Moon & Back Music

“I’ve been waiting for a guide to come and take me by the hand”. The synonymous opening line of Joy Division’s ‘Unknown Pleasures’, mumbled in Ian Curtis’s low, hollow baritone, would little over two years after it’s release provide an epitaph for the tragic downfall of one of the nations finest lyricists

The two studio albums left behind by the band (1979’s ‘Unknown   Pleasures’ and 1980’s ‘Closer’), though at the time merely a cult phenomena (despite critical acclaim) have now become an integral part of British music. Not only because of the deeply haunting lyrics, which often give a harrowing insight into the mind of a truly unhappy and unstable young poet struggling to cope with depression (believed to be caused by his battle with epilepsy), but because these albums are the sound of a nation feeling the same.

The Conservative party had just begun to tear Britain apart, in an attempt to repair the countries crippled economy, in the process leaving thousands jobless and the country feeling the effects for the next decade. Punk had failed in its attempt to bring down the monarchy and the weather was typically British. Therefore, creating the perfect backdrop for post punk to thrive, whilst maintaining it’s cult status.

Fast-forward thirty years and the above description sounds all too familiar. Britain once again finds itself in the midst of a recession and at the mercy of an incompetent government. Unemployment, violent crime and drug/alcohol abuse is rising at an alarming rate, and the weather (despite the best efforts of global warming) remains typically British. But, what sounds like the itinerary for mass suicide, has proven to be the sensory catalyst for a new wave of post punk bands, all echoing the same sentiments of discontent as their Mancunian predecessors all those years ago.

Some have achieved a degree of commercial success in post punk’s absence by ‘borrowing’ features of both Joy Division albums. Most notably though is the vocal similarity between bands such as Interpol, Editors and White Lies which both echo the same harsh tones of Ian Curtis, however what the vocal implies the lyrical quality often says otherwise.

All has not been lost however more recently, bands such as Scum, An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump and Kasms have all found themselves at the forefront of London’s ever-growing crop  of post punk revivalists. Mercury Prize nominated The Horrors however lead the way, fusing elements of shoegaze with ‘Closer’-era Joy Division; they have gained high critical acclaim and have an ever-growing fan base of equally melancholic followers. The most exciting and interesting of the current crop of post punk bands however, comes from a far bleaker town, in a world away from the comfort of any London scene.

In the last twelve months, The Chapman Family, have emerged from Teeside as Britain’s darkest and most exciting prospect. With the combination of Joy Division’s live intensity and nihilistic outlook, and the noise driven aggression of America’s alternative acts such as Sonic Youth and Nirvana, The Chapman Family have become Britain’s newest and most interesting cult.

Their debut single ‘Kids’ became the first video by an unsigned band to reach number one in the MTV2 video charts and gained high radio play from Xfm and Radio 1. Yet, certain members of the band still maintain a day job, and even stranger they remain unsigned. Why? This is the band that is willing to point out that things are not as they should be in modern day Britain. Kingsley Chapman’s opening scream of ‘Kids’ reads “These days they just don’t want to know/ They say it’s alright but I just don’t think so”, and current single ‘Virgins’ boasts a chorus of “ I don’t think I like what you’ve become”.

Both of the above lyrics read like an ode to a nation in dire need of help, in an age where crime, joblessness and homelessness are all on the rise. At least (with a help of record label) we’ll have The Chapman Family to guide us through such a dark time. Lets just hope they are not met with same premature and tragic ending as Joy Division and maybe this time the full potential of such talented individuals can be realized and help provide a means to an end.