Watching the BBC When #Nirvana Came To Britain doc and immediately Jo Whiley says "the 80s... were all about wealth and affluence...music was very formulaic...there was very little rebellion" WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!
Firstly the 1980s were one of the most active times for protest and dissent. From the obvious 84-85 miners strike to feminist housing activism to campaigns against the Section/Clause 28, Apartheid, Greenham Common, HIV/AIDS. Tipping into 90 you've got the Poll Tax riots.
Comedians, musicians and writers rallied to support the miners strike with fund-raisers. This was an explosion of creative solidarity which has never been replicated on such an urgent scale. spokenwordarchive.org.uk/content/our-fe…
In the underground, you had Crass, Poison Girls Chumbawamba and Napalm Death and the whole D-beat, Anarcho-Punk and Crust Punk scene (FIGHT WAR NOT WARS). The trajectory of poets like Joolz, @BZephaniah & Linton Kwesi Johnson. Factory Records redefining production.
“Politicisation seemed to be the norm, and would continue to do so well into the 1980s. Even as musical styles changed, and many of the old punk battles were left behind, for those of my age the ideals of the late 1970s remained a driving force.” @tracey_thorn in her memoir
The following albums with political songs hit the charts: Workers Playtime - Billy Bragg #8 She Was Only a Grocer's Daughter - Blow Monkeys #20 s/t - The Communards #7 Spike - Elvis Costello #5 Our Favourite Shop - Style Council #1