. The result was the 'Women and Captains First'. When released in September 1982, the album only reached number 64 in the UK album chart, being totally eclipsed by the runaway success of the 'Happy Talk', the first of three singles lifted from the album, which enjoyed two weeks at number one, much to the annoyance of many. That success meant that Captain Sensible was not exclusive property of punks anymore.... the berk on Top Of The Pops in shorts with a stuffed parrot on his shoulder belonged to everyone aged 5 and upwards!

Captain Sensible Performing 'Happy Talk' on Top of the Pops (June 1982)

However, aside from the throw away singles 'Happy Talk' and 'Wot!' the album has some great tracks such as 'Yanks With Guns' and 'Croydon' (Sensible's own 'Penny Lane'!). The biggest departure is his recording of the 1924 jazz standard 'Nobody's Sweetheart' with the help of the Beale Street Jazz Band. Usually one to run a mile from the music of finger-popping daddies and their music, I think that this version is great. Along with 'Happy Talk' it features on this two track download, an audio of his appearance on Chas 'N' Dave's Knees Up in June 1983. 

'Nobody's Sweetheart' Chas 'N' Dave's Knees Up (June 1983)

1983's 'The Power of Love', 1983's mirrored the fortunes of  'Women and Captains First'. The album failed to chart but the single 'Glad It's All Over', another anti-war song aimed at the recent conflict over the Falklands reached Number 6 in the UK singles chart.

Later solo album's shunned the pop somewhat and drew on Sensible's love of prog and psychedelia of the Syd Barrett variety. A handful of albums are worth tracking down from the period prior to 1996 when he fell back in with Dave Vanian  and The Damned.

WAV: https://we.tl/t-Qbmv6T69O1

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-J4lcoxytpk

01. Nobody's Sweetheart

02. Happy Talk

Crass 'Rock On' Interview May 1981

 

In May 1981, Crass members Steve Ignorant and Penny Rimbaud gave a rare (for them) interview for Tommy Vance's 'Rock On' radio show. Here they discuss the Crass in general and the ideas of their then new album 'Penis Envy'.

On this last post on the anarcho theme I will leave the closing words to them.

Over to Steve and Penny....

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-CU5LLv5E60

01. Tommy Vance Introduction

02. The Gasman Cometh

03. Interview Pt. 1

04. Poison In A Pretty Pill

05. Interview Pt. 2

06. Where Next Columbus?

07. Interview Pt. 3

08. Big A Little A

09. Interview Pt. 4

10. Bata Motel

The Art of Crass

 

Music is a powerful medium with the capability of inspiring, provoking, challenging and changing the way that the people who engage with it.

Art is a powerful medium with the capability of inspiring, provoking, challenging and changing the way that the people who engage with it.

Combine the two and the result is more than just the sum of the two parts. The package is whole, a full blown assault on the aural and visual senses.

Some bands are lucky enough to have an artist within their circle who become unofficial, or even official members of the band, such is the importance of their particular contribution to the band's work. The Pistols had Jamie Reid, Buzzcocks had Malcolm Garrett and Linder, Dead Kennedy's had Winston Smith and Crass had Dave King and Gee Vaucher.

Whether these artists turned their hands to the design of logos, record sleeves or stage sets, in each case there work became inextricably linked to 'their' band.

Crass were a very visual band from the all black military stage wear to the printed banners that adorned every venue at which they played, all visual statements of the band's philosophy. The Crass serpent logo is arguably the most iconic band logos of all time, although I grant you that the Rolling Stones tongue is up there as well. Designed by Dave King, the intricate monochrome design is jam packed with meaning. The body of a serpent, or to be more specific, Ouroboros, a two headed creature of Egyptian origin that consumes itself. The fertility based symbolism of the ancient image was redefined to represent the symbols of power around which the serpent was coiled as well as a part of. The Christian cross, the swastika and the elements of the Union Jack, all symbols of immense power. Ultimately, the image of the serpent consuming itself is a representation of these powers destroying themselves.... a scenario that was high up on the Christmas list that was sent out annually from Dial House, Essex.

Dave King in front of his an in-progress version of his masterpiece.

As if Dave King's logo to beat all logos was not enough, the Crass armory additionally had the artistic talent of Gee Vaucher to ensure that Crass grabbed people's attention even without the music.

Her collage approach to artwork leant itself perfectly to the DIY punk ethic promoted by many in the punk scene. For Crass it was just perfect. Gee was a collaborator with Penny Rimbaud from the early'60's but found a real niche when Crass took off from the late 1970's.

Cover of CD release of 'Feeding of the 5000'

Crass were very astute with their visual presentation. The tendency to issue their records in folded sleeves that opened out into large posters meant that bedroom walls throughout the country bore the Crass anti-war message. The sleeve as poster also presented the perfect medium for Gee Vaucher's intricately detailed collage pieces.

