TALKING COMMUNITY SPACES: THE OWL SANCTUARY, NORWICH

Posted on August 24, 2017 by Norwich Radical in Arts, Community and tagged CJ Ramone, clive lewis, community asset, DIY Punk, EA Dames, punk, Punk Norwich, punk rock, punk scene Norwich, Sean O'Neil, The Owl, The Owl Norwich, The Owl Sanctuary, The Owl Sanctuary Norwich, Timberhill.

by Sara Harrington

Hidden amongst the quaint gastro-pubs and perfumed pamper boutiques of Timberhill, the beating heart of Norwich’s DIY punk scene lies low in an unassuming alleyway. Those unaware of its whereabouts may accidentally miss its entrance, were it not for the the unmistakeable presence of punk kids lugging gear through the doors every evening. The Owl Sanctuary in Norwich is acclaimed in the DIY punk scene, having already been established from the ashes of many previous venues and playing host to a deluge of touring bands and artists from all over the UK and beyond. It recently found fame for the collective action taken after the landlord of its previous venue (near Castle Mall) evicted the owners. A widespread social media campaign and even the involvement of Norwich South MP Clive Lewis led to the venue being named a ‘community asset’, and re-locating to its current site.

TWO STEPS FORWARD, ONE STEP BACK – AN INTERVIEW WITH ERIK PETERSEN OF MISCHIEF BREW

Posted on July 3, 2016 by Norwich Radical in Arts, Music That Matters and tagged Against Me!, Beyonce, Blink-182, crass, dead kennedys, defiance ohio, DIY, Donald Trump, Emma Goldman, erik petersen, folk, folk-punk, grandmaster flash, howard zinn, IWW, mischief brew, music, music that matters, owl sanctuary, pete seeger, plan-it x, punk, punk rock, ronald reagan, Run DMC, subhumans, underground, utah phillips, whodini.

by Chris Jarvis

In the early 2000s, American punk music underwent one if its periodical renovations on the underground scenes. Bringing together punk rock’s anger, pace and aesthetic and meshing it with the instruments, skill and stories of folk music, folk-punk shifted the goalposts of what it meant to be a punk band. While Against Me! are probably the most famous, Defiance, Ohio the most innovative and influential, Mischief Brew are probably the best. A decade after their first full-length release Smash the Windows they continue to produce rebel rousing and exciting music, with last year’s This is Not for Children shows their ongoing versatility and eclecticity endures.Continue Reading

PUNK AND ERASURE: 40 YEARS LATER

Posted on May 22, 2016 by Norwich Radical in Arts, Music That Matters and tagged 7 Year Bitch, anarchism, anniversary, arts, Babes in Toyland, Bad Brains, Black Flag, Blink-182, Blood & Honour, British music, Buzzcocks, celebration, crass, culture, dead kennedys, DIY, earasure, female artists, female musicians, Ford Dagenham, Ghost Town, Goldfinger, Green Day, grunge, history, Iggy Pop, IWD, John Lydon, L7, Less Than JAke, LGBT+, Madness, Malcolm McLaren, male-centric, Minor Threat, music, music that matters, neo nazi, New Found Glory, New Rose, NWA, Patti Smith, politics, punk, punk rock, Ramones, Rancid, RAR, refused, retrospective, revisionism, riot grrrl, Robert Smith, rock against racism, Roxanne Shante, Run DMC, salt n pepa, Sex Pistols, Sham 69, Sid Vicious, Siouxsie Sioux, Ska, The Beat, The Bodysnatchers, The Clash, The Offspring, The Selecter, Young Marble Giants, zine.

by Chris Jarvis

Anniversaries are strange things. Almost exclusively, they consist of rose-tinted, uncritical and nostalgic assessments of whatever they seek to commemorate. 2016, forty years since the ‘birth’ of punk, appears no different. Expect Union Jacks, safety pins galore and excessive images of John Lydon in BBC sanctioned documentaries. Expect descriptions of how important Malcolm Mclaren was to punk’s success, claims that New Rose was without contention the first punk rock single and a neat lineage where pub rock became punk – a very British phenomenon.

Inadequate as such histories are, they are demonstrative of the problem we have with understanding punk as a cultural occurrence. Debate rages amongst fans about whether punk was ever grassroots, whether it was ever political, whether any of the anti-establishment ethos was ever genuine, or instead fabricated by an astute record industry seeking to find the new zeitgeist. Adherents to either theory will read selectively into the evidence and ignore anything which would disprove their dogma.Continue Reading

TOGETHER WE CAN BE MORE – AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS OF LUVDUMP

Posted on May 8, 2016 by Norwich Radical in Arts, Music That Matters and tagged anarchist, arts, atterkop, austerity, autonomads, blues, bolshy, braindead, combat wombat, conscious youth, direct action, DIY, dub, folk, global parasite, grand collapse, hated til proven, hop-hop, luvdump, melodic punk, music, music that matters, occupy, oi polloi, petrol girls, politics, pumpkin records, punk, punk rock, rave, riot ska records, Ska, skacore, spoken word, squatting.

by Chris Jarvis

Luvdump came kicking and skanking out of Bury St Edmunds in 2007, bringing to life their aggressive mix of melodic punk rock and ska-core. 2013 saw the release of their second full length album, Age of Austerity, alongside their relocation to the North West, where they have made their home ever since. A regular on the UK ska and punk circuit, Luvdump have continuously maintained a political current to their music, lifestyles and lyrics, with the social conscience of the band seeping through almost every song.Continue Reading

