Slow Faction - La Commune

 

  I think it's fair to say this lot never let us down...

  London's finest Slow Faction (https://www.facebook.com/slow.faction) are back with somewhat of an epic. The erudite, old school politically charged 4 piece are no strangers to this blog and hopefully no strangers to your heart so I don't need to write a lengthy intro, lets just move onto the song (the lyrics are lengthy enough to fill up this update and much more interesting than anything I could write!). 

  This is my take on it what John Youens is writing about this time around; he's showing us that history repeats. He's writing about the Paris Commune (the main insurrectionary commune of France in 1870-1871) and how it seized control of the city and governed Paris for two months, establishing policies that tended toward a progressive, anti-religious system of social democracy, including the separation of church and state, self-policing, the remission of rent during the siege, the abolition of child labour, and the right of employees to take over an enterprise deserted by its owner. Feminists, socialists and anarchists played an important role but before they could fully implement their ideals they were suppressed by the national French Army during 'the bloody week' with thousands of Communards being either killed or executed. 

  I assume that John's drawing parallels between the time of The French Revolution and the state of the UK today with the first part of the song pretty accurately describing where we're at now. It doesn't seem as though this country's population is ready to rise up en masse as of yet (we seem much more restrained than the French when it comes to widespread civil unrest) but maybe the tide is beginning to turn? 

  You can get the song as a name your price download here : https://slowfaction.bandcamp.com/track/la-commune-demo

  It's called La Commune...

Night falls and the city sleeps
But I'm awake, I know what dawn brings
Dark forces are gathering
Just waiting for the morning's first light
The nations we were taught to hate
Sit this one out, they're just observers
New enemies are circling now
Even though they wear our colours

Election won then power seized
Autocratic, entitled ambition
Brought up in such privilege
Born to rule, as if it's a birthright
They stoked the fires of national pride
That only led to humiliation
Support was high in the provinces
So, they sold us out and our great city

They've split the country up in two
And we'll never surrender
To the forces of reaction
And the memories of faded empire

This is where we live and die
This is our city
Just faded photographs
Show the world that we were once here
And who will sing this song again?
This is our city
Will the next generations
Take up the fight to set themselves free?

So, we ran them out of town
The police, the army and the ruling classes
We made our own government
One for us all, the forgotten masses
Universal suffrage and equal pay and education
The dispossessed and refugees
Everyone was welcome in here....


Calling every city, calling every nation
Can't you see what they're doing to us
So, won't you come and help us fight back?
Calling every city, calling every nation
Sending out an SOS
So, won't somebody please save our souls


So the state came for revenge
They couldn't allow us to have our city
A provincial dictatorship
Dissention crushed, no toleration
So we gathered one last time
And sang the Internationale
Then we went to our families
To say goodbye before they came

So the state had its revenge
And when they came they showed no mercy
20,000 women and men took up arms and died for this city

Slow Faction - Bubble Gum For Josh (Demo)

Sitting at home watching videos

I’ve got to understand how this music goes
Ripped clothes chic and Emo sadness
Heartache, boredom, small town madness
Edgy Jocks and high school girls
Pizza parties and swimming pools
Everyone drives a cabriolet
Cruising with the roof down – the Easycore way
But it’s so empty and unreal
How do the other kids really feel?
It reminds me of my youth
And the parties I was never invited to

Bubble gum pop, fast cars and girls - I hear you calling
California’s dreaming and the kids just want songs without meaning
Bubble gum pop, fast cars and girls – I hear what you’re saying
You think I’m a walking misery but I just write about the things I see
Even though there’s no one listening….

They say it was never about politics
Just a headrush for suburban kids
Now the old punks vote Conservative
And spend their pensions on nostalgia trips
They say they’re free thinkers - they’re not for sale
Then they share stories from the Daily Mail
Too dumb to differentiate
Between free thought and a brainwashed state
Johnny’s not so rotten now
He shakes his fists and shouts at clouds
The ramblings of a bitter man
Throwing his toys out of the pram

Bubble gum pop, fast cars and girls - I hear you calling
England is still dreaming and the old punks just want songs without meaning
Bubble gum pop, fast cars and girls – I hear what you’re saying
You think I’m a walking misery but I just write about the things I see
Even though there’s no one listening….

