POISON IDEA “Taken by Surprise”
(via BVMHardcorePunkTV)
Uproar - No War No More
There’s a war in the nation, contamination
War can never be won
There’s people dying of radiation
The world war has just begun
Then the war is over, no war no more
Have you seen the soldier on the TV screen
Big and tough, know what I mean?
We didn’t ask for this stupid war
And we don’t want the war no more
We didn’t ask for this stupid war
We don’t want no part in their game
We don’t want their nuclear power
Hiroshima all over again
Charged G.B.H.
The influential, long-lived punk metal band G.B.H. rose to prominence in England during the early ’80s when hardcore punk began inching toward heavy metal. Originally formed in 1979 in Birmingham, England, G.B.H. initially called itself Charged G.B.H. to differentiate itself from another band called G.B.H.
The leather-clad, hair-spiked foursome began recording for the Clay label in the early ’80s, releasing some singles before unleashing their influential debut album, City Baby Attacked by Rats, in 1982. City Baby’s Revenge followed two years later in 1984, by which time the band had become one of the leading punk metal bands of the era. G.B.H. continued recording and releasing albums throughout the ’80s, though their influence progressively waned as a new wave of bands such as Slayer emerged and pushed punk metal toward what became known as speed metal and, in turn, thrash.
Despite its waning influence, G.B.H. soldiered on, recording new albums throughout the ’90s and into the next millennium. By this point the band was often cited by both metal and punk bands as a huge influence, and a renewed interest in G.B.H.’s early recordings resulted.
nausea - johnny got his gun
maimed and mangled on a battlefield
you’ve got no arms
the nightmare’s real
your face and legs have been blown away
a useless stump
you’re thrown astray
in greater wars
when each proud fight brags
they war on death for lives
not for men but for flags
mother sings her songs of woe
father turns
doesn’t want to know
your family has been torn apart
by a piece of meat with a purple heart.
your family has been torn apart
by a piece of meat with a purple heart.
Circle Jerks - I and I/Deny Everything
London Ontario Canada March 1 2003 (via downtownlive)
GBH - Give Me Fire
This video is from GBH: Brit Boys Attacked By Brats - Kawasaki Live DVD
“Kawasaki Live / Brit Boys Attacked By Brats” is a storming double header featuring the band taking on two of the biggest music markets in the world Japan and America.
“Kawasaki Live” kicks things off in style. A typically raucous GBH performance filmed at Japan’s Club Citta in 1991, the show features many of the band’s well known and loved tracks. Indie Chart top five hits “Sick Boy” and “Give Me Fire” are amongst the tracks showcased, along with the famed “City Baby” duo of songs.
“Brit Boys Attacked By Brats” spotlights the band’s tours of the U.S.A. in 1983 and 1984. Along with some amazing live material the show includes extensive interviews with frontman Colin Abrahall, the other members of the band, and some hilarious contributions from the road crew. Also featured are the American fans, revealing their devotion to the band and the punk scene in general.
The No Future Records Story [33min Documentary]
http://www.nofuturerecords.co.uk/
By early 1980, the leading Punk bands (The Clash, Angelic Upstarts, U.K. Subs, etc…) were now a few years old. Having firmly established themselves on major record labels, Punk Rock had lost a lot of it’s initial passion and excitement. However, there were still a number of young up and coming bands needing an outlet for their talent and material in order to revitalise the (now) stale Punk scene. A number of smaller record companies were formed to provide such an outlet, arguably the two biggest being Riot City and Secret. However, there was another who had the privilege (if you can call it that) of appearing in the national charts. This was No Future Records.
Formed by Chris Berry and Richard Jones with the aid of a £1,000 bank loan, No Future Records provided another outlet opportunity for these new, young punk bands (as well as those preferring the new ‘Oi!’ tag). An advertisement was placed in Sounds newspaper asking for demo tapes from such punk and skinhead bands. This led to the signing of a number of bands (notably Blitz, The Partisans, Peter and The Test Tube Babies and Red Alert) who were to spearhead the re-emergence of punk.
For some of these bands, their only recordings were with No Future (e.g. Attak and The Violators), some made further recordings with other record companies before finally calling it a day (e.g. The Insane and Blitzkrieg) and some have been consistently recording for the last twenty years (e.g. Peter and The Test Tube Babies and Red Alert). There have even been recent reformations and releases after all this time, notably The Partisans (albeit without the lovely Louise Wright - for information, she was 17 at the time). Even at this very time, Blitz are preparing to record some new material, albeit with Nidge being the only original band member. Another band that is worth mentioning here, although their only appearance for No Future was on a compilation 12” EP is One Way System. They progressed to be one of the biggest names in punk rock, and are still recording today, but their roots lay with No Future Records. Two bands that were nearly signed to the label were G.B.H. and Skrewdriver.
The first No Future release was a powerful four track EP by Blitz, entitled “All Out Attack”, in August 1981. Initially, only 1,000 copies were pressed, but these soon sold out (mostly by mail order) and a further pressing was urgently requested. In total, over 25,000 copies of this EP were sold, making it one of the most successful releases by No Future. Further singles by The Partisans, Peter and The Test Tube Babies and Red Alert soon brought No Future deserved recognition as one of the leading Punk record labels with a number of other bands clamouring for a deal. Bands such as Attak, The Samples, The Screaming Dead (a gothic variation for the label), The Blood as well as those previously mentioned were soon to be offered a deal for their material. The singles/EPs were assigned with ‘Oi’ as the prefix to the catalogue number, with one notable exception. The Wall, who’s final release was a cover of the Beatles’ “Day Tripper”, did not wish to be associated the ‘Oi’ tag, and so their solitary release on No Future was given an ‘O2’ prefix.
The first LP recorded on No Future was Blitz’s “Voice Of A Generation”. Remarkably for such a small label, it sold over 15,000 copies in its first week of release with only minimal publicity, spending three weeks listed in the national album charts, peaking at number 27. This success secured a number of live dates for the band, and also television appearance in Channel 4’s “The Tube”. However, the first No FutureLP to appear in the shops was by the American punk band Channel 3, licensed from the U.S. label Posh Boy Records. Further LPs were released by The Partisans, Red Alert and Attak, as well as a live recording by Peter and The Test Tube Babies (quite aptly entitled “Pissed And Proud”).
After releasing 29 singles and 9 LPs, No Future folded. The ever-changing music and fashion scene dictated a slump in punk record sales, and some of the bands could not change musically or ideologically, and thus faced financial loss. A compilation LP was released in November 1984 as a final gesture, which included some narrative on the cover which I have used on this page. As stated above, some bands continued and are still going strong today, but for the majority of the bands, the No Future record label is the only permanent evidence of their existence.
