Conflict In the Venue

Conflict 'In the Venue' (Mortarhate Records, 1994)

Conflict always had a sense of mystery and otherness about them. This was fuelled by Ricky, Norrie and Fray telling me how Conflict's late 80s gig at Shady Lady's had been cancelled due to the danger the band presented to national security and Ricky being followed home by the SPG.

Adding fuel to the fire, Conflict again cancelled a gig in 1991 when Rub the Buddha, the band featuring my aforementioned comrades with Alan Graham and Nick, were meant to support them in Glasgow. Apparently this was due to Conflict being banned from playing in the UK because their gigs would on occasion lead to public disturbances. Fray has often commented that he was glad the gig was cancelled because RTB didn't actually have any songs at the time and he feared Colin Jerwood and company would have 'kicked his f**ing head in'!

I first heard 'The Ungovernable Force' in 1989 when Ewan Lind leant it to me along with a couple of Dead Kennedys LPs. Immediately I could tell that there was something about both bands that I liked but they lacked the 'oomph' of thrash and death metal and Pringle, Mikey, Ed Brown and I stuck on the path of metal. Little did I know that both Conflict and DKs would become firm favourites within a couple of years.

As I spent more time with the Rub the Buddha crowd Conflict became more and more of a touchstone for everything that was punk. Many of the punks had become vegetarian almost entirely because of the 'To a Nation of Animal Lovers' EP and the direct action anarchist message resonated with all my friends. When Ricky and I discussed 'From Protest to Resistance' we laughed at how angry Colin was, especially when he can barely spit the lyrics out due to his palpable rage, and it finally clicked; Conflict were amazing!

When Conflict released 'Conclusion' in 1993 I was beside myself with anticipation and, despite the heavy use of keyboards and some poor man's reggae, I loved it. Like others I feared that the album's title indicated that the band's live hiatus was going to continue, but Alan announced in late 93 that a gig was planned in London and somehow he had procured us all free passes. Without question, this was going to be special.

Whilst the politics of Crass and Conflict have informed a lot of my lyrics I have not embraced every aspect of their message and thus it was with a sense of shame and disbelief that Norrie greeted me at Buchanan Street as I chomped on a two for one Whopper deal before we embarked on the bus journey to London.

Norrie had arranged for an old friend to put us up whilst in London. He'd done this by videoing himself wearing a balaclava standing in front of a Union Flag and issuing one of those 'actor's voice' terrorist ultimatums. Apparently his friend was actually taken in by the video when it arrived, but Norrie smoothed things over and accommodation was sorted.

The crowd at the Venue were forced, 'Clockwork Orange' style, to endure a film showing the horrors of vivisection, animal slaughter and war prior to Conflict taking the stage. Then they arrived, and they were magnificent. Like the Ramones on crack, the break neck delivery never stopped and the endless roar of Colin never let up except for a 'Isn't it great to see so many familiar faces!'. They didn't look like the pictures I'd seen of them; there were no four foot spiked hairstyles, but the passion and the level of performance was unlike any punk band I'd seen before.

Every song on this LP is captured exactly as I remember the gig; 'The Institute of Dreams', 'Increase the Pressure', 'Tough Sh*t Mickey', 'This is the A. L. F.', 'The Serenade is Dead' all flawed but all brilliant and representative of a top ten if not top five gig. It really was that good and I hope that if you hear this record you might get a feel for what a special night it was.

After a night of raging anarcho punk and the accompanying drink my memory gets a bit hazy, but I do remember the lovely hippy woman who put us up, losing the key to Norrie's mate's van down a drain despite being told that I was not to lose the van keys under any circumstances and walking in on the lovely hippy's son whilst he must have been having a very enjoyable dream..... The bus journey back was not pleasant, that much I can remember!

Peace