So, I’m a social justice warrior?
You like my sounds but you hate my words
Just sit at home and watch Fox News
Let nothing ever challenge your views
The racists and Islamophobes
Gang up and bully on Facebook posts
They’re so far gone it’s hard to tell
What separates them from the EDL
I click on profiles just to see
These soul-dead eyes staring back at me
Youthful life-force truly spent
Just hatred, anger and impotence

Bubble gum pop, fast cars and girls - I hear you calling
England is still dreaming and the old men are just so right-leaning
Bubble gum pop, fast cars and girls – I hear what you’re saying
You think I’m a walking misery but I just write about the things I see
Even though there’s no one listening….

Bubble gum pop, fast cars and girls
- I hear you calling
- And England’s dreaming
- It’s the only way to be
- - and forget about anarchy

  One of the first things I always do when a new Slow Faction (https://www.facebook.com/slow.faction) song comes along is check out the lyrics. I keep saying that frontman John Youens is one of the UK's best lyricists and time after time he proves me right. So that's the reason why today's update starts with the lyrics. 

  As for the song itself, the title comes about in response to a review by Josh Rutledge on his excellent Faster And Louder blog. Writing about Culture Wars, Josh states (quite correctly) that Slow Faction "doesn't write songs about bubblegum and pretty girls."  https://fasterandlouderblog.blogspot.com/2021/01/slow-faction-culture-war.html 

  And so they have. Sort of. 

  Their latest Demo song is one of their best so far. It's still a well thought out political viewpoint, it still rings true (sadly, as it points out a lot of what is wrong with modern day Britain). But it also manages to include references to bubble gum pop, fast cars and girls. Maybe John can be accused of not writing cheerful songs but as he says, he just shares his thoughts on what he sees, even if in the main no one's listening. 

  Don't think it's just a one man show though, those lyrics wouldn't be anywhere near as effective without the backing of a very talented band on the top of their game. You can get the new track here (name your price) : https://slowfaction.bandcamp.com/track/bubble-gum-for-josh-demo 

  It's called Bubble Gum For Josh... 

Slow Faction - Culture War (Demo)

  

  Slow Faction (https://www.facebook.com/slow.faction) return today with another eloquent look at the state of the nation. This time around South London's finest cast their gaze over a war that's going on around us (unnoticed by many). Backed by the band's trademark '77 influenced punk backbeat, frontman John Youens bemoans the rise of social media bots spreading fake news and seeking to influence opinion. He shakes his head in despair at the lack of serious journalism as journalists toe the company line rather than shine a light on grubby goings on. He despairs that smoke and mirror trickery has left us fighting amongst ourselves whilst the agenda pushers pretty much get a free pass to line their pockets. 

  You know what you're getting from Slow Faction, they haven't changed much from their early days but they remain topical, honest and very good indeed. They speak from the heart. They care. 

  You can get the new song from Bandcamp as a name your price download. If you're a fan of intelligent, old school punk music then hopefully you've already availed yourself of their extensive back catalogue   https://slowfaction.bandcamp.com/track/culture-war-demo 

  This is Culture War...

This is war but you haven't noticed
Too distracted to see the truth
You're always glued to a smartphone screen
Always being told what to believe in
The bots are out in force tonight
Disciples of this cult of ignorance
Manipulating, polarising
Falsehoods now articles of faith so...
While we were fighting just amongst ourselves...
They went ahead and staged a coup -
So what are we going to do now?

Culture War - post truth lies and the cult of personality
Culture War - chasing cheap hits , clickbaiting prejudice
Culture War - there are no facts, there's only algorithms
Now the battle lines are drawn

So you pay your licence fee
To buy propaganda from the BBC
And journalists do what they're told
Integrity has long been sold out
The emperor has got no clothes
But, no one seems to realise
Shapeshifting politicians
Gaslighting, denying what's true
While we were fighting just amongst ourselves...
They went ahead and staged a coup -
So what are we going to do now?

