Motley Magazine - Volume X Issue Four - December 2016

EVERYTHING
IS
PROPAGANDA
IN PART THREE OF EVERYTHING
IS PROPAGANDA, STEVE FLYNN
CHRONICLES THE BIRTH AND
SUCCESSION OF PUNK. “NO FUTURE FOR
YOU, NO FUTURE FOR ME”
I
n the 16th Century, the term ‘punk’ was descriptive of a
prostitute. By the latter half of the 20th Century, the term was
a label for a musical movement, style and credo. Disillusioned
by the self-indulgence of extended jams and guitar solos, naïve
utopian philosophies adopted by the failed hippie movement and
increasing levels of distrust of the powers that be, punk smashed
the windows and arrived on the scene shouting and insulting all the
inhabitants, wearing a tattered leather jacket and with a safety pin
through the nose.
Punks origins can be traced back to the various ‘Proto-punk’
bands that emerged in the 60s and early 70s, which was not a
movement of its own, merely a reference point upon the emergence of
punk. Bands such as the The Stooges and MC5, as well as the angrier
wing of Garage bands from the previous decade, incorporated the
DIY methods and primitive sounds to express a more political and
controversial message. The late 60s and early 70s consisted of ‘Do
you like this? Good, here it is for 12 minutes.’
Punk had shorter haircuts and shorter songs, often times
clocking in below the two-minute mark. Central to punk was the
breaking down of barriers between performers and the audience,
it was a matter of ‘we are one of the same’ as opposed to the crowd
worshipping the artist as a divine entity. Punk proved that you
didn’t have to be Ziggy Stardust to gain a following, Robert Plant to
sing or Jimi Hendrix to pick up a guitar. Another aspect that punk
was centered around was authenticity. If you were seen to be one
who adopts the style of punk, without credible anti-establishment
ideologies, you were deemed a poseur. The subject matter of punk
was often taboo topics concerning politics and unsentimental songs
about sex.
The punk movement had simultaneous beginnings on both sides
of the Atlantic. The New York Dolls are largely credited as being
the first punk band, with a scene brewing in NYC at the Mecca
of American punk being a club in lower Manhattan called CBGB.
Soon after, a four piece donning identical leather jackets and blue
jean uniforms called The Ramones began making waves at the
venue.
Having a brief stint of managing The New York Dolls, Malcolm
McLaren returned to London in 1975 to spread the message of the
goings-on across the pond. The hub of the UK punk scene was a
shop co-owned by McLaren and designer Vivienne Westwood
named Sex. It was here that the Sex Pistols would form, who would
go on with The Clash and The Damned, causing a new wave of
counter-culture in Britain and the United States. To solidify the
reputation of punk as a thorn in the side of conservative society,
look no further than the infamous Sex Pistols live and uncensored
32 ISSUE N o 4 DECEMBER 2016
THE ESSENTIALS:
I Wanna Be Your Dog – The Stooges: A precursor to Punk:
Iggy Pop, ever provocative, screamed, spat and horrified
his way to be hailed ‘The Godfather of Punk’.
Anarchy In The UK – The Sex Pistols: Achieving the status
of a national scandal upon its release, this tune encapsulates
the punk ethos with two fingers to the establishment.
Disorder – Joy Division: The opener of the greatest Post-
Punk album of all time. Tense, artistic yet employing the
energy of Punk.
interview with Bill Grundy, which included some choice words
toward the interviewer that in one fell swoop horrified tea time
British audiences, ruined Grundy’s career and elevated the status of
punk into notoriety. The Sex Pistols would play a gig on June 4th
1976 in Manchester with roughly 40 people in attendance. Included
in the audience were future members of The Fall, The Buzzcocks
and Joy Division who all formed bands inspired by the performance.
Post-Punk
By 1978, punk was becoming saturated with obnoxious
shortcomings of three chord thrashers missing the mark originally
set a few years earlier. Although punk was becoming diluted by cheap
imitations, the spirit of punk gave birth to a more sophisticated,
artful and experimental sound of Post-Punk. Following the split of
bands such as The Buzzcocks and The Sex Pistols, both front men
would go on to form seminal bands in this newly developing genre,
the former starting Magazine with Johnny Rotten going on to form
Public Image Ltd.
With bands like Joy Division, the brooding sound kept the
anger of punk, yet through the lyrics of Ian Curtis, focused that
energy inward unto himself as opposed to aiming it at society. Then
take the street poetry of Mark E. Smith from The Fall, who was
confrontational in his lyrics, expressing his views unapologetically
but with an intellectual property that would make one reluctant to
challenge him. With the new Post-Punk platform of PIL, the former
Pistols frontman marked his departure from traditional punk to
this newly developing sound, incorporating heavy bass lines with
danceable rhythms and screeching guitars, a style that Leeds based
outfit Gang of Four were also employing.
