One person protests change the world, not just in Britain: Why we should Kill the Bill

Today’s Britain has been made poorer, less tolerant and less safe by the passing of the Police and Crime Bill. Its a piece of legislation noted for its largeness, its contentious section restricting the right to protest and its pushing through at a time when the nation’s civil liberties are further temporarily suspended as the pandemic is officially extended. In short, the Bill got it wrong.

Criticism of the Bill should not be left to the political left to fight, nor to activists or the media, who frame protesting as a limited right whilst a large portion of the UK press parrot the government line. The right to peacefully protest without prior warning is a human right. This right has been threatened and it has been taken away. This human right has been taken away by a government threatening our British liberal democracy. This human right to protest has been stolen from us, which must be repeated until this integral political, social, personal and legal freedom is restored.

One person protests have changed the world and continue to do so. Over the past century, there has been countless peaceful protest movements, successful due to their non-violence and fidelity to law. However, these protests in liberal democracies were able to come into fruition at the right time as they were free to choose where, when and how they could protest. Of course, these protesters have never been so free as to infringe on others’ rights, incite violence or invoke hate speech. All protests of any persuasion, that do not violate British Free Speech law with hate speech, should be bound by the same objective principle that people are free to organise and thus to protest without state approval. 

Three years ago, Greta Thunberg did change the world, amidst a barrage of criticism – a lot of which was aimed not at her cause or her character. Greta is one of a long line of peaceful, law-abiding individuals who protest to be heard. Not to make mere noise, as suggested by the arrogant assumption of some that protests spring up just to be a nuisance. Alone, Greta was able to ignite a movement, bringing renewed publicity and strong enthusiasm to a complicated issue that requires attention and action from the whole world: climate change.

Greta was thrust into the spotlight — rightly or wrongly a teenage figurehead– but the reaction to her fame highlights how when the cause is popular, well-received and sensible to the public, the logistics, the personality, even the appearance of the protesters, instead become the irrelevant but influential criticism. Britain made international headlines for its Crime Bill before it even passed, as Britain has a reputation of having an overly powerful, protest-bashing press which hovers over the British right; one which is prone to a nasty streak including authoritarianism. Britain, therefore, was a candidate for intolerant, anti-democratic legislation and is now its test case example.  

The Conservatives need not have passed such a rushed, overall divisive piece of legislation. Individual unthinkable laws such as static non-violent protests being subject to noise and time constraints were able to be ushered in under obtuse, ill-fitting comprehensiveness. The best hope is that if the House of Lords could sensitively separate policies this June, the Parliamentary majority have a democratic mandate for and policies that undermine underlying civil liberties that no government should be able to reverse.

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is un-British, but this needs to be formally articulated. Both the democratic left and the right need to prove why it is wrong for all protests to be constrained by legislation rife for discrimination. It is clear why a protest against the police should never require the police’s formal, binding consent. Britain is no utopia. It has been a dystopic year and now is the time for more peaceful demonstrations as politicians waste our finite time to solving ticking crises.

Personally, I feel so strongly about protesting and I hope that the British public slowly awakens by the passing of this Bill; I hope that after the pandemic, dare I say it, they are not quiet. Protesting may not be synonymous with the so-called British character like other countries, but when the Conservatives’ ‘Law and Order’ rhetoric becomes a hurtful reality,

the political temperature rises. The stiff upper lip rises to a cross face. Indignation turns votes but, most pressingly, it can escalate to anger which overboils to violent protest. Riots can be reduced to paucity by the right to peaceful protest being upheld and heartily exercised.

Pragmatism prevails in the public, with there being rightful concern and debate around police powers to break up, say, public transport being blockaded but this intervention must always be after the fact. Police by consent means the interests of the protestors come first. Government, police and all officials, elected by people or not, are the ones who require permits to justify their existence and to hold them to account.

There should be no permission needed at all for one person, to march, to demonstrate, to protest any cause and if this individual act is legitimately unreasonable, only afterwards should the law then be applied to protect security, never to procure subjective political considerations. Protesting defends democracy and democracy forever needs defending. The Bill should still be killed.

Featured image via Steve Eason on Flickr.

Squid take you on a sonic journey through the Bright Green Field

Brighton-based quintet Squid have slowly been releasing tracks since back in 2016, with some notable highlights being the 2018 single ‘The Dial’ released on the cult label Speedy Wunderground – who would later release their incredible ‘Town Centre’ EP, and the 2019 single ‘Houseplants’ which received a lot of airplay on BBC 6 Music. More locally, Squid made waves playing a blistering good set at Hyde Park Book Club as part of Live at Leeds in 2019. With the amount of hype built up around the band, it was very possible that their long-awaited debut Bright Green Field(released via Warp Records) would feel somewhat underwhelming, but fortunately for us Squid delivered one of the most original and exciting albums we will see in 2021. 