But it doesn't matter...
That we think we're right
It's time to deal with it
And face them on their own terms and fight...

Living Marxists sucking Koch
They seem to like his money a lot
Spread climate change conspiracy
Science denial and hypocrisy
Beware the ones who shout liberty
Libertarian values won't set you free
There are no borders for the rich
The sovereign individual's greatest trick....
While we were fighting just amongst ourselves...
They went ahead and staged a coup -
So what are we going to do now?

Slow Faction - 1945 (demo)

 

  If you love '77 influenced London punks Slow Faction (https://www.facebook.com/slow.faction/) as much as I do then you're in for a real treat today. Not only have they just shared with us the demo of a very impressive brand new song, they've also decided to celebrate their 7 years together by compiling a 20 song retrospective of some of the choicest cuts from their excellent back catalogue. 20 extremely well written political punk classics all for the very reasonable price of... name your price! You'll be daft not to take them up on the offer.

  The album contains all their best known should have been hits (A Little England, Woody Guthrie, Antifascist, The Breitbart Boys etc) alongside lesser well known but equally as great tracks such as 59 minutes past 11 and Live In Fear. If it wasn't a comp it'd probably already have secured a place as my album of the year.

  You can get it, the new demo and everything else they've released here :   https://slowfaction.bandcamp.com/

  Vocalist and song writer John Youens had this to say;

  Thought this whole lockdown thing is a good opportunity to take stock of certain things... We've had a brilliant 7 years since this incarnation of Slow Faction got together and when we emerge from the current situation and get back to playing, writing and recording, we'll be doing so with Gianfranco on drums, who joined us just before Christmas 2019.

  The demo is a withering put down of US foreign policy and asks why a country that claims to stand for peace is always waging war. I often get a little bit over enthusiastic about John's song writing skills but let's be honest, he's the best out there at the moment.

  This is 1945...

Harry was the one who had a great big bomb
He said he only dropped it so the war was won
Then he and General Ike, they simply carried on
Fighting in Korea, destabilise Iran
Feverish nights after Cold War days
So who's going to win the rearmament race?
Military complex, it's so industrial
Warnings ignored because it's profitable

Then came Johnny K, he had some funny ways
So the CIA made the problem go away
Lyndon was their man, he followed all their plans
He sent the boys to die out in Vietnam
Dicky was so tricky, always acting shifty
As he sought to undermine poor Allende down in Chile
Operation Charlie, Argentina
Sponsored regime change in Central America

Must it always stay the same?
Are you never going to change?
You say you stand for peace
Yet you're always waging war

You're killing all the time
So don't deny it
Cos your words don't mean a thing
Since 1945
You're killing all the time
So can't you see it?
Your guns have never brought peace
Since 1945

Ronnie didn't like his neighbours in the south
So he sent his advisors to flush them all out
Daniel Ortega, Nicaragua
Washington Bullets and the Sandinistas
The Star War years and SDI
Strategic defence to win the war up in the sky
Daddy George left it unfinished in Iraq
But don't worry Saddam, they'll soon be coming back...

Little Georgie came and went so much further
Doubling up the sins and the failings of his father
Obama thought himself so much better than the rest
But he bloodied his hands for US interests
Then here comes Donny, what a brilliant man
He's so brave to starve the poorest in Iran
He stands with Israel and Saudi Arabia
They can do what they want as they're Friends of America

Slow Faction - You've Been Fooled Again

 

  A sad night for Britain as Boris Johnson's Conservative party are returned to power by a nation sold a Brexit pup. There was the chance to vote for real change but it was spurned so now it's more of the same as those with wealth and vested interest raise a glass to 5 more years of coining it in. But it's done now, we dust ourselves down and carry on.

  Stating things much more eloquently than I can manage are London band Slow Faction (https://www.facebook.com/slow.faction/). They're quick off the blocks with this new song which sums things up. You can download it here name your price :   https://slowfaction.bandcamp.com/track/youve-been-fooled-again

  This is You've Been Fooled Again...

