Discharge

DISCHARGE

Like Britain, the once broad church that was Punk was also fragmenting and splintering into different factions with a wave of new Punk bands emerging, many with a totally unique slant on the form.

From London came the Cockney Rejects with their street-tough/football terrace anthems, introducing themselves to the world with a cry of "Freedom? There ain't no fucking freedom!" From Edinburgh came the Exploited, epitomising the bondage-trousered/mohawked branch of Punk but with accompanying dumbed-down lyrics. From Derby came Anti-Pasti, arriving with their classic EP, Four Sore Points, containing the songs No Government ("Brew your own it's about to ferment, no Maggie Thatcher and no government") and Two Years Too Late; the latter song having been 'borrowed' from The Epileptics who had last been seen being bottled by bikers at the Stonehenge festival. From Bristol came Vice Squad with vocalist Beki Bondage, who apart from being awarded the dubious title of 'Punk pin-up' was one of the first people in Punk to talk about animal rights. And from Stoke-on-Trent came Discharge who by revving up their guitars to such an intense degree, by accident rather than design created a whole new Punk genre.

With the release of three seminal 7" EPs throughout 1980, Discharge tapped into an unspoken frustration being felt not only by Punk Rockers but by people far beyond the Punk demographic.

Realities Of War, the first EP, served as an introduction to the band, causing a good many people to prick up their ears. Influenced and obviously born from the Sex Pistols/Clash/Damned axis, Discharge seemed to be reducing Punk into a much purer form.

By the time of their second EP, Fight Back, the process was complete and the resulting sound was spectacular. Jettisoning all frills, speeding up to a startling degree, inserting the briefest of guitar solos and entering a whole new sonic dimension, Discharge had captured in sound a moment in time and history of great importance. Like the moment just before the dawn when the world can either be re-born or come totally crashing down. Claiming to be anti-war, anti-government, anti-system, anti-press and anti-fame, Discharge were on the side of the angels.

Shouted and screamed out by enigmatic vocalist Cal, Discharge lyrics were perfect pearls of haiku-like wisdom: "They're always there with their restrictions, always there to put you down. Anarchy's the only solution now. Smash to fuck the fucking system... It's a messed up, fucked up fucking system... Government and Queen are your only enemies, don't be fooled by their plastic smiles. They want you kept in the darkness of the realities of war. Meat flung yards apart from bodies are typical sights of war. War's no fairytale, guns and bombs aren't fucking toys... Stand up, fight for freedom, stand up, fight for your rights. Fight the system - fight back... Realism's what we're preaching, are you really so afraid?... "

With Decontrol, their third release, their legacy as them being one of the most unique and consequently influential Punk bands of all time was sealed: "They fill you up with their fucking lies, you're the victim of government schemes. They take liberties they've no right to take and you're led to believe they're oh so right."

Though operating in the same Punk Rock sphere as Crass, Discharge were showing that there was more than one way of getting a point of view across. To many, however, the music that Discharge were creating was an even more impenetrable racket than that which Crass were making but even if the words were hard to decipher there was no denying the energy and the gut-level anger that Discharge were exuding: "They only show concern when war's declared cos you're their power and glory. This whole affair's so fucking unfair, it's so fucking sick."

Up to that point in time, Decontrol was their longest recorded song - taking up a whole side of a 7" single - and there's an argument for it also being their most important song due if only to the one line: "Decontrol! Decontrol! We've been shit on for far too long."

Screamed out over a speeding storm of electric Punk power, those few words seemed to echo what a good many people were feeling and though not their natural audience, particularly among ethnic minorities within the inner cities...