Squid are one of the few bands around at the moment that never seem to sit still, constantly jumping from one sound to the next – just as you think you have gotten used to their sound, you are jolted in completely the opposite direction. This is perhaps why, with every new release, Squid seem more individualist and bohemian. Bright Green Fieldincorporates elements of jazz, punk, psychedelia, funk, post-punk, dub and everything in-between; it is a beautiful sonic menagerie and an excellent listening experience. 

The album kicks off with the atmospheric ‘Resolution Square’ which sets up the experimental tone of the album perfectly before blending seamlessly into the ‘G.S.K.’. The first track and its transition to ‘G.S.K.’ really signifies that Bright Green Field is not merely a collection of songs but a perfectly handcrafted album; a listening experience in which you are transported to this frantic and slightly weird world for just under an hour by the means of blaring horns and dystopian lyrics. ‘Narrator’ is a definite highlight within the album, the 8-and-a-half-minute epic encapsulating much of what is so brilliant about the band. The tempo can change on a sixpence, building to what seems like a climax before stopping dead in its tracks. The unpredictably chaotic nature of the track coupled with the contrast between the frantic vocals of Ollie Judge and the (initially) gentle tones of guest vocalist Martha Skye Murphy combine to form an exigently compelling track. Furthermore, the fact that ‘Narrator’ can exist on the same album as the experimental electronic track ‘Paddling’, the Krautrock influence of ‘Peel St.’ or the dream-like psychedelia of ‘2010’ and still have the album flow so seamlessly as though it were one continuous song is testament to the musical brilliance of Squid. That being said, Bright Green Field really works best as an album – none of the individual songs on the album would work particularly well as a single release, or at least they would not have the same impact as they do when listened to within the context of the full album.

Bright Green Field is a prime example of a genuinely exciting band at their very best. From the cover art to the mixing, there is seemingly nothing that could be improved on this album. The only worry is that it will be a difficult album to follow, but then again, if anybody can do it, Squid can! The band are set to play Brudenell Social Club on August 31st, it will be interesting to see how their new material is performed live but based on their Live at Leeds set from 2019, it will be a great show regardless. 

Screaming in Silence: ‘Sound of Metal’ Review and Analysis

*this review contains spoilers*

Sound of Metal is Darius Marder’s (co-writer of The Place Beyond The Pines) tremendous directorial debut. It is a film that pulls the rug from under you and tells the story of Ruben (Riz Ahmed), a recovering drug addict and heavy-metal drummer who begins to lose his hearing.

The film is worthy of merit for many of its endeavours, particularly with its approach from the outset. Ahmed, who lassoed the spotlight with his terrific performance in HBO’s The Night Of, has raised the bar even higher in this latest project. He catapults himself wholeheartedly into his job; spending six months learning to play the drums and becoming well versed in American Sign Language, even opting to communicate with the director and co-stars in this manner and often wearing ‘auditory blockers’, saying that “I couldn’t hear anything, including the sound of my own voice”. Furthermore, his co-stars at the programme where he undergoes a profound character transformation, are members of the deaf community. Paul Raci, who plays Joe the programme founder, grew up with deaf parents and is a prominent figure in the community. This moral approach to the material pays off nobly, with a sensitive and sincere execution.

Witnessing Ruben as he tries to grapple with a world that rapidly and silently melts around him is terrifyingly tangible, jarring and upsetting. The cast (although particular applause to Ahmed) deliver an electrifying, powerhouse of performances that has our undivided attention and makes the film spark, cementing its incredibly intimate and tender depiction of his world-shattering crisis. The sound mixing adds a viscerally potent dimension to the experience. By splitting the film from the perspective of a world full of crazy sounds and his muffled, silenced world as he tries to process his grief, we are left with a tragically isolating insight and downright frightening realism.

The script excels in its incredibly profound character study and thematic philosophies, speaking volumes. It focuses on a troubled, volatile character who is haunted by his demons, calling him back to a life of heroin addiction, who eats, breathes and sleeps metal music but is then suddenly plunged into an icy world of silence and stillness. This razor-sharp radical transformation makes witnessing his hardship and internalising and rationalising of his plight both deeply devastating and harrowing. Ruben is tasked with getting up at 5am to be left alone with his thoughts, a pad of paper, a pen and no distractions. What results is a glimpse into his brittle split-personality, of his old self and his sober self, explosive yet extremely disciplined and earnest, as he is taken over by a tantrum, pummelling a donut into smithereens before putting it delicately back together, multiple times.

Image Credit: Jeff Mitchell, Phoenix Film Festival

Marder executes a profound examination of a tormented soul and the concept of inner stillness. Even though Ruben’s life thrived on chaotic, loud music, we learn that by nature his spirit is soft but misdirected; he often starts his days making healthy smoothies and listening to French Jazz. During his reconciliation with his new world at the programme, we find him in a deep meditative state over a piano melody, integrating and connecting with his new family and generally, the happiest we have seen him. However, when he gets tugged back by his old life and sees a video of Lou (breaking the no-technology rule of the programme), his meditative reformation is intercepted and he invests in an implant that will get him back to not just a life of hearing but to his old life as well.