The fold-out sleeve in fact became something of a hall mark of subsequent releases by bands that associated with the anarcho punk scene.

The artwork could be playful and humorous such as the reworking of a well known photo of the Pistols:

Which in the hands of Gee became:

Fold-out of the 'Bloody Revolutions' single (1980)

or even (although I am not sure whether this is attributable to Vaucher or not):

Her work had also occasionally cropped up in more mainstream media such as on this Daily Mirror front page reaction to the election of Trump as President of the United States.

Here is a short interview that the on-line music magazine conducted with Gee in October 2020 in which she discusses her artistic style that she applied to the original Crass albums as well as the recently released Crassical Collection reissues:

https://www.thewire.co.uk/in-writing/interviews/gee-vaucher-of-crass-talks-to-edwin-pouncey

Crass Colosseum Aberdare 11th July 1984

 

The circle is almost complete, since it was with Aberdare that this series of posts kicked off. For those who don't like the anarcho scene, hold on we are nearly there. 

The Crass flame burned very brightly, but it quickly burnt itself out! As Steve Ignorant was at pains to explain in his excellent autobiography 'The Rest Is Propaganda', when every gig is a benefit for one worthy cause or another touring comforts are one of the first things to go. Life on the road was a spartan and uncomfortable business. When not playing live there was the mail bag to be dealt with. The members of Crass answered all correspondence personally be it a simple request for a badge or information on dates or in-depth discussions on the band's political viewpoints. Increasingly members of the band became worn down by the pressures of just being Crass. Throw into that mix some serious interest from our Secret Services and the business of being in a band with your mates does tend to lose its sheen!

Crass at the Colosseum Aberdare

11th July 1984

Fittingly their final gig was a Miner's Benefit in the South wales town of Aberdare, where they played with Annie Anxiety and Flux of Pink Indians.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-OuWLUiNuQd

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-sC8KfafE17

01. Big A Little A
02. Yes Sir, I Will
03. Reality Whitewash
04. Don't Get Caught
05. Mother Earth
06. Neo Fascist Stuff It
07. Smash The Mac
08. Bata Motel
09. Darling
10. Poison In A Pretty Pill
11. Sentiment
12. Nineteen Eighty Bore
13. Yes Sir, I Will
14. Do They Owe Us A Living
15. Banned From The Roxy
16. G’s Song
17. Shaved Women
18. Securicor

Beadles About Crass Style No. 2 - Ronnie and Maggie's Pillow Talk (Sounds 28th January 1984)

 

CRASS have been uncovered as the perpetrators of a bogus tape of a telephone 'conversation' between Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.

The tape was originally circulated last summer before the General Election and was claimed to be a recording of a crossed line between the two leaders. Needless to say it is not complimentary to either statesperson.

During the course of the 'conversation' Thatcher replies to Reagan's question about the Belgrano by saying: "Argentina was the invader. Force had to be used now, punishing them as quickly as possible.

And later in a discussion about nuclear strategy Reagan says: "If there is any conflict we shall fire missiles at our allies to see to it that the Soviet Union stays within its borders."

Most newspapers recognised the tape as a fake but the Sunday Times attributed it to KGB propaganda a couple of weeks ago and last Sunday's Observer took considerable delight in tracking the tape back to Crass' HQ in Essex.

Invoking the spirit of one of Reagan's predecessors, George Washington, they explained that the tape had been put together from TV and radio broadcasts overdubbed by telephone noises.

They justified their actions by saying: "We wanted to precipitate a debate on the Falklands and nuclear weapons to damage Mrs Thatcher's position in the election. We also did it because of the appalling way Tam Dalyll (almost the only MP to raise any awkward questions over the Falklands affair) was treated over the Belgrano debate in the House Of Commons.

"We believe that although the tape is a hoax what is said in it is in effect true. We were amused and amazed that the tape had been attributed to the KGB."

Beadles About Crass Style No. 1 - In Sickness and in Health (Sounds 13th June 1981)

 

In the summer of Royal Wedding madness (Charles and Diana, for the younger readers) Crass decided to have a bit of fun, after all fairly tale romance pervaded the very air of Albion in the summer of '81, a charming Prince, a demure princess to be.... what could possibly go wrong?

CRASS MAKE BID FOR NEW ROMANTIC CREDIBILITY SCOOP!: Proving that even recluses have a sense of humour (however devious), Epping Foresters Crass hatched a scheme whereby, just for a laugh, they should approach several romance magazines in the IPC empire to see whether any of them would be interested in putting out a flexi disc called 'Marriage', featuring the talents of young ' American ' songstress Joy de Vivre (sic).

The story goes that Loving magazine, having a bridal issue coming up, took up the offer and placed an ad in the May 30 issue, with Crass partially disguised as C.R .A .S.S. The ad (see above) featured the label of the flexidisc and a blurb written by Loving.

The magazine, not surprisingly, failed to notice the clues to their identity - Creative Recording And Sound Services (CRASS) , and 'A Penny Zenvy production' . 

