As a lame atonement for the late-summer hiatus I'm posting this chunky bugger - the 40 riotous pages of Acts of Defiance #7. Yes, 40! True, Sned's already made AoDs available on The UK Zine Archive, but here's an opportunity to point you in that direction if you've yet to discover the place. Raf, Russ and Mike at the helm with: interviews - Famous Imposters, Annie Anxiety, Faction, Poison Girls; issues - veganism, Territorial; Army, Militarism, voluntary unemployment, In The City (capitalism), battery chickens, Nuclear Power Fades Your Genes (nuclear accidents), Youth Opportunity Programme; a liberal sprinkling of fanzine round-ups; updates on The Station; tape reviews - Youth in Asia, Napalm Death, Political Asylum, Autumn Poison, Passion Killers, Flowers in the Dustbin, The Committee, Self Abuse, Chumbawamba; a notice on 91 Products; Grangetown Anarcho Punk Gang cartoon; a mini feature on The Stoned Rayzens; and poetry from Edible, Annie Anxiety, Wilfred Owen, and Andy T....and speaking of the lovely fellow...
Sheffield Marples 1983 pic Andrew Medcalf
...it's well worth noting the recent release of Andy's long player, Life at Tether's End. Yes! Some 32 years since his first appearance on Bullshit Detector we take delivery of this delightful lolloping slab of Andy at his seething 'n' bristling best. Generally I'm not really an advocate of reviews, rather, an adherent of the popular dictum; "writing about music is like dancing about architecture". Suffice to say, there's much to admire in Andy's approach to kicking-up a stink about social injustice and the venality of the political class. Certainly his has been a welcome return to the fray in recent years. As with recent live outings, LaTE sees Andy presenting the poetry in a musical setting interspersed with purely spoken elements. Whilst there's preference here for the highly affective raw ranting, there are some gems amongst the musical offerings, notably the clarion call of the scathing broadside, I Still Fucking Hate Thatcher (itself released as a very attractive 7" on 1in12 records by way of a benefit single for the venerable Club), and the wonderfully depressive Wooden Curtains. Alongside the many excellent new excursions, the CD handily compiles many of the classics first showcased here. LaTE is the debut release on the resurrected All The Madmen records, and it's got to be said that ATM have set the bar bloody high for future releases. The sturdy package houses a 96 page booklet featuring Andy biographised and interviewed by Richard Cubesville and a rake of ace agitart and illustrations accompanying the poetry and lyrics. Easily worth a tenner!
A4 scanned at 600dpi
4 comments:
Fantastic stuff Si.....Acts Of Defiance was always a favourite way back ! Your right about All The Madmen setting the bar high for future releases with the quality of Andy's cd ! Andy is playing down the road from us in Wigan next week with The System & Xtract....the first time,i think,he's played in these parts since an all dayer back in 1983....unfortunately we cant make it....we're away for the week,no doubt we'll catch up with him again soon though ! Thanks again !
Hi Chris, thanks for that lad. Shame you can't make it to that gig - I'm in the same boat, I'll be in Cornwall. Well gutted as that's an ace lineup - it's 30 years since I last saw System in Leeds and I never got to see Xtract - despite being label mates at Pax. ATM have announced the launch gig in London, do you reckon you'll be along?
All the best
Hello Si....the ATM gig is looking like a bit of a non starter at the moment ! Trying to get the time off to get down there is proving a bit tricky ! I live in hope though ! I read on Andy's gig list on his facebook page that he's playing the 1 in 12 with Anthrax and The System the week before the ATM gig.....i think i stand a better chance of getting to that one....funnily enough i never saw Xtract early on....even though they were quite local ! Used to have the blame it on the youth single which i thought was a great single ! and probably as rare as the Anti System and Morbid Humour stuff on Pax ! The new Anthrax cd is very good as well....well packaged etc ! Hope you enjoy Cornwall ! Chris
Nice one Chris. Let me know if you decide after all that you can make it to the launch - it would be good to hook-up. Failing that, I will be trying to make the 1in12 gig - I really don't want to miss Anthrax and The System. Yep, I'm still after a copy of Blame it on the Youth. I now have a contact number for Pax boss, Marcus, so I will be hopefully meeting him soon - maybe he has a secret stash of all the Pax stuf.... ;)
Take care
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