This feeds into an incredibly impactful scene where Ruben bids farewell to Joe saying that he has to “save his life” and that he can’t just “diddle around” and “have nothing”. Naturally, Joe is distraught by this insult saying that Ruben “looks and sounds like an addict”. This integrally powerful scene demonstrates how Ruben’s self-destructive ego pushes him away from achieving inner stillness, whilst hurting those around him, much like how he acted with his blaring, frenzied past life and how can’t make peace with himself. Ruben returns to the outside world to rekindle his relationship with Lou, to find that she has moved on, unshackled by her demons and has found her inner stillness.

This final act revelation is nothing short of tragic and pulls on the audience’s heartstrings when we learn with Ruben that after burning the bridge with his best shot at inner peace, he actually integrated better with his family at the programme, than when he forcefully tries to reintegrate back into the spoken world. Ruben justifies his exit by saying “that’s life, it just passes” and we truly feel for him because he hasn’t made peace with the fact that the world keeps spinning and as we see, it doesn’t wait for him. This leads to a strong symbolic bow as the film’s curtains close, showing Ruben pensively entranced by the ringing of a bell tower, before he decides to remove his hearing aid; back to silence.

Sound of Metal is the most genuine and raw story Hollywood has had to offer recently and deserves every ounce of praise. A film that screams in silence, and it should certainly not go unheard.

Image Credit: Substream Magazine

This is Telex: Belgian electro-pioneers receive the Mute treatment

Ask somebody about the early days of electronic music and people are likely to mention groups like The Human League or Depeche Mode who helped to popularised synth-pop in the UK. Some might mention Kraftwerk, Throbbing Gristle, electronic experimentation in Jamaican dub music, or perhaps the early 1970s era of progressive rock. A music historian might even cite 1920s composers such as Joseph Schillinger. The origin and evolution of electronic music is a rich and varied topic, but one band that often gets left out of the story is Telex. 

Formed in Belgium, 1978, Telex aimed to create something entirely different from the mainstream music scene of the time. Determined to differ from rock music, Telex refused to incorporate guitars within their music, opting instead to use exclusively electronic instruments. Whilst this might not seem like such a revolutionary idea in 2021, in 1978 this really went against the grain of popular music. Electronic pop was often seen as a novelty and treated with suspicion. Electronic music was by no means a widespread concept- and received little mainstream attention. The electronic experimentation Telex were doing had not been done before, aside from a small handful of isolated artists. 

Despite releasing five albums between 1979 and 1988, as well as a reunion album in 2006, producing remixes for Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode and collaborating with Sparks for their 1981 album Sex; Telex never really achieved mainstream success. The band’s only commercial success in the UK was their slow, dispassionate cover of the rock n roll classic ‘Rock Around the Clock’, which peaked at number 34 in the UK singles chart in 1979. The biggest exposure Telex received over here was likely their Eurovision performance in 1980, in which they reportedly hoped to finish in last place with their deliberately banal and cliched song ‘Euro-vision’ (although the entry actually finished in 19th, thanks to 10 points from Portugal). 

Telex officially disbanded in 2008 after the death of band member Marc Moulin. A compilation album, Ultimate, was released in 2009 but received little attention and the band appeared to have been lost to obscurity. That was until legendary independent label Mute Records – whose previous releases include the likes of New Order, Depeche Mode, Inspiral Carpets, Yazoo, Moby and Wire, to name but a few – announced a compilation This Is Telex

The compilation features tracks from throughout the band’s career including two previously unreleased tracks: covers of The Beatles’ ‘Dear Prudence’, and ‘The Beat Goes On’ by Sonny & Cher. All tracks are newly mixed and remastered by the two remaining members of the group, Dan Lacksman and Michel Moers, and they sound utterly incredible! This compilation really goes to show just how ahead of their time Telex were, and hopefully with the distribution powers of Mute they will finally gain the widespread recognition they so rightly deserve. This Is Telex also excellently portrays the versatility of the group: from the moody post-punk atmosphere of ‘The Number One Song in Heaven’ to nightclub floor fillers such as ‘Moskow Diskow’, stopping in between for some wonderfully weird off-beat electro in ‘Dance to the Music’ and ‘Radio-Radio’. A punk attitude, disco tendencies and elements of experimental electronic music combine in order to form some of the greatest, most idiosyncratic tracks of the 1980s – and they still hold up in the 21st Century. According to Mute, This Is Telex is the precursor to a full series of reissues of Telex’s back catalogue. This is excellent news as many of Telex releases have not witnessed official reissues in decades and given how high quality This Is Telex is, we are definitely in for a treat!