They approved of the song - sung by Joy in an American accent - and originally wanted to include one disc free with every issue, but CRASS told Loving to wait till orders came in, then they'd supply further discs.

Several hundred orders had been received when the Daily Star rang Loving to inform them that Crass were behind the whole shebang. How the pioneering Star found out is a mythtery .... Loving then rang

C.R.A.S.S ….

LOVING: "Is this flexidisc to be released on an album? "

CRASS: "Yes!"

LOVING: "Are you anything to do with Crass? "

CRASS: " Yes! "

LOVING: "Is the name of the album what I think it is? ('Penis Envy') "

CRASS: "Yes I'm afraid it is!"

Loving groans in horror.

The rogue track is indeed from the forthcoming Crass elpee 'Penis Envy' . Quite why Loving mag approved of the song is unclear – perhaps the tongue-in-creek attack on marriage failed to register. But it's in keeping with the rest of the album, a more feminist statement than previous Crass attacks, with Joy and Eve Libertine providing all the vocals.

They've avoided a major disaster, but Loving are still worried that Crass, who are in control of sending out the flexis to their readers, might choose to despatch Crass propaganda with them. The band deny this and claim only to be sending out the discs - for which they paid for pressing and printing of labels ...

Jaws contacted the Editor of Loving magazine, who had this to say about the sorry affair: "We took the disc from Southern Studios in good faith . As far as we're concerned, the words of the of the song are not acceptable to our readers, but we were misled. We consider this sharp practice. It was a pathetic joke. We feel sorry for them if this is the only way that they can get publicity.”

Loving will not be taking legal action. Crass obviously had a good laugh.

 

Crass Article (Sounds 20th June 1981)

So, OK it took a little more than a week but I conclude in the next 24 hours something of an anarcho run of posts with some stuff on the main event.... CRASS. Love hem or loathe then in the wider scope of the punk movement they proved to be every bit as critical as the Pistols or The Clah.

So here we are queued up outside the 100 Club, a long line of black leather sprinkled with colour observed with curiosity and feigned amusement by the inhabitants of passing traffic.

Here we are a mass of multi-coloured hair twisted into spikes with liquid soap or Vaseline, leather jackets spray painted or Humbrol enameled, many with great artistry, utilizing the names of the groups that support the cause that many have written off as being dead.

Groups such as ‘The Damned’, ‘Theatre of Hate’, ‘The Exploited’, ‘Killing Joke’ and of course ‘Crass’.

The Crass emblem which is at one stroke both a symbol of a group identity and more importantly a declaration incorporating anarchy and peace has been stenciled out and stamped on to that favourite jacket with obvious loving devotion.

The queue moves forward a little, the prospect of witnessing Crass in action grows a little stronger. 

Around the corner an orange transit van loaded with police bumps along into Oxford Street on patrol, inside the security of their van they were forcing back stifled, nervous laughter and contemptuous disgust, observing the line as a potential threat. 

In front of me a pudgy faced Japanese girl is interviewing with caution, select queue people while her male partner is candidly taking photographic studies of spike topped ‘curiosities’ with an almost guilty enthusiasm.

The Japanese girl has found a willing interviewee and is plying him with questions instructing him to talk into the slimline cassette recorder she has clutched in one hand.

“Do you like other groups other than Crass?”

“Uhh, yeah sure.”

“Do you like reggae and dub?”

“UHHHH.”

“Have you come here just to see Crass?”

“Well, yeah of course.”

“Ahhh that’s very good, do you believe in anarchy?”

Now there’s a question to ponder on as the queue slowly snakes its way to the entrance of the 100 Club.

The vibrations of loud music could be heard coming through the pavement below us.

Then from the front of the queue came the cry that many of the throng were dreading to hear, “ALL THOSE WITH TICKETS TO THE LEFT, THE REST OF YOU CAN GO HOME IT’S SOLD OUT.”

The expected friction mounted and subsided, those who held tickets scampered up to the entrance while others not so fortunate sauntered away almost amiably, although certain angered fans apparently felt it necessary to pay for their disappointment by smashing in shop windows situated in Wardour Street causing some grief to the owners.

I had now managed to get to the pay desk and was greeted by the demure form of Annie Anxiety (more of whom will be told later) holding a white emulsion painted mask and long ashed cigarette. " It's okay he's a friend of ours" she told the club owner as I explained my story to gain admission.

I finally made my way down the flight of stairs and into the tightly packed surroundings of the club bedecked with huge banners of the Crass symbol and the backdrop inscribed with the motif of The Poison Girls.

Banked on either side of the stage are video monitors which flicker an occasional snowstorm pattern into the audience and a film screen, hanging in space.

I had, while waiting in the queue outside, missed the main film attraction of the evening, a twenty-five minute extravaganza of film collage by one Nick Duffield who does much of the film work for the Crass organisation.

