Apart from a bright spark of hope in the victory of the Gaza motion, this year’s conference lacked vision and purpose — we need to urgently reconnect Labour with its roots rather than weakly aping the flag-waving right, argues KIM JOHNSON MP
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Heroes and Bob Vylan
SOLOMON HUGHES give a full-throated endorsement to punk-tinged, hardcore-splashed, grimey political output of Britain's foremost rap-rock duo
Bob Vylan at the Mobo Awards
In the face of funding cuts, closures and a shift into women’s centres providing criminal justice-only services rather than a holistic approach, RUTH HUNT urges women to protect existing resources, volunteer and build new networks of support
The CPB's congress aims to build the united front against monopoly capitalism, utilising the YCL’s promising new generation of militants — but our party remains far from the strength history requires of it, despite recent progress, writes JOHNNIE HUNTER
From Palestine, to racism, to fiscal rules and migrant rights, DIANE ABBOTT surveys some of the main themes of Labour conference this week
We must remember how the CPGB led anti-fascist movement defeated Mosley’s BUF in September 1936 and apply the lessons of mass mobilisation and open, unapologetic confrontation to the rise of the far right today, writes DYLAN MURPHY
On the anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street, DAVID ROSENBERG reflects on his encounters with those who were there that day in 1936 – and suggests two urgent tasks for the anti-fascists of today
IF you want to fill your speakers with sharp, loud and sometimes funny political rap-rock this Xmas, I suggest you buy as much Bob Vylan product as you can.
I’ll try to tell you how Bob Vylan sounds by pointing to the ways they are like some other bands in the political rock rap area, but comparisons only take you so far, because they are also very like themselves. The duo are made up of singer-guitarist Bobby Vylan and drummer, Bobbie Vylan.
This band-members-all-with- nearly-the-same-name-as-the-band is not their only atypical feature: when I caught the band in Southampton last month, lead singer Bobby Vylan announced “We will be starting this gig, like all our gigs, with a moment of yoga stretching and meditation, and you are welcome to join us” and preceded to do just that, to a low guitar hum.
It is a sign of how Bob Vylan isn’t afraid of being 100 per cent “right on,” but can also carry their “right on” views with good-natured humour as well as fierce anger.
Musically the band see themselves a mash-up of punk rock and grime-y rap. The punky guitar sound is of the hardcore, slightly metal-y kind — enough for them to play well at hard rock festivals like Download. The rapping and singing are full-on political, with slogan-y choruses backed by plenty of wordplay.
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