Monocled Alchemist

Paul Wellings moves to the left with the REDSKINS

Article published in Sounds, 14th August, 1982

The Redskins | Scalp Hunters | “Being a skinhead used to mean taking a stand — making things clear, Stop talking about challenge when you challenge nothing!” — Chris Dean of the Redskins.

JUST IN it for a ruck, schmuck? Still fighting for your own kind? Well a lot of us ain’t! Some skins and punks have got the suss to act sharp and know who the real enemy is. Whether you like it or not, there has been a rise in music for fightback.

Three examples spring to mind. Firstly, loveable spikey-tops the Sex Pistols shaking up the Royal parasites during Jubilee week; the Specials‘ ‘Ghost Town’ which had 31/2 million reasons to be number one during last summer; and only this spring, Rhoda’s ‘The Boiler’ aimed at the judge who announced some women ask to be raped.

It must be said that over the last five years, after the prole punk explosion and the international recognition of reggae, beneath all the dross, a high proportion of today’s music has aimed at actually making the listener think.

The Redskins | Scalp Hunters

Like so many people of my age, I remember going to the RAR carnivals and knowing there was no need for speeches on how to fight racism after Steel Pulse had played ‘Klu Klux Klan’ or exposures of how YOPS were slave labour schemes after the Clash had torn through ‘Career Opportunities’. The music spoke for itself.

Alas, we have seen depressing phases in music. The resurgence of dumb macho metal with only Trust and Girlschool kicking shit back into the hairies’ faces; vogues for liberal anarchism with Crass-en-masse armies giving out all questions and no answers, about as threatening to the norm as the Cub Scouts.

Also we have those hair-brained hedonists dancing to the groovy sounds of Ze, the Inhuman Leage a la Turkey or Mari Wilson and her international jet set — all keener to get down and boogie than stand up and fight.

Raw Excitement

But outside this cute and cosy clubland, the militant skin/punk spirit is alive and well and now not simply, anti-racist but anti-nuclear and anti-Tory too. Bands like the Jam, Infa-Riot, Newtown Neurotics and of course Redskins above all putting the dialetical Doc Marten in with raw excitement.

“It’s a losing battle, we must all win” — the Business

With all this, I went in search of York band the Redskins and their label CNT. Both claim they are offering real hope, uplifting revolt and angry pride for these times.

FOUNDED IN August of last year, CNT stands for the trade union movement who were the last to hold out against Franco’s fascists — sons of the people to the barricades with records comes their solidarity slogan.

The Redskins | Scalp Hunters

Set up by Jon Langford of Mekons fame and Adrian Collins, formerly with York’s Red Rhino Records and responsible for discovering the Exploited’s first LP, there are no slimy deals with smarmy eels here. For them, York is not a middle-class paradise of majestic architecture but a city of redskins, punks and herbert hooligans.

But it is not like an Oi thrash/No Future label as Adrian points out:

“We are looking for diversity all the time and bands that say something. Although it is growing now, we want to operate a totally independent label. The record industry is so profit-orientated. We want to get away from that and get our artists involved with us so that they can almost put out their own music from cutting the single to sleeve design. I think we have some very interesting bands already.”

I wondered whether the hard uncompromising political stance of Redskins is reflected on the label?

“Yes, both John and myself are committed to political change and this is one way of going about it. That is not to say we would exclude non-political bands”.

Releases

Already released on the label is the ‘Sporting Life’/’Frustration’ 12″, by the Mekons, the highly acclaimed Stooges-inspired single ‘Body Electric’ by the Sisters of Mercy, ‘English White Boy Engineer’ by the Three Johns (a new version of the Mekon’s stormer about South Africa (and the magnificent ‘Mindless Violence’/’Kick Out The Tories’ double A-side from Harlow’s Newtown Neurotics.

Forthcoming attractions to be distributed include a cover version of the Who’s ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ by eleven-year-old Vicky Talbort (eat your heart out McClaren), a ten inch from Captain B Morgan, ‘The Mekons Story’ LP (a compilation of unreleased tracks) not forgetting the cracking ‘Lev Bronstein’/’Peasant Army’ single from Redskins.

“Intelligence should be our first weapon/Stop revelling in rejection” — the Jam

The Redskins | Scalp Hunters

Huddled in the rehearsal rooms in Kilburn High road, I asked outspoken crop-tops Chris, Nick and Martin of Redskins what they thought about CNT.

“It’s certainly shaping up into one helluva label. We have found there are bands which are at opposite ends of the musical spectrum but are all bloody sharp,” starts 19-year-old singer/guitarist Chris Dean.