Referred to as a conceptual assault on traditional rock & roll
structures based upon three chord progressions and Chuck Berry
guitar riffs, Post-Punk utilized synthesizers but not in the whimsical
way that Prog Rock bands had done, instead creating a palpable
tension in many songs of the genre. With the rise of independent
record labels such as Rough Trade in London and Factory Records
in Manchester, the Post-Punk movement had successfully overtaken
its predecessor.
An event that shook the movement was on the eve of their first
American tour in 1980, when Ian Curtis took his own life which
both canonized and ended Joy Division, arguably the greatest band
of the era. The impact of Post-Punk can be seen with bands such as
early output of The Cure, Siouxsie & The Banshees and Bauhaus
who would form the gothic rock genre. Post-Punk has provided
almost forty years of influence on music, most notably the revival
that has been occurring in the last few years with bands such as Fat
White Family, Eagulls and Savages. All three of these bands have
released an album in 2016, all of them are highly recommended,
and all of them prove the vast spanning influence of Post-Punk.
I N T E R V I E W
ENEMIES
LEAVING THE NEST
Jump back ten years ago to the village of Kilcoole in
Co. Wicklow, and you’ll find the start of an incredible
journey for Lewis Jackson, Mark O’Brien, Eoin
Whitfield and Micheál Quinn. The next near-decade
would be a whirlwind of three albums, an EP and gigs in
London, the States and here at home. But as fans now know,
despite great success in the industry and the accumulation of
thousands of listeners, the guys have decided to call it a day,
with the band coming to a close this December after a final gig
in Vicar Street on the 18th.
News came for fans through Facebook on the 28th of
September this year. Linked to in the post was a letter penned
initially by drummer Micheál then built upon by the others
before being released to the public. Band member Eoin tells
me the reception to the letter has been hugely positive. “Seeing
all the things people have written and expressed to us since has
been overwhelming. It’s further assured us that this is the best
ending for us as a band.”
The band’s letter is worth a read; it’s a heartfelt, open
account of creative struggle and the wrenching highs and
lows that weighted so much pressure on the four. Elaborating
on his own experience of the band’s ending, Eoin tells me:
“Being in Enemies often took a lot of my energy; sometimes
it felt worthwhile and fulfilling, sometimes it felt pointless and
excruciating... It all happened in a grand cycle of deterioration:
not eating right, not sleeping right, not spending time doing
things that nourished my being... All of these things and more
would result in my falling apart.”
A clash of external commitments was not the only
contributing factor. Eoin also talks of the impact polar interests
had on the kind of music the band would produce and the
direction they pursued. “A lack of shared musical vision resulted
in a very difficult writing process. There were times where we
just couldn’t please all four members. We were constantly
writing and then scrapping: 5 steps forward, 10 steps back. It
was hard to keep positive when the motor just wouldn’t run.”
The band’s ultimate decision to break apart was the “easiest
part of [their] deconstruction”, according to Eoin. “After the
US tour... we all arrived at the same conclusion. It was a relief
to acknowledge what life had been trying to tell us, and once
we did think order was fully restored amongst us.”
From there, the only decision left to make was whether or
not to follow through on a final studio album. Opinions were
initially mixed, but once the crew of four inched their first steps
towards the finished
product, there was
no doubt that the
right choice had
been made. “The
fact that we got to write
the happiest ending possible to
one of the most important stories of
our lives is something that will never leave
us.”
According to Eoin and to the letter, the liberation that
came from admitting defeat fuelled the band’s final album,
Valuables. As thoughts of self-actualisation and audience
reception were banished from the process, so creative intuition
became free to reclaim its throne. “Once future was removed
from our equation, our goals, hopes, ideals and musical
differences didn’t matter anymore... There was an obvious
freedom all of a sudden; the weight of our own personal hopes
and dreams weren’t riding on every decision.”
A tribute to their endeavours lies dormant in the album’s
nine tracks; even with no explicit talk of endings, the sense of
closure mingles with the overall feel of every song. Eoin tells me
there was no intention to speak directly about their conclusion,
but that the decision found a way of showing itself in the music.
“It’s almost like the spirit of Enemies was telling us [to break
up] but we couldn’t see it until the jigsaw was completed.”
Despite drawing to a close at the end of the year, Enemies
aren’t planning on turning their backs on the music industry
anytime soon. Drummer Micheál will continue keeping beats
through his main band Meltybrains, while Mark and Lewis,
though yet to finalise their next course of action, are unlikely
to turn their backs on what Eoin tells me is “a very big part
of their hearts.” Speaking lastly for himself, Eoin talks of his
experimentation with electronic music over the last few years,
and how he plans on using his newfound freedom to explore
that option further.
Overall, there’s a powerful sense of optimism coming
from the guys as they tell me of their imminent endings and
newfound beginnings. A new chapter is being written; it’s not
the end of the book. “It’s like kids leaving the nest to go off into
the world,” Eoin says, “There’s a lot of excitement and potential
to be uncovered.”
Valuables can be purchased online at www.topshelfrecords.
co.uk and in all good Irish music stores.
ISSUE N o 4 DECEMBER 2016 33