Next year sees the 40th anniversary of anarcho-punk band Subhumans. Most bands that have been slogging away for the best part of 4 decades are striving in vain to relive past glories. They're still pulling in the punters to their live shows but new material is either far removed from what the fans lapped up back in the day or a disappointing attempt to replicate their "hits." I've got to be honest, I first caught Subhumans live back in the early 90's (in Morecambe at either Holidays In The Sun or Wasted (I can't remember what name the Rebellion Festival went by that particular year)) and I was half expecting a tired out old band. I couldn't have been more wrong, they played an electrifying set to a packed venue. Bearing that in mind, even though their new album, Crisis Point, is their first in over a decade, I was expecting it to be good. Again I was wrong, it isn't good, it's great.
The line up on the album is Dick Lucas (vocals and words), Bruce Treasure (guitar/vocals), Phil Bryant (bass/vocals) and Trotsky (drums). The playing is powerful, fast and furious with plenty of energy but the main raison d'etre for the band still being around in 2019 is that they've got plenty to say. Dick's words and forceful delivery are the highlight. With the human race seemingly being unable or unwilling to open their eyes and see what's going on in the world, bands like Subhumans are more important than ever. It's just a shame more people won't get to hear it, society would be a better place if this was the kind of stuff they taught in schools.
So what's the message? It's that tempers and temperatures are rising hand in hand. It's that the air, the sea, your food and your brain are full of poison. It's that the 1% exploit the 99% and we let them do it. It's that we're being slowly neutered by out tv screens. It's that we should think for ourselves. It's an album everyone should listen to and it's available on vinyl, cd & cassette from Pirates Press Records : https://shop.piratespressrecords.com/collections/subhumans/products/subhumans-crisis-point-12-lp-cd-cassette
For digital go here : https://subhumans.bandcamp.com/album/crisis-point
There's plenty of highlights, on yesterday's JSPS show I played Atom Screen War, but today I'm going with Poison...
the sea is full of plastic bags are full of ready meals
are full of slaughtered animals who never saw a field
saturate with chemicals to streamline the supply
im not sure what you're eating but at least it fills you up right?
CH: poison- the air is full of poison
the food is full of poison
poison- the water's full of poison
your brain is full of poison
the road to breathing normally is full of toxic air
commuters on computers staying sick and unaware
of the daily breathing in and out of pesticide and waste
geoengineering us to keep us in our place
CH
our food is full of poison but its cheaper that way
our measure of survival is the price we pay
thats why the rich live longer its not because they're stronger
its cos they keep the rest of us on minimum wage
CH
when the earth dries up and the food runs out
all the money in the world won't help you out
cancer dementia poverty prevention
clean up your act avoid extinction
Ace
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