MOVING OUTSIDE THE BUBBLE – AN INTERVIEW WITH ANDY DAVIES OF REVENGE OF THE PSYCHOTRONIC MAN

Posted on May 1, 2016 by Norwich Radical in Arts, Music That Matters and tagged Andy Davies, autonomads, bass, DIY, faintest idea, Green Party, hardcore, ideology, independent, interview, John Lydon, Labour, mainstream, MTM, music, music that matters, politics, protest, punk, punk rock, Revenge of the Psychotronic Man, Rising Strike, strike, teaching, tony blair, vocals, X Factor.

by Chris Jarvis

Manchester hardcore punks Revenge of the Psychotronic Man are no stranger to politics. Their music is released through TNSrecords, home of the likes of Faintest Idea, Autonomads, and Rising Strike, all known for their uncompromising and explicitly political works. Revenge of the Psychotronic Man bassist and vocalist Andy Davies helps to co-run the label, and he took the time to talk to The Norwich Radical about how he sees his politics, its relationship to the music he produces and the relationship between this and the wider world, as part of our series Music That Matters.Continue Reading

“MILITANT ANTIFASCISTS BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY” – AN INTERVIEW WITH DASKO OF RED UNION

Posted on March 13, 2016 by Norwich Radical in Arts, Music That Matters and tagged chumbawamba, david bowie, Joe Strummer, Joy Division, kraftwerk, metallica, Minor Threat, music, music that matters, operation ivy, punk, punk rock, red union, refused, serbia, Serbian music, stiff little fingers, The Clash.

by Chris Jarvis

There are a few bands whose influence flutters through generations, transcends time and knows no geographical borders. Joy Division, Metallica, Kraftwerk, David Bowie. In the punk scene, the influence of The Clash is far greater than even their seminal contemporaries such as The Damned, Ramones and Sex Pistols. In fact, save perhaps for later acts Operation Ivy, Minor Threat and Refused, the level of impact they have had on music goes unrivalled. Talking to Dasko of Serbian punk rock band Red Union for our series Music That Matters, it is evident that The Clash’s rebel rousing of the late 70s has made its way into the hearts of this Novi Sad band.

EDUCATION AND AGITATION – AN INTERVIEW WITH SAM BELL OF THE ROUGHNECK RIOT

Posted on February 21, 2016 by Norwich Radical in Arts, Music That Matters and tagged activism, arts, celtic punk, folk, music, music that matters, political music, politics, punk, punk rock, Roughneck Riot, tns records.

By Chris Jarvis

Much like how their hometown of Warrington is overshadowed by neighbouring Manchester and Liverpool, The Roughneck Riot have for many years been overshadowed by their peers on the celtic punk scene. Flogging Molly, Dead Kennedys, The Real McKenzies and The Tossers are the big league, and everyone else is overlooked and often forgotten. But The Roughneck Riot excel in the field of the tried and tested blend of folk music instruments and thudding punk rock just as much as any other. With mandolins, accordions and banjos, Roughneck Riot like many other celtic punk bands are part of a movement that for many years has bene redefining what it means to be a rock band and what punk music is.Continue Reading

NEW YEAR, NEW POLITICS – AN INTERVIEW WITH LANDE OF MUNCIE GIRLS

Posted on January 31, 2016 by Norwich Radical in Arts, Music That Matters and tagged album, arts, Balloon, counterculture, Daniel P Carter, Emma Goldman, From Caplan to Belsize, frustration, Gas Mark4, indie, interview, Kerrang, Lande, Muncie Girls, music, music that matters, ONSIND, politics, Propagandhi, punk, punk rock, radio 1, Roughneck Riot, RVIVR, Tellison, Tony Benn, tour.

By Chris Jarvis

In November, Muncie Girls announced the release of their debut album From Caplan to Belsize, set for a release in March 2016. They followed up this announcement with two singles – Gas Mark 4 and Balloon, and kicked off the New Year with vocalist and bassist Lande being featured on the cover of Kerrang! Magazine as one of the ‘Stars of 2016’ as well as being interviewed and played on Daniel P Carter’s Rock Show on Radio 1. It looks as though 2016 will be the breakthrough year for Exeter based indie-punks Muncie Girls. Having been part of what is so often a political scene, The Norwich Radical spoke to Lande about the new album, the politics behind it and how she sees the role of political music our series Music That Matters.

punk rock

TALKING COMMUNITY SPACES: THE OWL SANCTUARY, NORWICH

TWO STEPS FORWARD, ONE STEP BACK – AN INTERVIEW WITH ERIK PETERSEN OF MISCHIEF BREW

PUNK AND ERASURE: 40 YEARS LATER

TOGETHER WE CAN BE MORE – AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS OF LUVDUMP

MOVING OUTSIDE THE BUBBLE – AN INTERVIEW WITH ANDY DAVIES OF REVENGE OF THE PSYCHOTRONIC MAN

“MILITANT ANTIFASCISTS BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY” – AN INTERVIEW WITH DASKO OF RED UNION

EDUCATION AND AGITATION – AN INTERVIEW WITH SAM BELL OF THE ROUGHNECK RIOT

NEW YEAR, NEW POLITICS – AN INTERVIEW WITH LANDE OF MUNCIE GIRLS

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