On stage a group called Flux Of Pink Indians are winding out the last few sweat drenched minutes of their set to full enthusiastic response from those in attendance.

Flux Of Pink Indians used to be called The Epileptics and have a single out under that name, a new single 'Neu Smell' is to be issued shortly by Crass records using their new name.

Another new name to many takes the stage, the afore-mentioned Annie Anxiety, carefully pulling on her own personal little backdrop in front of which she will perform. The symbol of Annie's black curtain, a skull and flowers set within a circle came, I am told later, from a book of Japanese house signs.

With this simple little prop Annie shrieks out her heartfelt message over a taped backing track of percussion assault, the videos snow scene has gelled together and come into sharp focus displaying the image of Annie??? or perhaps her doppelganger stroking a microphone.

Annie's performance was, I found myself feeling, gloriously fulfilling, its simplicity in execution was almost uplifting.

She returns later in the evening just before Crass come on to do another song which surges into a stop start vocal routine hung loosely over a ballroom dancing backbeat, I admit to failing to understand  word that was being sung on stage but I enjoyed it thoroughly.

A record from Annie Anxiety entitled 'Barbed Wire Halo ' also to be released on the Crass label should go some way to clear up this minor detraction however.

The evening moves into phase three of the big build up that will eventually erupt with the emergence of Crass as The Poison Girls take to the stage, again heralded by a personal banner draped behind them.

What has impressed me most of all about the evening 's proceedings has been the organisation of the entire event, the way each performance merges into the next leaving no tiresome time-filling gaps to get bored in between. There 's no work here for the devil to put into idle hands so to speak.

 

The News Of The World shock horror expose was conspicuous only in its absence this night, no blood, no vomit, no overflowing toilets and the merest speck of saliva was all that was in evidence on this particular ocasion.

The actual sound is another all important factor, instead of the expected blitzkrieg of aural assault that tends to lead up to one big headache, the sound is mixed with care keeping it loud and powerful but not to the extent where it becomes uncomfortable.

The Poison Girls sound is totally murk free and the songs, sung with an earthy, broken texture to them by singer/guitarist Vi Subversa are almost corrosive in the way they are lashed out as the system, its bombs and greed are vigorously attacked and sprayed with The Poison Girls particular brand of venom.

Before their live attack a film by Nick Duffield was shown called 'Total Product' made with The Poison Girls and using a song called 'Statement' originally given away as a flexi disc item with their album

'Chappaquiddick Bridge '.

The film's images of consumer gluttony mixed with scenes of death camp, jewburning chimneys and the like may sound in cold print as being fatally predictable but Duffield's choice of imagery in both sections is coldly intelligent thus creating the chosen effect that both film and soundtrack strive to achieve.

Greatly impressed thus far I decided to mingle and take in my surroundings, the crowd heave towards the bar a mixture of punks, skins with monogrammed throat tattoos plus the occasional beer swollen

hippy and astonishingly the now legendary Gene October who reeled and wittered in loud tones about the merits of 'Freemans Beer' before being sucked again into the crowd.

I manage to strike up a conversation with two loyal Crass fans called Pete Test-tube and Gray but owing to the babble of the surroundings we sound like a replica of the interview conducted by the Japanese

correspondent I had overheard in the queue.

Both Pete and Gray are firm believers in the whole Crass ethic a " they play straight with us so we play straight with them " moral is strictly observed. The point, "which other groups would put on as good a show and only charge you a quid?" is put before me, I can only nod in weak agreement.

Pete 's favourite Crass song is 'Band From The Roxy ', it says a lot about the band's attitude to things, about not selling out, about self respect and respect for the people around you, I am told.

"It was the first song I ever heard that really hit me", admits Pete.

Gray is equally enthusiastic even though his bootlaces, marker pen, dog collar and nearly even his chewing gun were taken into custody.

Crass time ticks several paces further, everything 's set to go up real soon. At the invitation of Crass, the stage is momentarily taken over by a young punkette poet with a Mephistopheles-type hair style that brings to mind the creature that appeared in the film 'Night Of The Demon' , her head pulled tightly into a nest of quills.

Alas the PA offers little assistance in communicating her words to the audience but eventually the spirit and the image she projects is rewarded by scattered applause .

Crass strike up, ignoring any phoney build up or 'tonight's main attraction' psyche, they just take their places and get on with it. The audience blasts into full life as if they have found new energy as Steve

Ignorant thrusts the mike and stand into the belly of the crowd like a lance. The rest of Crass churn out sharp metallic rhythm like an amplified lathe.

Already Steve Ignorant's voice is shot to pieces slowly turning into the anguished cry of a wounded animal but heightening in intensity with every throat cracking twist he can pile on to it. Lead vocal chores are shared out equally between Steve Ignorant and Eve Libertine with the occasional addition of Joy De Vivre who accompanies Eve on songs from the new, highly acclaimed 'Penis Envy ' album.

