A
Benjamin
Horrendous website index
ACTION PACT!
3 angry young men and a girl singer (called George).
Punky, political, perfect. " Blue Blood" from their "Suicide Bag"
e.p. is one of my favourite ever singles. They were anti - monarchy,
anti - racist, anti - capitalist. The lyrics were shouted (rather than
sung) by George in a thick sarf London accent. They had a simplistic
beauty about them e.g.
".....Fools factions, you're all the
same,
A load of shit, that's what.
Racial hatred is your game,
Humanity's soon forgot."
from "Fools Factions".
or
"Rupert Murdoch, take your farce
Roll it up and shove it
Up your arse."
from "Currant Bun"
Saw them live a couple of times at the Richmond,
Brighton . they were brilliant. Very tight and together, and very
committed.
Essential
"Suicide Bag" e.p.; "People" e.p.; "Mercury Theatre"
l.p. By the 2nd album they were beginning to run out of steam.
ADAM AND THE ANTS
Made some great singles in the early 80's. Great rhythms, interesting
and inventive. My favourite was "Ant Music".
http://www.esteem.demon.co.uk/html/adamant/adamant.htm
ART BEARS
Ex Henry Cow
members Fred Frith , Dagmar Krause and
Chris Cutler. Uncompromising left - wing Art Rock of the best kind .
Fred is some kind of genius, Dagmar's voice makes Bjork sound like Mary
Poppins, and Chris is one of the most inventive drummers you'll ever hear
this side of Han Bennink. Saw them at the I.C.A. in London, augmented with
some other musicians. They started with "Freedom" from "The World as it
is Today", which features a long section of Dagmars intense screaming.
At the end of the song, the audience were literally stunned into an awestruck
silence. After what seemed ages I was the first to recover, and began the
applause, which quickly grew into a tumultuous ovation. From there,
things got more intense.
Essential
All 3 of their albums. "Hopes and Fears", "Winter Songs", and "The
World as it is Today".
VIRGINIA ASTLEY
Leader and writer for the "Ravishing Beauties", an all girl trio playing
whimsical , ethereal music on flutes keyboards and guitars. Saw them at
Brighton Dome supporting the Teardrop Explodes
. You couldn't help but fall in love with them. They were nervous and giggly,
and the music was wonderful.
Essential
Her "Promise Nothing" solo l.p.
ATV
Or Alternative Television. Intelligent punk rock band led by Mark Perry
of "Sniffin Glue" mag fame. "How Much Longer?" was a great single, attacking
hippies and punks who blindly follow trends instead of setting them.
KEVIN AYERS
Early Soft
Machine member who went on to make several solo albums of eccentric
English pop whimsy, which often drifted into experimental weirdness. Saw
him at a Hyde Park free festival. I remember him doing this number called
"The Hat Song" which started off slow and got faster and faster. The lyrics
were something like
"....You say you like my hat,
But you never say you like me...."
At the end he said ,
"If you really like my hat,
You can have it".
and threw his hat into the audience. I guess you had to be there.
Essential
"Joy of a Toy" and "Shooting at the Moon" l.p.s
http://musart.co.uk/fram/ayerfra1.htm
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