The Pop Group – For How Much Longer
Do We Tolerate Mass Murder? (Freaks R Us)
CD / DL
19 February 2016
9 / 10
English post-punk band re-release their second
album. Louder Than War’s Paul
Scott-Bates reviews.
Whether you are aware of The Pop Group or not,
it cannot be denied the influence that they undoubtedly had on British punk and
street culture. Mark Stewart and his
band of not-so merry men have seen fit to crowdfund the re-release of their pivotal
album For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder? on cd for the first time. We salute you.
The album is a classic make no mistake. Call it avant garde, call it post-punk,
thirty-five years after its original release it is still as relevant and angry
as it was then. Often put into the
bracket of punk it really isn’t, being more akin to the sound of Ian Dury and
his jazz induced punk-pop - The Pop Group present their version in an anti-pop
fashion.
Built on screeching saxophones, frenetic bass
lines and Stewarts irreverent screaming, the overall sound is often off-key. Indeed, the lack of uniformity and conformity
adds to the charm of the songs and the manic nature is a humbling refreshment.
Album opener, Forces
Of Oppression is near anthemic as it announces the arrival of the nine tracks
with gusto and the now trademark shout of Stewart is given a severe
airing. Feed The Hungry is near hypnotic
and Blind Faith cascades with noise and near hostility.
One Out Of Many featuring The Last Poets is
replaced by the bands second single We Are All Prostitutes for the first time,
a song as famous for its political commentary as it is for its imagery of
Maggie Thatcher waving a two-fingered salute.
Nick Cave stated that “It had everything
that I thought rock and roll should have. It was violent, paranoid music for a
violent, paranoid time", and a young punk in the BBC series Ashes
To Ashes was seen sporting a t-shirt with the song title emblazoned over his chest.
Even reggae gets a
tickle with the brilliant There Are No Spectators as it fades away into a glorious
reverb towards the end before Communicate provides what can only be described
as improvised jazz-punk.
Closing with the
dark humour of Rob A Bank as it parodies the original theme from Robin Hood you
can’t help but feel that you have just invested thirty-seven minutes of your
life into something completely marvellous.
Links
Freaks R Us
The Pop Group Website
The Pop Group on Twitter
The Pop Group on Facebook
The Pop Group on hiapop Blog
Mark Stewart
Ian Dury
Published on Louder Than War 17/02/16 - here
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