SUBHUMANS
- DEMOLITION WAR
Spawned and
incubated in the market town of Warminster, in Wiltshire, the
Subhumans had gained the attention of Flux Of Pink Indians who having
taken their cue from Crass were starting up their own label -
Spiderleg Records. Having already released two posthumous singles by
their former incarnation The Epileptics, the Demolition War EP
by the Subhumans was Flux's first venture into releasing material by
other bands and a more thrilling début would be hard to imagine.
Comprised of six
dizzy bursts of frantic energy, Demolition War absolutely exploded
with youthful enthusiasm underpinning a seriousness of intent. Right
from the word "Go!" as shouted by vocalist Dick
Lucas in opening track Parasites, it was apparent that the Subhumans
were somewhat different from other Punk groups. Whether that
difference was due to the impact of Crass upon their musical tastes
or due simply to their Wiltshire roots, the end result was joyfully
exhilarating.
Displaying their
political sentiments immediately with such lines as "The
government are real good to us, they crowd in their shelters and let
us die," and "A choice of three for democracy and
they're all parasites," the Demolition War EP was like a jet
fighter plane roaring along the runway before launching into the
stratosphere with the final song on the record entitled Human Error.
When The Clash
unleashed their version of Junior Murvin's Police And Thieves upon
the world in 1977, little did they know that not only were they
building a bridge between Punk and reggae but were also creating a
template for how reggae could be played by white rockers. That
template was given a punkier, more metallic twist by Stiff Little
Fingers with their version of Bob Marley's Johnny Was which likewise
was to be a huge influence upon many other bands.
The track Human
Error by the Subhumans was another turn of the screw, upping the
tempo to ska level and adding Punk thrash guitar to again create
something entirely new. This particular song was a signpost pointing
to a future direction in which a whole wave of people and bands would
one day take, not least Dick Lucas himself, reflecting the well-known
anarchist adage 'If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your
revolution'.
In the meantime,
however, it was enough to have Dick informing everyone that "There
are no patriots no more, who's gonna fight in the Third World War -
not me!" and declaring "Our society - what a drag!
Our society - what a fucking drag! RIOT!!!"
