One of the many crimes of COVID is that the glorious Protest family haven’t been able to save our souls at live gigs, poke fun and Righteous wrath at the rich and powerful and make us laugh! Fortunately, this EP goes some way to making up for that sad absence.
There are 2 choice cuts. Being the fine anti fascists that they are, one number dissects, metaphorically, the fascist bozo that is Stephen Yaxley Lennon, aka Tommy Robinson. ‘Lets have a word’ does in 3 minutes what Walthamstow did to the EDL 2011. Its use of the opening words of the wonderful Porridge series, in relation to “the habitual criminal” that Robinson is, is worth buying for alone. Russ Chandler – voice over king!
Theresa May (remember her?) Is also despatched in a great singalong number ‘Donald’s in town’ in a manner that our heroes do so deftly. Trump is also mercilessly mocked in this same, harmony driven beauty. Two wrong uns taken care off in one number :, if only it was so straightforward in life.
You’ll have your favourite from this. Mine is ‘Side of the Fox’. Always on the side of the underdog, Steve Whites words & the band’s rocking make for subversive joy. If foxes could hear this, they’d squeal in delight and cheer on the Family. Their (and our) enemies like Farage are put in their place, Andi Bridges percussion giving a strong rejoinder to the tweed and red hat brigade.
‘No means no’ is a moving message, in tune with #MeToo. Accomplished banjo, accompanied by understated accapela, makes their case all the stronger. Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein & the rest aren’t named, but they and their ilk are the objects of proper ire.
As the Family sing, ‘Take a stand, join the band!’. This is class war at its most eloquent, Ewan Mccoll would love this lot.
By Paul Jones
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