Reviewed by James Attlee

Anyone out there old enough to remember the heady days of the mid-seventies, when the nation was rocked by the explosion that was punk? Of course record companies and business moguls have always been adept at turning revolt into style, drawing the teeth of youth culture and repackaging it to sell toiletries and trainers, and it wasn't long before things returned to status quo (literally.) Exciting days, nonetheless, and its good to see that excitement alive and well on the back streets of Bradford, West Yorkshire. This is the sound of punk minus the big bucks of Virgin and CBS, and without the puppet-masters McClaren and Rhodes pulling the strings. These guys are radical, calling each individual to take responsibility for their lives and to stand up against the dehumanising and destructive aspects of western society. The first track (one of my faves) 'Do You..?' points the finger at Anarchists whose politics is skin deep, a fashion accessory along with the green hair and the non-leather shoes. Titus is in fine vocal form, with the sarcasm of a young John Lydon, minus the North London whine. It's a rant against apathy over a background of fuzzed out guitar, booming bass and clattering drums. 'In Control' is a call for people to break free of the control of the media over their thoughts and lives - in fact the whole tape is an appeal to people to break free of consumerism and face up to the demands of justice "You think that 'cos you're rich that somehow you deserve it/But can you really justify your 5 figure wage slip/While people starve across the sea/is it fair this massive inequality?" ('You!') Throughout too there's a certainty that eventually justice will reign. "Final Day" has a tramp on a park bench dreaming of a new tomorrow. "He dreamt the sky had opened and filled the world with light/He saw all different races holding hands/He saw all nations' weapons crumbling to dust/He dreamt that love ruled the earth - oh he wished the final day would come." The Truth Remains The Same' opens with a eery sample of Ronald McDonald welcoming children to McDonaldland, before the band crashes in. "Its funny how nice they can make things seem/with a colourful wrapper and a fancy name/it looks so nice...but the truth remains the same." The tape was apparently made on a budget of £10, recorded live off the mixing desk at a gig, but the lyrics are crystal clear and the band do the job, varying in speed from a sepulchral, Goth-beat to a wired high-speed thrash, sometimes within the same song. Employing this recording technique the band can charge as little as possible-who else puts out a tape for £1 these days? - although they would welcome donations to the band "from anyone who's got more money than us - which isn't difficult!" This is no Christian record company type, youth workers dressing up as anarcho-punks to "reach the kids". These guys mean it, and if you require a regular diet of evangelical clicne's to sugar your musical pill, forget it. If you look carefully at the front of the lyric sheet however you will decipher this message. "All our lyrics and music evolve from the hope that came into our hearts on experiencing the love and compassion of Jesus Christ. We believe primarily in applying this love and compassion to all living things and will not conform to anything that stands in the way of what we believe to be God's justice." Kind of gives a new gloss to the word commitment, doesn't it? Shell out, and invest in a new tomorrow.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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