A nation that no longer cares – a state of terminal despair
The liars and cheats have won the night – will the last one here turn out the lights
You had the chance to go for change – you had the chance but you threw it all away
Enablers and you right wing shils – supporters of the policies that kill

They wage war on society, throw millions into penury
They decimate communities to pay the price of rich men’s greed
Another time, another place – a kinder, gentler, humane state
But all of that’s been thrown away – the 5 Evils are here to stay

What the hell have you done? You’ve been fooled again
You’ve fucked up everything! You’ve been fooled again
You’ve fallen for their blatant lies – how long till you realise
The emptiness of your victory last night? You’ve been fooled again….

The consensus of the post war years has been pulled down around our ears
Not even that Bitch went as far as the generations who followed her
Do you think these people are on your side? Do you think they’ll help you turn the tide?
You won’t have too long to wait as you watch them further shrink the state..

A transatlantic conspiracy – scratch the surface it’s there to see
Who pays the think-tanks calls the tunes…. the billionaires behind the news
They say they want to set you free from Marxist ideology
Scapegoat the poor, no safety net, reward the rich and squeeze the rest

I warn you, don’t you dare fall ill – you won’t afford the treatment bill
I warn you never to grow old – your choice to starve or die from cold
Don’t be young – they’ll steal your dreams. Don’t be homeless – those streets are mean
I warn you never to be poor – accept your lot, don’t ask for more

What the hell have you done?
Yes you, you’ve fucked up everything – and you’ve been fooled again!

Slow Faction - Oblivion

  Is it just me, or is 2019 turning out to be a wonderful year for punk music? There's been a large number of album of the year contenders already released and today you're getting a song from yet another addition to that list. 

  Slow Faction, the London punk band featuring Kit Gould (drums), Umbi Liszka (bass), Lee Peterson (rhythm guitar) and John Youens (guitar & vocals) are like a talented artist painting a portrait of what they see happening around them. Their canvas is a bleak affair... John's lyrics describe failed politicians putting our country up for sale, he shakes his head in despair as president orange brands anti fascists as terrorists, he calls out the haters who long for a country that never actually existed, he tells little Tommy name-change that he and his knuckle draggers aren't welcome round here. Slow Faction.... a politically charged band describing a landscape darkened by greedy, crooked politicians and racist bully boys. A band influenced by punk's early days that are sadly, 40 years down the line, still having to shine a light on pretty much all the issues that their forebears rose up in protest against. Another influence, Woody Guthrie, was singing songs like these before pretty much anyone reading this was even born and one of his most famous songs gets the Slow Faction treatment on their new album (All You Fascists... is a bonus track). Tragically it's still very relevant.

  The album's called Unilateral Declaration Of Independence and it's their best work yet. The cd version should be ready for release by the 5th October but the digital version is already on Bandcamp as a name your price download : https://slowfaction.bandcamp.com/

  The song I'm highlighting today is a brooding 5 minute masterpiece titled Oblivion...

A claustrophobic place to live
Rigid rules and discipline
A hostile legacy
Of the previous century
An anxious childhood full of pain
No understanding, only blame
A suicide attempt in vain
So they had him sent away

He just wants to stay at home
He has to try to be alone
By day he dreams of peace
Of idyllic domestic bliss
But he knows that the wolf inside
Can never be satisfied
Until it takes control
In the struggle for his soul…

As darkness falls, turn down the lights – oblivion
He dies a little more each night – oblivion
Dull the ego, numb the pain – oblivion
No strength left to live or die
So he dies his ‘little death’ each night


The city’s calling with its lights
A different world comes out at night 

Cabaret and music halls
He can’t resist the siren calls
Gambling dens and red-lit bars
He knows all the secret doors
By night he gives in to lust
By day only self-disgust

Internal dissonance
External decadence
As the dreams of Weimar fade
A polarised confusion reigns
There’s fighting on the streets
As the nationalist fever grows
As the old order falls apart
He escapes into his own world

So now the sun’s setting on the old regime as politics diverges to the far extremes
A populist danger is infecting the land as they look for the ones who will make a stand
What else can he do? Now the fascists are in power…
What else can he do? When they label him a danger…
What else can he do? When the Death Camps are waiting…
What else can he do?

