THE CRASS - new wave, nihilists - were supposed to appear at North London Poly as a benefit for Persons Unknown, but due to various official the gig Was Conway Hall in Red Lion Square -not the best of rock venues.
I awaited *eir arrival on stage with not a few misgivings, heard that they go in for some very profound heart-searching stutt. For example, 'We're saying to people. why are you standing being and audience?' While the gear is being set up, a film is projected. It lasts 20 minutes and is unutterably tedious; a collage of clips featuring shots of airliners (yawn), tower blocks (oh, god), blue movies (naughty), newsreel footage (snore). Sixties junk dragged out of retirement and dished political statement. Hah.
Now Crass are on stage. Dressed completely in black, dith stork a sinister asseudo-Nazi drop Sisten symbol (circle, cross, outlined in black and white.
It's a powerful visual effect, added to by the presence of two large mean-looking guitarists who stand stock still most of the time. They play fast and loud, only pausing between numbers.
The vocalist gets to shout a lot. The band • launches into a series of songs that are bitter, vitriolic attacks on religion, war, consumerism and the likes, but it's a pity they don't vary their delivery a bit more - playing at the same speed all the time makes for TONGLONY.
Aș for such bourgeois concepts as tuning Crass do neither. This results in an act that sometimes is more reminiscent of a cross between a waxwork tableau and amplified scrapyard than a rock band.
If only they'd pay a little more attention to making their music more accessible, they could makings of a fine band.
Their sledgehammer certainly has its moments, though, as in 'Asylum' — a devastating attack on religion and male supremacy spat out with icy, calculated hatred, stunningly effective. So effective, in fact, that when it was put on record the workers at the plant refused to handle the record unless the song was taken off.
Another victory for moderation.
I found it difficult to sort out one song from another, switched to having down there out as a lit from below pseudo-Nazi diagonal line)
occasionally playing in key, an have the approach which is mindless but the overall driving but