For me, these songs work best of all, 'Systematic Death', 'Poison In A Pretty Pill’, 'Berketex Bribe' and 'Where Next Columbus' have a musical edge over the material performed from the 'Stations Of The Crass ', and 'Feeding Of The 5,000' projects.

It's a sign that Crass are beginning to bloom, steadily adopting a new musical alternative to getting the message across rather than that of just heavily-meshed punk thrashing (which they still do in case you're wondering), just seeing them in action made much more sense. The musical side is superbly and disturbingly illustrated with a graphic bombardment of cutting room floor, film montage bludgeoned into your senses with a cruel yet perceptive wit. A butcher assists a triple decker chinned 'modern ' mother in the choosing of meat products screened in freeze-frame slow motion to accompany one of the songs from 'Penis Envy '.

A taste of the full-blown horror of nuclear war hell is provided with footage showing the treating of victims during the aftermath of the sickening atrocities committed at Nagasaki and Hiroshima, it's deathly cold soundtrack is that of 'Nagasaki Nightmare ' announced with the cry of "200,000 people

were killed in Nagaskai, now that 's what I call OBSCENE" from B A Nana as he is now titled, his eyes bristling with both rage and horror at the thought of it all.

 

Equally chilling is the tape recorded selection of 'countdown' talk overs calmly and mechanically played out and lacking any feeling.

All these effects are fitted together to form a terrifying portrait of what could happen tomorrow should the right madman get it into his head that today 's the day.

The crowd is crowing out, demanding to be fed. The result is a searing power charge version of 'So What' with Steve Ignorant again, by now looking as lean and wide eyed as a rabid hyena.

The fans behind me are echoing the songs lyric straight from the heart, passionately mesmerised. A final implosion of video blare and it's all over, the heat dies down, the message, for now, is over.

Afterwards, in the remains of that evening 's event I talked to Andy (B A Nana), rhythm guitarist of Crass who is handing out badges and assorted material connected to the doings of the group.

Two of the audience approach him and ask about the possibility of obtaining one of the 'CRASS ANTI WAR' banners about to be neatly folded away.

"You can easily make another' one" one of them declares, he is told that the banners are needed for the next date on the tour and that they take a lot of time to individually produce, why doesn 't he make one for himself?

The fan explains that he doesn 't know how and a short lesson in DIY silk screen technique is provided acting as a form of compensation.

 

The two of them bustle off eventually, grinning, their heads already filling with ideas.

I hang around to socialise and sip après gig cups of tea, Crass have turned the little canteen to the side of the club into a veritable cup of tea factory.

The best drink of the day never tasted so. good. It felt great to be alive.

Steve Ignorant (Crass) Inked

 

Steve Ignorant linocut 15 cm x 20 cm, hand printed in black ink on premium quality paper. Over printed on A4 with the crass logo and an Action Space gig ad.

King Crass Is Dead... Long Live King Conflict!

 

It was in the van returning from Wales that members of the band declared an intention to call it a day. This declaration meant that the miner's benefit that they had had just played at the Aberdare Colosseum on 11th July 1984 was the last that Crass would ever play. 

Crass

Aberdare Colosseum 11th July 1984

Crass may have been the band that fermented the 'anarcho-punk' movement, a viable branch of punk, but their demise did not signal the death of a scene. The D.I.Y. nature of the anarcho-scene-on-a-shoestring meant that a significant number of bands, venues, promoters, distributers and labels existed in a self-sufficient, self-supporting network.

Critically, with Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government returned to power in the 1983 General Election and British heavy industry fighting for its life, there was still much to rail against.

Despite the 'There is no authority but yourself' ethic that Crass and associated bands espoused, the Crass split did create something of a vacuum, given their prominence and importance. One band in the frame to occupy that space was South East London's Conflict. Inspired by Crass, by 1984 Conflict were well established with their own label (Motarhate) and a roster of like-minded bands.

Ideologically, Conflict were broadly aligned with Crass, which led the latter to take the former somewhat under their wing , at least in the early years of Conflict's existence. However, different approaches in terms of the best way to handle right-wing instigated violence at their gigs saw the more liberal minded Crass distance themselves from Conflict and let's just say their more robust peacekeeping methods.

In March 1985, Conflict released the single 'This is Not Enough', a tremendous racket, obtainable for a mere 49p. Here seemingly Conflict shot themselves in the boot. In trying to out do Papa Crass with the 'Pay No More than 45p' label for their 'Reality Asylum' single.... given inflation.... every copy of 'This is Not Enough' sold at a 2 pence loss..... which only becomes problematic when the single sold.... which it did in the thousands!

The 'Pay No More Than...' pricing strategy adopted by many of the anarcho bands was another draw for a cash-strapped 16 year old trying his best to build up a record collection on a Saturday job wage. Large chunks of Conflict's back catalogue were then acquired from Virgin Records on Brighton's Queen's Road for a relatively low outlay.