Slow Faction - Haters Hate (Demo)

  As they've featured on here numerous times already I don't really need to tell you too much about London's finest, Slow Faction. All I need to let you know is that they've posted another "name your price" demo on their Bandcamp page and recommend you go and snap it up...   https://slowfaction.bandcamp.com/track/haters-hate-demo

  Now that you've done that, hopefully you'll also read and digest the lyrics. I have to say that frontman John Youens is up there with the UK'S best songwriters. He always has something important to say about the society we live in. Don't think this song is a one off, just check out their back catalogue for a well thought out commentary on modern life. I think it's safe to assume their next proper release (be it an album or an ep) is going to be an absolute classic.

  This song is about the legions of angry, predominantly middle aged, white males who infest our country, yearning for a Britain that probably never even existed. Their best years are behind them and frustration with lives unfulfilled is bubbling up. It's called Haters Hate...

Where did it go wrong? 
You feel so powerless 
Now the potency of youth has long gone 
The dying of the light 
There’s nothing left to do 
But to stand your ground for one last fight 
Repelling the tide with all your might 
But your anger makes you blind and you’re losing your grip 
You think you’re being robbed of your white male privilege…and… 

Haters hate – so what you going to do? 
When everything turns out the same… 
Haters hate – so what you going to do? 
When there’s no one left to blame… 

An imagined history 
A better time and place 
When no one dared to challenge your patriarchy, and… 
A past that isn’t yours 
You’re just deluding yourself 
When you talk of victory and two World Wars 
You’re stealing memories of a justified cause 
You’re dragging us back to the previous century 
In a vain attempt to assert your authority 

So you hate your wife because she earns more than you 
And you hate your kids – they never listen to you 
You hate your neighbours as they don’t look like you 
And you hate everyone who doesn’t think like you 
So you hate all the liberals and the socialists 
You hate the tree huggers and the communists 
And you hate all the students and the feminists 
You hate all foreigners and the antiracists 


Burn down this nation 
No hope for the future generations 
Your toxic legacy 
Of fascism cloaked in the word democracy

Slow Faction - Breitbart Boys (Guest Review By Dirk Ceustermans)

  So, Slow Faction. the much beloved London punk band that have featured on here numerous times and have been getting noticed around the world. I heard them played recently by Mike Rogers on his popular Japanese radio show and when I asked Dirk Ceustermans (my favourite Belgian and host of the MediaMofos show under his Zaphod Beeblebrox pseudonym) if he'd do another review for the blog it's wasn't a complete surprise when he wanted to wax lyrical about one of their latest releases. The band are noted for their excellent lyrics and 70's influenced sound. If you've somehow missed out on them so far, download their music from Bandcamp, it's name your price.

  Enough of me, here's Dirk....

Slow Faction - The Breitbart Boys

Demo track released September 2018 

https://slowfaction.bandcamp.com/track/the-breitbart-boys

Yes! Another Slow faction release on bandcamp! These boys are spewing out hits at a regular pace. This track has been put on Bandcamp in September, just a month after they 

published "The Blank Generations Demos" (August 2018, 3 tracks) https://slowfaction.bandcamp.com/album/the-blank-generations-demos)

And while I'm typing this, they uploaded live tracks "Live in Brixton"

  The South London boys have done it again with this song: catchy as hell and lyrics that say something and make you think!

The riffs sparking off Clash/Pistols influences, fired up with the brilliant voice of John Youens

spewing out political awareness into the air. 

A catchy phrase follows:

"Infiltrate the mainstream 

and peddle hate 

Contaminate the language 

to control and manipulate" 

and the song continues with a sing-along invitation you can't resist "just fascists in disguise"!

 A modest and simple melodic solo to turn you on to the bridge that rather urges you to strom it, rather than jump off of it.

Thanks lads, another fantastic song, in a truly DIY fashion and completely free on Bandcamp.

Punkrock!

Fuck Fascism!

