THE ACCELERATED CULTURE OF BROKEN BRITAIN

The term “The Soundtrack of your life” might sound a little clich?d but its relevance shouldn’t be underestimated. A tight, perceptive LP can not only predict shifting musical fashions but can also be an astute commentary of the times.

Blondie’s new wave masterpiece Parallel Lines was a classic of the genre, neatly bridging the gap between the grit of punk and the stylish productions of synth-pop. But it also struck a chord with the populace of the UK in that the social problems which gave rise to punk in the mid-70s were laid to rest and everyone could look forward to a more stable, prosperous decade as the 1980s appeared on the horizon.

If social commentary is just as important as musical ability then the debut album from Brit-based band Hadouken is going to simultaneously shock and thrill. The thrills come from the insanely aggressive tracks; building on similar rock-electro sensibilities as Goose or The Whip they take every track into darker, dirtier territory ensuring the record has a nastier, more streetwise edge to it.

Music with balls is a good thing. Sadly, that’s where the good news stops.

Listen a little closer and what you’re left with is a shocking portrait of a country which for years seems to have been slowly sliding down the toilet. Binge drinking, ASBO culture (the Anti Social Behavioural Order introduced in 1998 in an effort to cap anti-social youth problems but now seems to be treasured more as a badge of honour than a shameful punishment), extreme consumerism, massive debt; basically all the tabloid and TV news headlines packaged into 11 tracks.

But where did it all go wrong? How can the UK, the once-proud home to Buckingham Palace and Lords Cricket ground, tea on the lawn and Church on Sunday have turned into such a rancid, dangerous shit hole?

Of course there isn’t one big fat problem at the centre of the gradual disintegration of British society. The theories as to how the current state of affairs exist are legion and all are possible contributing factors; the overly liberal attitude to sex in the late 60s invalidating the institution of marriage and eroding the family unit, the scrapping of mandatory military service for 16-year-olds, 18 years of conservative government which saw national industries privatised and a cut throat work ethic come into power, the sexualisation of youth, racial tensions due to the UK’s seemingly “open door” policy to immigration…the list goes on.

At one time or another, all of these points have been submitted as contributing to the dire social ills in the UK. Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister from 1979-1990, famously wished to create a “classless society” and the wheels she set in motion throughout the 80s have created a slightly different legacy: a society with no class.

But while an outsider can view these problems as being especially grim and the tabloids always love to run away with a juicy horror story, perhaps on the inside the situation isn’t so bad after all.

“We talk about certain social issues that we see around us but at the same time we deal with them in a light hearted manner because we see them as issues that have probably been around for many years,” says Hadouken’s lead singer James Smith.

A light-hearted view of things is all well and good – after all a smile can get you through the day, and my God do you need a smile if you’re day consists of being in London – but are the Hadoukens, unwittingly promoting such loutish behaviour simply by pointing it out? “Some people react to a song like Liquid Lives and think that we are straight edge and oppose drinking which isn’t the case at all.

As artists we comment on the particular issues that are dominant in our time, some of which have been problems for a long time and others which are maybe newer problems. We see it as our place to observe rather than to preach.” But do James and Co., like 385,000 Brits did last year, ever plan to pack their cases and give up the UK as a lost cause? “We are happy living in the UK and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else at this time in our lives.”

The LP is titled Music for an Accelerated Culture; quite where the culture of the UK is accelerating to is anyone’s guess. Further down the toilet? Or will there be some miracle cure to solve all the social ills and pull the country up out of the depths? That’s anyone’s guess but as James himself sings on Get Smashed Gate Crash: “We are the wasted youth and we are the future too.”

Innocent statement or sinister warning? You decide.

NEALE LYTOLLIS

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 19th, 2008 at 10:10 amand is filed under did you know that ?, everything is politics, music articles, neale lytollis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.