The powerhouse singles such as 'The Serenade is Dead' and 'Mighty and Superior' and albums, especially 'Increase The Pressure' got a lot of airplay in this young punk's bedroom, much to the dismay of my parents!

Despite the fact that Conflict played regular gigs at the Richmond (Hotel) in Brighton, I first got to see them at the point that they released 'The Ungovernable Force' album. It was 9th November 1986. 

The Ungovernable Force Tour ad (Sounds October 1986)

By this point in time, Conflict were no strangers to controversy. Two years previously, Conflict were embroiled in a high profile war of words with left wing band, New Model Army, who had signed to E.M.I., the record company of the Establishment and one with known investment links to the arms trade and other interests that did not sit easily with Conflict and many others. The dispute prompted Conflict to release 'Only Stupid Bastards Help E.M.I.' on 'New Army Records', a mail order benefit LP for the 'Riot Defence Fund'.  The title was a take on the 'Only Stupid Bastards Take Heroin' T-shirt worn NMA's Justin Sullivan on Top of The Pops.

Later on, even within the scene, the rumour mill turned relentlessly producing accusations that the band's management of their Mortarhate label was awry in terms of royalty payments to bands connected with the label and sales accountability. Accusations of this nature were aggressively refuted by the band.

Mortarhate postcard (1986)

Beyond the music, regular trouble in and around venues where Conflict played brought them to the attention to the Metropolitan Police (the Police Constabulary responsible for Greater London). This resulted in the band's gigs in the capital regularly being pulled at the 11th hour as the police leaned on venues to cancel. The relationship between the 'Met' and Conflict hit an all time low in the wake of the band's 'Gathering of the 5000' event in Brixton which escalated into a full blown riot that saw 52 arrests and 10 police injured.

Into the 1990's and musically things had shifted a great deal. Dance music was king and Conflict's brand of confrontational issue-driven punk lost its footing to some degree, at least here in the UK. In Colin Jerwood's own words, now was the time to reign thinks in a bit. Activism of the type promoted and practiced by Conflict had by the late '80's become a risky pastime, attracting serious custodial sentencing in the courts. The judiciary were not adverse at that time to make examples of prominent agitators and in such an environment Conflict believed that they also would be squarely in the frame for such treatment. The band were still prolific in recording terms, but, to my ears at least, some of the anger had dissipated somewhat.

Conflict are still playing, the last time I saw them was at Rebellion in 2019. It's funny and it may be down to my own gig damaged ears, but I only recognised a handful of songs in a set that I was very familiar with. A far cry from an 80's Conflict gig. Slow it down boys..... the words mean as much as the music!

Do They Owe Us A Living? The Anarcho Scene

 

Back in the early '80's, amongst those with something more than a passing interest in music, the black and white double headed serpent that formed the Crass logo was almost as ubiquitous, but a little way short of the black and white Madness 'M'. However, whilst Madness were a media friendly, hail fellow well met ensemble, Crass certainly were not. 

Within and yet without the punk scene, Crass set a new course for what could be, fiercely independent they sought a means by which the better ideas of the punk train of thought could be harnessed. Records were produced with 'Pay no more than' instructions printed on sleeves that offered affordable product to fans that were suffering under the very same Government policies that the band were railing against. Such stated pricing instructions prevented subsequent mark up by retailers. A master stroke.

Personally, I missed the heyday of Crass and was too young to see the band before they fulfilled their stated intention to split in 1984, but I was aware of them in 1983/1984. 

Formed in 1977, Crass took a year or so to find their feet but with their debut on Small Wonder Records, 'The Feeding of the 5,000' they found a ready audience of people appreciative of their no-nonsense approach to punk. Their stripped down, angry roar pinned down by Penny's military drumming brought things back to what appealed too many in '76/early '77. 

Crass's early material took no prisoners and the old guard of Strummer and Rotten were very much in the band's sights. But then again The Clash of '77 that so inspired Steve Ignorant were a very different proposition to the polished outfit that they had become by 1979.

In the period of '78 to '81 they were a continuous thorn in the side of the music business and the music press, who it appeared either hated them or could not fathom them. However, come 1982, the trivia of the music business took a backseat as Crass became a thorn in the side of The Establishment, which was a far bigger deal for all of the band.

At the beginning of April 1982, under the direction of the military Junta then in power, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, two small islands located several hundred miles from the Argentine coast, the sovereignty of which had long been a mater of contention between Argentina and the UK. Three days after the invasion Margaret Thatcher order that a task force be sent down to the South Atlantic to assert British control over the Falklands and South Georgia. The conflict was concluded with the surrender of the Argentine forces, made up to a large extent of young conscripts, within 10 weeks, but the sacrifice was significant and bloody. 649 Argentine and 255 British soldiers died in the fighting. 

