Music and politics have a long interesting relationship and it’s pretty normative to argue that there is a political element to subculture and style. When one drills down it is usually a little more complex than politics with a big P. More like music and socio-cultural, political economy, or music and hegemony. I guess it’s because music is ideological, and genres are discourses.
This year in May I went to The Specials gig in Leeds town square, which was awesome. Not least of which was because there was a great crowd of diverse people and all age groups on a beautiful sunny warm evening, jumping up and down, dancing and singing along. (And I met Terry Hall at Leeds trains station the next day btw). The band have amazing on stage energy and Terry Halls’ voice is still fantastic. What got me thinking recently is the relationship between the current economic climate and the music. There’s been quite a bit of press about the band reforming, but it is interesting that The Specials are being so well received by new fans and just as their music captured a political mood the first time round it is culturally, socially, so relevant at the moment. As a Sunday Times review said
…how fresh and joyful their music sounds — and how vital and relevant their songs’ sociopolitical sentiments, chronicling life amid the racial, economic and class divisions of late-1970s Britain, remain in 2009.Formed in Coventry during the last economic recession to drive a failed Labour government out of power, they blended ska, punk and politics, proving an instant hit with a generation fired up by the Sex Pistols and the Clash
Interesting, more in depth discussion here
i’ve been a fan of Ska and TwoTone pretty much since I could hear. As a kid in the late seventies and early eighties it was a sound that was played round the house by my older siblings and parents. Also I was lucky enough to spend a little bit of time in The Caribbean during the eighties so I had a context to some of the rocksteady and reggae influence. I kinda rediscovered the music in my late teens and went to a lot of gigs in pubs. Although I was very much into techno, dance music and free parties and campaigned against the criminal justice bill, I think at the time with Ska I read a lot of antiestablishment sentiment into the lyrics that had escaped 1st time and for me it tied in to my take on life as a young adult in the 90s recession. As a kid I simply loved the upbeat sound but didn’t think much about what it all meant. The sound is so happy, uplifting and energetic, it’s perfect for doing that special kiddie uncoordinated jigging about dance, where you can hear the music but to adult observers you are dancing to a completely different rhythm. Oh and just brilliant memories of moonstomping at house parties and cockney knees ups in East London and seeing some of The Specials perform at an Anti-Nazi gig in Viccy Park. But it is curious to me that the sound raises it’s head again during such times. The cultural effects of the recession are paradoxically rich.