Album Review: Austerity – Anarcho Punk Dance Party

The entertainment industry, of which any band playing gigs and releasing music is inevitably a part, has its own hegemony. There is a relentless drive to continue to produce the new big thing, itself a variant of the last big thing. It cannot be startlingly different or thought-provoking, however well packaged and shiny it is. That the highest grossing acts are the achingly bland Adele, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift demonstrates how compliant and resistant to change we are as consumers.

Against this conveyor belt of interchangeable and largely disposable talent there remains, mercifully, a counter-culture of protest music. Brighton anarcho punk trio Austerity are the perfect example of a committed and principled band who have used their gift to create ‘entertainment’ that is also a vehicle for important political messages. Anarcho Punk Dance Party, from its industry-mocking title onwards (and indeed the band’s name itself), is a searing attack on the status quo at all levels. If the phrase ‘anarcho punk’ conjures up a negative mental image of damp crusties ranting to themselves about Boris Johnson in a crumbling squat, this album will blow your freaking mind. Anarcho Punk Dance Party is razor sharp, angular post-punk that somehow manages to combine the edgy, dazzling fidgeting of the Gang Of Four and early XTC with the strident political comment of Crass. But Austerity are not just about megaphone politics. It’s personal and, at times, deeply uncomfortable listening – songs about attitudes to rape and of the drudgery of commuting, rampant consumerism and wage slavery hit home hard. And it sounds fantastic. Brilliant production, superb musicianship and, fuck it, almost dance grooves make this ultimately a supremely uplifting listening experience.

There’s a wind blowing. Bands like Austerity, Cockwomble and Dead Objectives are, amongst many others, making protest viable and closer to the mainstream. And that’s where it needs to be. Are you not entertained?

Austerity have a string of UK dates lined up to support the album release. Catch them if you can.

You can find Austerity on Bandcamp, Facebook and Twitter