In April 1982, I was 13 and this was the first time in my lifetime that the UK had been involved in a war (Northern Ireland was something rather different to this, at least in terms of how I perceived it) and the images being served up on the evening news throughout those 10 weeks of Spring was truly shocking! As was the nasty, jingoistic reportage served up by the British gutter press, best exemplified by the 'Gotcha' headline that accompanied The Sun newspaper's reporting of the sinking of the Argentine vessel, ARA General Belgrano, on 2nd May with the loss of 323 crew. Misplaced patriotism quickly evaporated just two days later when HMS Sheffield was sunk with the loss of 20 crew, the first of six British vessels lost in the conflict.

Not intending to get bogged down in the details of the war, it is the impression that it made on me that is important here. Crass were equally perturbed by the events of that 1982 Spring, releasing two singles that were highly critical of the role that Margaret Thatcher and her Government in their handling of a diplomatic situation that escalated into a bloody conflict with remarkable rapidity.

At this juncture I would just like to add that I know several veterans of the conflict and and have the greatest respect for what they did and the sacrifices that they made as members of the Armed Forces. But I do think that there is a case to answer as to why it turned out as it did. 

Crass's response was to release two singles, 'Sheep Farming In The Falklands' and 'How Does It Feel To Be The Mother Of A Thousand Dead'.

The latter single was discussed in the House and led to legal action being taken against the band (that was ultimately unsuccessful).

So, back in my world in 1983, in our small school in Lewes, East Sussex, as a one-off as part our twice weekly music lessons, we were invited to share some of our own musical tastes with the wider class. I guess it may have been an end of term thing since every other lesson involved 'appreciation' of various turgid pieces of classical music that were never going to appeal to a teenage boy! (but now appreciated by this near 52 year old!). The teacher was reminiscent of Hyacinth Bucket in her carriage and she manfully (or womanfully) endured during this particular lesson the strains of Bon Scott, Depeche Mode  and yes, probably Madness. My choice was my newly acquired copy of 'Sheep Farming In The Falklands'.....

'Sheep farming in the Falklands, re-arming in the fucklands

Fucking sheep in the homelan.........'

Was just about as far as it got! Were it not for Steve Ignorant's machine gun rapid delivery it wouldn't have even got that far. I was out of the class and directed towards the headmaster's office.

From what I remember of my motives on that day over 40 years ago, I am sure that there was an element of mischief involved, but at the same time the very fact that I was in possession of a Crass record meant that I was starting to form independent opinions of the things that were happening in the world around me. And what a time it was for a political awakening. The Cold War was in one of it's chillier periods, the deployment of Cruise missiles at Greenham Common air base was under dramatic opposition, the IRA were very active in England, most notably with the Harrods bombing of 1983 and the bombing of the Grand Hotel in Brighton, not 10 miles from me at the time (Burgess Hill) .... and if that wasn't enough, there was the Miner's Strike.

All of this political and industrial turmoil had, for me, in the background a brilliant soundtrack, from Crass, to Billy Bragg to the Neurotics, whose remarkable album 'Repercussions' addressed in song both the Falklands Conflict and The Miner's Strike! 

I saw the Neurotics shortly after the collapse of the Miner's Strike, but was too late for Crass. Nevertheless, the so called anarcho-punk scene did continue after the demise of Crass. And in that sense, Brighton was a good place to be as the Richmond Hotel (now sadly a gastropub I believe) was a regular host for the bands lumped in with that scene. They all played there but I was only lucky enough to see a few, Antisect, Subhumans and Conflict. 

Perhaps more than any of the other bands on the scene it was Conflict who picked up the Crass baton and ran with it. Crass somewhat took Conflict under their wing for a time and certainly for Steve Ignorant they struck a chord, he joined the band for several years. 

I was at the Conflict headed 'Gathering of the 5000' gig at Brixton Academy in April 1987, a well intentioned, but ultimately a nasty, ill-tempered affair that saw a complete ban on Conflict that applied across the UK. I posted on that gig here.

Leaving Sussex in the late 80's and moving to Bishops Stortford in Hertfordshire, via London, I again felt the draw of that anarcho scene, not least because the second most famous band, after Shakatak, to hail from Bishops Stortford are Flux of Pink Indians, formerly The Epileptics, formally The Licks. Moreover, Crass were only a few miles down the road in the Dial House in Epping Forest. The like minded people in the town that I met had all seen Crass and Flux at the Triad Centre in town.... of course they fucking had! The bastards.

Benefit gig for the Triad Centre, Bishops Stortford, 1979.

1980 flyer.

Oh, it was all happening back in the  day in Bishops Stortford, there was also a related record label 'Stortbeat' but that's another story for another day and another post.