DC

https://www.facebook.com/slow.faction/

lyrics:

He’s a real Firestarter 

He’s an arch racist 

A lying wife-beater 

And a white supremacist 

He’s the alt-right fanboy 

Of Mephistopheles 

Whispering seduction 

In ambitious ears 

Infiltrate the mainstream and peddle hate 

Contaminate the language to control and manipulate 

I see it in their eyes – just fascists in disguise 

I see through all their lies – just fascists in disguise 

The truth will never die – just fascists in disguise 

It’s time to take up sides 

America The Beautiful 

It’s karaoke night 

But he can’t see all the right arms 

He says he’s got bad sight 

He calls the Daily Stormer 

To solicit their views 

For an article he’s writing 

To post on Breitbart news 

Little Tommy name-change has some powerful friends 

With very deep pockets so the funding never ends 

A nationalist network with an international reach 

They organise a rally in the name of Free Speech 

They put them on a coach and they bring them all down 

To infect our streets and infect our town 

But we don’t want these knuckle-draggers around 

This is our home – this is London!

Slow Faction - The Blank Generations

  No strangers to this blog, '77 influenced London punks Slow Faction are back today with another of the well crafted, politically charged songs that they're becoming well known for. They've just shared (as a name your price download) 3 demo tracks that should eventually end up on a full band release that they're pencilling in for either later this year or the start of next. The demo is titled The Blank Generation Demos and you can snap it up here :  https://slowfaction.bandcamp.com/album/the-blank-generations-demos

  Whilst there, take advantage of the rest of their (name your price) catalogue.

  They've a few gigs lined up, including one with 2 Sick Monkeys (who will have an excellent new song on here soon) and you can check details here :  https://www.facebook.com/slow.faction/

  It's always good when a band has something to say and you can tell by reading their lyrics how much time and care Slow Faction take to get their message across. Some bands make you bounce around the room and smash things up, Slow Faction are a band that make you think. This is drum machine demo of The Blank Generations...

Suicidal thoughts and alienation 
Bourgeois comforts and self-detestation 
Amnesia and the downfall of a nation 
Imperial dreams then crushing reparation 
A fragile national psyche and hyperinflation 
A cleansing of the ego through Idolisation 
A new national pride and armoured restoration 
No moral judgement just abnegation 

So, this is what he wants to say to you – you’re the blank generation 
This is what he really thinks of you – you’re the blank generation 
Can’t you see: 
- You make a stand or you stand for nothing 
- There’s more to this than just your ego 
- Your silence is complicity 

Looking at the wreckage of a brutalised nation 
Eleven years of cuts and deprivation 
The shrinking of the state and rationalisation 
Rewards for the few and not the wider population 
Small town boredom and desperation 
A cultural desert of neglected desolation 
A feeling of disgust for ‘The Useless Generation’ 
Of baggy minds and druggy veneration 

So, this is what they want to say to you – you’re the blank generation 
This is what they really think of you – you’re the blank generation 
Can’t you see: 
- You make a stand or you stand for nothing 
- There’s more to this than just your ego 
- Your silence is complicity 

So, here we are – you had it all 
You had the best of everything – but now it’s gone 
Pull the ladder up – on those still to come 
You look down on them – for not being born the same time as you… 

Then you moan about foreigners and immigration, 
Cultural identity and isolation 
London has fallen to Islamification, 
Metropole elites and liberalisation 
You swallow all the lies about this glorious nation 
Pomp and circumstance for the big occasions 
Tug your forelock and know your station 
And turn your backs on the younger generations! 

So, this is what we want to say to you – you’re the blank generation 
This is what we really think of you – you’re the blank generation 
Can’t you see: 
- You make a stand or you stand for nothing 
- There’s more to this than just your ego 
- Your silence is complicity

Slow Faction - Under Heavy Manners

  Slow Faction are the '77 era influenced punk 4 piece who's This Machine Kills Fascists ep was so good it not only spawned a song (Woody Guthrie) that graced the upper reaches of the Just Some Punk Songs best of 2016 chart, I also bought the t shirt!