“We get involved in every decision that’s made — it’s like the managing director of a record company coming into the studio, the cutting room and then asking you about visuals and designs. I think on the label we all help each other. We suggested the Neurotics to CNT,” adds bassist Martin Militant, aged 17.

I wondered what their name stood for.

“Redskins was meant to get across the idea that all skins are not Nazis, some can think for themselves. Although we dress like skinheads, we don’t necessarily call ourselves skins; that was just Garry Bushell calling us the Redskins so we’ve been lumped with it. But Redskins isn’t just us, it’s Seething Wells, Dagenham Pete our roadie, the Sheffield skins and all those socialist skins on the right side,” says Chris.

London scene

“Although we’ve moved down to London, we come from up North where there is a strong left-wing tradition amongst skinheads. It’s a lot different down here. But what annoys us are the trendy lefties saying skinheads are the property of the fascists —they’re definitely not. I bet if any of the trendies saw a Nazi they’d run a mile instead of sorting them out. What appeals to us about the image is it’s cheap, healthy and easy. The boots and jeans last for years and it’s the most basic haircut, coz you haven’t got one at all.!”

We move onto their music, a rushing Clash/Jam 77 style sound with spitting primal scream vocals and crunching guitar, supple Motown bass and hard-hitting drumming with fluttering cymbals.

The Redskins | Scalp Hunters

Drummer Nick King expands on this: “There are precise ways of putting ideas into practice and music is one of the best ways of doing that. We are putting over ideas which are harder and clearer than all our influences like the Clash, Crisis and ATV.”

Chris: “That’s dead right. Redskins is the break from doing the Joe Strummer or Bob Dylan ‘the system stinks man’ bit, and as socialists actually showing how you fight back.”

Do they think music can be an important weapon for change?

“Sure it can. Soul, disco, rap, reggae, funk; you name it, it can all change ideas. Slam the lyrics, not the type of music.”

THE BAND are quick to point out that there is no rebel chic in their stand.

Chris: “Our music and politics is a commitment, not a pose. I hate all these bands who say ‘Don’t ask me man, I’ve no solutions’; Redskins say it’s fucking clear. We believe that working-class people have their labour —one tool that when they withdraw it, the whole system collapses. It’s not good enough giving a Marxist analysis like the Gang Of Four do, people don’t understand what they’re on about. Just look how much better the Clash‘s ‘Know Your Rights’ is compared to ‘I Love A Man in Uniform’. It’s hard, aggressive and crystal clear.”

“Assemble in hate/Hot up and demonstrate/You’ve the choice/This is the people’s Voice” — words that lash and music that bites from Redskins.

The Redskins | Scalp Hunters

Like ‘Radio DJs’ (about patronising attitudes), ‘Lev Bronstein’ (why Russia isn’t socialist), ‘Skins Hate Nazis’ or ‘Longbridge’ (about being screwed up on the factory treadmill), the message is protest backed up with concrete action.

Chris chirps up to agree: “I suppose we talk about the here and now. A new song ‘Call’ could concern now and, of course, in our minds is the Falklands, a crazy lunatic war in the South Atlantic with workers killing workers as always happens while Thatcher and Galtieri sit pretty.”

“Mindless violence what does it prove/It proves you don’t know the people who’re shitting on you” — Newtown Neurotics.

Nick: “But that is not to say we’re pacifists — you can’t just patch-up the system, you have to smash it. I think we’ve still got to be hard and determined. I mean we’re top of a Nazi hitlist. It would be so easy to bottle out when the trouble arrives.”

Is the purpose of the music to agitate and educate I asked?

“Yeah, Redskins most certainly isn’t the germ-free adolescence of Altered Images or Haircut 100. For Christ’s sake, sex is not a mystical fantasy or a kiss on the cheek, sex can be a sweaty screw in the bogs or a woman being raped. Redskins are not singing about ‘boy meets girl’, we’d rather sing about ‘Boy meets Boy’ or ‘Girl meets Gorilla’.”

And while grubby pseuds and armchair cynics dream of the easy life, bands like Redskins are getting off their arse and doing things. Skinheads will need this band. Just watch.

Chris concludes: “We want to make music which is exciting and makes you feel like you can take the world tomorrow. We want to play factory politics, not just street politics like the Oi bands. Yeah, sure we’ll play to kids but we also want to play to organise people in factory struggles. Heh, what about a Redskins sound system during worker’s lunch hours? Now that would be something.”

As they say, you don’t just talk music — you live it.