Post Crass, the many members have gone on to pursue their own specific interests be it graphic art, poetry, spoken word or a continuation in music. Steve, as previously mentioned, joined the ranks of Conflict for a while before forming the Stratford Mercenaries. Collaboration with Paranoid Visions followed, not to mention a stint as a crew member with the Sea Palling independent Life Boat, before the current and rather good, Slice of Life. Sadly, Steve's 'Ignorant Tour' has been the subject of several COVID-19 related postponements, now out to 2022! But again, it is a tour of Crass material, another potent reminder of that band's influence on the music and politics of a generation!

Love them or loathe them, Crass and the bands that formed part of that particular DIY scene, in the same way that Billy Bragg and The Newtown Neurotics did, engaged youth to take an interest in politics. At the end of the day whether you are left wing, right wing or an anarchist, there is no escaping politics so get involved, for or against, but be never indifferent.

Not Crass, but on theme and I am sure a sentiment that Crass would concur with, The Newtown Neurotics comment on politics in their 'Get Up & Fight' sums it all up rather nicely:

'You say politics are boring, boring and grey

But would you rather see cruise brighten everyone's day?'

Over the next week I will be posting a number of anarcho gigs and articles.

The Gathering of the 5,000 18th April 1987- 33 Years Ago Today

Mortarhate flyer for the gig

I had been meaning to post something on this gig for a while but today I was prompted to do so by on seeing an Instagram post from Steve Ignorant on this anniversary.

In April 1987 I was 18 years old and for the past twelve months or so in a position to travel up to London gigs from home in West Sussex. Prior to this 'coming together of minds gig' in Brixton I had seen conflict and a couple of the other anarcho bands that were regularly hosted by the Richmond Hotel in Brighton. I used to go with a mate who, like me, lived in Burgess Hill (10 miles north of Brighton) and for both of us the necessity of getting up to this gig was not so much that Conflict were headlining, but the fact that Steve Ignorant would be on stage with them and Crass songs were in the offing. Neither Matt or myself had got to see Crass, who had split in accordance with a long established strategy three years before in 1984.

Announcement of the gig in 'Sounds'

To be honest Matt was a bit more clued up than me on the anarcho scene, having been going to see Conflict at Woolwich Poly and Eltham, AYS, Poison Girls, Rubella Ballet etc etc in London. You see, he was the youngest of five.... so he got to do far more than me at a younger age.... still bitter after all these years!

Arriving in Brixton, there was as we expected a healthy turnout from Conflict's friends of the Metropolitan Police, but inside the venue, initially all was calm. I do not remember many of the bands that played prior to Conflict, other than Thatcher on Acid and Benjamin Zephaniah, the poet. For the first part of the Conflict set I was at the front thrilled to be hearing those Crass songs. 'Banned From The Roxy' renamed as 'Banned From The UK', which turned out to be more prophetic than anyone originally imagined, 'Big A Little A' and 'I Ain't Thick It's Just A Trick'. This was a big occasion that saw buses from all corners of the UK bringing punters down to London for the event. Later I moved back.... that's the wonderful thing about the Brixton Academy, the sloping floor means that even a short arse such as me can see the stage from further back.

Out of the joyous ruck at the front, the mood further back in he venue was a little darker in places. Conflict never shied away from calling out other band's that they had issues with. There were spats with The Exploited, Oi Polloi (if I remember correctly) and most publicly New Modal Army, whose appearance on Top of the Pops in 1984 with Justin sporting an 'Only Stupid Bastards Use Heroin' triggered a war of words between the two prominent 'protest bands' that culminated in Conflict releasing an  album entitled 'Only Stupid Bastards Help E.M.I.', a dig at NMA for signing to the major label.

To my left were a group of punks baying for blood.... 'Kill Colin, Kill Colin!'.... well they were a bit too far away from the stage to do him any serious damage! The gig ended before schedule due to people on the stage so Matt and I decided to make an exit. The atmosphere outside was not so conducive to 'Anarchy and Peace' so we made a beeline for Brixton Tube Station and Victoria.

It was only next morning that we heard on the radio that something of a riot followed the gig with 50 plus arrests and four policemen injured. It turned out that luck had been on our side and we had just managed to make it onto the Tube before the London Transport Police made the decision to close it along with bus routes in and out of Brixton in an attempt to contain a crowd containing elements that were looking for confrontation with the police.

Gig review in 'Sounds'

If Conflict thought that they had been in hot water before the 'Gathering' the fall-out proved how bad thinks could be.

'Sounds' April 1987

News of the live album and detailed reportage of the gig from the Daily Mirror!

Reading through this stuff again, some 30 years after the event, some of the claims made that this was always intended to be an harmonious night in which 'to forget our troubles' may have being stretching credibility a little too far. I never saw any leaflets appealing to people to take the opportunity to riot, but there was certainly information available that pinpointed the locations of all butchers, bookies, burger bars, the Police Station, Boots the Chemist and even the local Conservative Club!

I still have the 'Ungovernable Force' gig shirt with the date on the back that I bought from Rough Trade in Portabello Road a couple of weeks later. It would be rather snug now but who knows after 3 months of housebound isolation....