  They're a band that's been getting better with every release so it's not surprising that I reacted with excitement to the news of a new ep. I remember a couple of the tracks from this release surfacing a couple of years back in demo form but now they're back fully formed on the excellent 6 track Under Heavy Manners ep. The cd is due out on the 1st October but if you head on over to Bandcamp you can find the digital version available name your price. Whilst you're there make sure you also snap up their other releases, all of them are highly recommended....  https://slowfaction.bandcamp.com/album/under-heavy-manners

  Lining up with John Youens (guitar/vocals), Lee Peterson (rhythm guitar), Umbi Liszka (bass) and Kit Gould (drums), they've a few hometown gigs arranged and you can check out details here : https://www.facebook.com/slow.faction/

  The ep features more of the same top quality Clash inspired tunes we've come to expect, with intelligent lyrical commentary on governments waging war for profit, zero hour contracts & offshore tax havens, the way religion is perverted to promote hatred and the subjugation of the masses.

  This is the title track, Under Heavy Manners....

Slow Faction - Woody Guthrie

  At the start of this month, London punks Slow Faction released the follow up to their highly rated Brixton Tapes album. It's an ep titled This Machine Kills Fascists and it's no doubt going to end up being one of the best records of 2016.

  Mid tempo, '77 style political punk rock that not only has the message but also doesn't skimp on the tunes, it's the kind of music we need in a world who's political leaders seem to be more self serving and ignorant of the needs of the people than ever. You can check out the ep here : https://slowfaction.bandcamp.com/album/this-machine-kills-fascists

   We need more voices speaking out against those that seek to oppress us. against those who seek to exploit us, against those who trample over the weak and the needy to worship at the alter of greed. This is called Woody Guthrie.....

Country boy with a guitar in his hand 
He travels far across this land and 
Documents everything he sees 
With songs of brutal honesty and 
He makes a stand 
He draws a line in the sand 
His truth is principled 
He’ll never sell it out 

And now he’s singing 
This machine kills fascists 
Yes, he’s singing 
This guitar kills fascists 

Small town in depression times 
No work, no hope, just blighted lives 
A harsh and violent, hateful place 
They thought black gold their saving grace but 
The oil men came 
They took everything 
They stripped the whole town bare 
And then they went again 

So now he’s singing 
This machine kills fascists 
Yes, he’s singing 
This guitar kills fascists 
So now we’re heading for the great depression of the 21st century
The clampdown’s happening 
So where can we find Woody Guthrie now? 

He wrote his songs of liberty 
This land belongs to you and me 
But not all get to have their way 
If you’re poor or black you’ve got no say and 
He went to war 
To fight the racist state 
And then he came back home 
To find the same thing there....

Top 10 Songs Chosen By John Youens (Slow Faction)

  A few months ago I posted a song called Little England which appears on the excellent album The Brixton Tapes. Released towards the end of 2014 by London band Slow Faction it's definitely worth checking out : https://slowfaction.bandcamp.com/album/the-brixton-tapes.

"Slow Faction is a 1st generation-influenced punk band with a real London 77 sound. The aim of Slow Faction is simple – to make the music they want to hear; politically-charged songs with big hooks and choruses, reminiscent of the 1st wave of British punk. Slow Faction’s live sound has been described as a cross between The Clash and The Buzzcocks."


  Today I'm bringing you the latest in a series of popular top 10 lists, this one is by John Youens who is guitarist and vocalist for the band and who also helps to put on gigs as part of the South London Punk Collective. If you're interested in learning more about this diy collective check out their facebook group : https://www.facebook.com/groups/941656509182301/ 

  John's top 10 contains a number of classics that you'll probably be familiar with, he also adds comments (which is always a nice bonus). Thanks John, over to you.....

Thanks very much for inviting me to list my top 10. I could have filled the list with songs from just 1 or 2 groups but have decided to list 10 favourite songs from 10 different groups who have influenced me on the way.

1. The Clash: Complete Control

On any other day this could be White Man in Hammersmith Palais, Garageland, Stay Free or countless others but today it’s Complete Control – once described as a band bitching about their record label and turning out one of the biggest 2 fingers to capitalism ever made…love the single version but find myself increasingly turning to the live version on From Here To Eternity…

2. The Sex Pistols: God Save The Queen

Possibly the greatest ever 3 minute pop song committed to vinyl…this has all the ingredients which made The Sex Pistols (at their best and on form) absolutely unstoppable. I saw one of the reunion shows at Brixton Academy in 2007. I was very sceptical about going in the first place but to hear THOSE songs played by the original Pistols was magical.

3. Stiff Little Fingers: Suspect Device

SLF was the first punk band I saw live at Malvern Winter Gardens in 1979. This was at the time of Inflammable Material and the whole concert was a riot from start to finish. Jake and Ali were skinny, good looking and sharply dressed – looking and sounding like the best rock n roll should. Unfortunately, for me, this was SLF at their peak. I was disappointed by the songs and production of Nobody’s Heroes…it just didn’t spit out of the speakers like IM did when you put the needle down.

4. The Stranglers: (Get A) Grip (On Yourself)

The Stranglers seem to get written out of punk history or at least not credited amongst the forerunners but they were hugely influential and at my school there seemed to be as many Strangler badges on uniforms as Clash or Pistols ones. Rattus Norvegicus was the first album I ever bought and I spent hours listening to it and staring at the cover, which was an unnerving one to say the least. Of the early singles, Grip has to be my favourite.

5. The Jam: Going Underground

I have a strange relationship with The Jam. Although All Mod Cons is considered a classic I don’t think it has aged as well as other punk albums of the time and The Jam always seemed to be lacking a bit of humour and a sense of mischief that other bands had. However, as a singles band I think their output is superlative and Going Underground probably the best of them.

6. The Ruts: Something That I Said

THE great lost punk band. They had everything – great lyrics, a great frontman, brilliant musicians and intelligent songs. After The Clash had gone down the drugs & world music route and lesser talents had discovered the delights of unlistenable hard core, The Ruts had the talent & ambition to take punk in a new and more interesting direction into the 1980s. Unfortunately, Malcolm Owen’s tragic death changed all that.

7. The Congos: Children Crying

Punk and reggae go hand in hand for anybody of my generation and for me, it’s roots above all which I love. From reading and trying different samplers I explored the music of The Abyssinians, Culture, Israel Vibrations, The Gladiators, The Mighty Diamonds, etc but it’s always The Heart of the Congos which I come back to. The Lee Perry heavy lo-fi analogue tape production actually enhances the vibes you get when listening to this and Children Crying is one hell of a beautiful song

8. Manic Street Preachers: Motorcycle Emptiness

I have very little music in my collection from 1982 through to 1990. Throughout this period I hated the politics, I hated the football and I hated the horrible, overproduced rubbish music – have you ever noticed how dated 1980s music sounds with all those heavily reverbed drums? Anyway, this was the period I just went into Inner Emigration and smoked dope everyday…but as we left the 80s and entered the 90s, even though it wasn’t my music, you could sense that with the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays something was beginning to stir again…then came these beautiful Welsh boys offering to save/destroy rock n roll and split up after one album…rock n roll should look good and sound good and the early Manics achieved this in spades.

9. Rancid: Ruby Soho

I just love Rancid. All their albums are slightly different and I go through phases of listening to each of them in turn. I think Tim Armstrong is a punk renaissance man and a great, characterful and story-telling lyricist. As with The Clash I have different favourite songs on different days but Ruby Soho, with all it’s obvious, classic punk influences (and lifts) will do for today.

10. Green Day: American Idiot

Apart from a couple of exceptions, I don’t like what is characterised as Pop Punk…I was watching a top 50 pop punk collection on E4 Music the other day and it was depressing…every song sounded the same and every video looked the same…it was music for beer-swilling boneheads and was as appealing to me as a Nuremberg Rally… Now, I’m not saying that was my earlier impression of Green Day but I do remember buying Dookie and Nimrod to check them out and feeling decidedly underwhelmed…All that changed with the album American Idiot which is to me a brave and courageous album, a concept album to boot, and filled with self-righteous anger which for me is the hallmark of punk…American Idiot the song captures all of that self-righteousness in a classic 3 minute pop record.

Anyway, that will do for a Top 10…no Ramones, or Buzzcocks, or Rezillos…or countless other bands…away from punk I love early Elvis, Eddie Cochrane, the Brian Jones era Stones and classic Soul but that’s for another day and another list…