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SPANNER - WE WON'T BE STOPPED

by Rebel Time Records

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1.
Immobilised 03:32
Wreck the prison society Rebel against everything that stops us being free Revolt against sexism and patriarchy Rethink assigned gender and identity Reject the culture of celebrity Wreck, Rebel, Revolt, Rethink, Reject For all these things there is no app Could it be your smartphone’s another clever trap? Full screen dominance, we’re isolated Keyboard warfare’s overrated Social media does not make a revolution make Profile, status it’s just another fake Mass communications aren’t mine or yours But another tool to keep us masses indoors The illusion of community and connection Has got us all facing in one direction We won’t change much with all the texts we send Obsessed with the screen and facebook friends Can you really do it all from your phone Or is the power at your fingertips not your own? Is it all a substitute for taking to the streets And the power that we hold when we really meet? There’s no shortcuts on your laptop We’ve a long way to go to make the madness stop Are you carried away by your portable device And a mobile that keeps you immobilised? Our time is wasted staring at these screens When we could be in the real world fighting for our dreams Breaking the grip of handheld distractions Shutting down their power as we switch to action Rage against abuse and brutality Reclaim our lives and our autonomy Resist the destruction wreaked by industry Refuse the impositions of authority Remember past struggles and our history Rage, Reclaim, Resist, Refuse, Remember
2.
Bangin at the door, it’s the bailiffs and the law But the barricades piled well high “Let’s make these bastards work for it!” Says Gordon with a glint in his eye He’s had it with being pushed around And left for dead on the waiting list Now there’s a line in the sand at his front door And he’s ready to resist Why should he be homeless Forced to sleep out rough while thousands of homes stand empty Enough is enough No quarter, just a corner Like the one into which he’s backed Raging as their hammers smash through his front door But his dignity’s intact CH: Scum landlords! They’ve had it all too long! Their property rights are properly wrong! Our right to have a home will only be won When the rule of property’s dead and gone From the forced eviction coz you can’t afford the rent To the paramilitaries that the landlords sent From the benefit cuts and the bedroom tax To the bulldozers trashing squatter’s shacks The pressures and the threats of losing your home Besides the comfort of the rich and all they own Old folks forced to choose between heating or eating And the homeless freezing under cardboard sheets Nervous breakdowns and fucked up health Are just some of the costs of the landlord’s wealth Property is theft, property is death Owners take all and there’s nothing left for us Kids are getting asthma Because their home is damp and cold And the rain is running down the walls Through a roof that’s full of holes A family asks the landlord To do what’s right and fair They hope for a home that’s fit to live in And they wait for the repairs The years pass by while they’re ignored But then comes the quick fix A letter from the landlord With a notice of eviction CH: Property is theft, property is death Owners take all and there’s nothing left
3.
Above It All 01:59
Separation, exploitation You can justify anything When every living thing's at our disposal And you think the human race is king Property, authority, hierarchy Lies at the root of it all But from where you think you're stood on top of the world There's a very long way to fall Objectification, severed relations Numbers replace lives Mass torture, cruelty, abuse and slaughter Are neatly normalised CH: Categorised as commodities Legitimises the atrocities Ringing any bells from history? Let's fight like hell for all to be free Domination, subjugation Ours is the loudest voice But what makes our species really stand out Is it's capacity to destroy Domestication, annihilation For fun, food, profit and science Unquestioning acceptance Of horrific daily violence CH: It's not up to us how other animals should behave We've got no place to control or to enslave What makes you think that you can decide their worth Their lives, their conditions, their death and their birth? Why do you accept that human progress and gains means inflicting so much misery, suffering and pain? The slaughterhouse, the zoo and the laboratory cage Must be demolished and abolished with all our rage But we can't stop there because there's so much more Total liberation is what we're fighting for
4.
There was a community far out to sea Over the horizon, a matriarchy Nothing bought and nothing sold A peaceful life on a coral atoll A hangover from a colonial past Former plantations self organised Been living here, for hundreds of years Ancestors buried roots into the sky CH: There are no flowers for them Forgotten lives beneath the new runway The island lost, to Camp Justice Beauty shops, haircuts and a laundry service But all that changed after the war Uncle Sam was oh so sure An empty space was needed quick With a nuclear discount as a trick CH: Banished into misery Forced out of their own homes Vanished out of history Gravestones are no go zones Exiled, torn apart Little babies born to starve No justice on stolen land just a bunch of wars to start Lives negotiable, totally disposable Justice is just pish the state is not emotional Pack of thieves, pack of lies they just cannot hide Island swept and sanitised Murder maximised Ship them off, burn their homes Through centuries of practice the island was cleansed Dumped at the docks, lost and ignored Don’t turn around don’t break your heart CH:
5.
Apotheosis 03:24
As I watch the earth evolve, its revolutions seem eternal But these are dark days indeed, when ill-conceived deeds dash all hope Though I try to practice patience, this complacence and debasement Of rationality persists to be our ever-tightening rope And it seems to me, unequivocally, these walls deny autonomy And I can’t accept the tide that’s turning from knowledge to faith Science now eroded by un-intelligent design Archaeology denied to preserve the sanctity of archaic lies And with the twist of the religious knife, the masses fall beneath the tide Of rhetoric designed to quieten minds with dividing lines And suddenly, there’s us and them, a white-washed past, the rule of men Keeping us sedate, teaching how and who to hate Their fraudulent directives lead us into our next war The mechanisms of control to wipe out excess poor So no, I won’t accept, I won’t forget the blood you’ve shed, I’ll be unled! Fuck all your religions, I’ll become my own god Because the sum of my pieces is all that I am Free of dogma or guilt, forming my own master plan I mould and shape and create, sculpt this thing that I am No deity shall provide, but I’m pretty sure I can Apotheosis ​- there’s nothing in the sky Apotheosis - religion is a lie Apotheosis - this freedom is no curse Apotheosis - I’ll shape my universe Hypnotised by spectral effigies, the soldiers fall in line Stripped of dissent and sense, submerged in caustic diatribes In life, the architects of death, in death become reasons to kill Exhumed for exhibition to reinforce the fear instilled Raping the land and slaying love; guided missiles, misguided men Execute a scheme conceived to serve up profit without end While in our safe suburban nests, they dance macabre on our screens Anaesthetised, we close our eyes, drown and destroy our hope and dreams So let’s put this one to bed, no, there’s nothing in the sky Just carbon, chance and energy, no answer to your cries Your wars, your hatred and your slavery were based upon a lie No forces forcing all our hands, there’s nowhere left to hide Apotheosis ​- there’s nothing in the sky Apotheosis - religion is a lie Apotheosis - this freedom is no curse Apotheosis - I’ll shape my universe
6.
Impossible 03:30
The world we want to live in is too far away The bad times are here to stay All hope is gone and there’s nothing we can do Apathy is everywhere the rebels are too few No one is listening to the screams and shouts We’re powerless and we can’t break out Revolution was just a futile dream The struggle’s been lost or so it seems CH: But the only struggle that is lost is the one that’s never fought So hold your head up high and fight to win Demand the impossible with a new world in our hearts Stay solid never give in Everything has a price and it’s all doomed to be used, exploited and consumed A devastated planet pushed over the brink Millions of species made extinct So much life annihilated by politics Toxic air and chemicals keep us sick Desperate people, ruined lives everywhere Suffering’s so normal that no one cares Children learn early on that life is cruel Violence and domination are what rules We’ll never know peace or freedom or a life not sold We’re defeated, beaten, numb and so controlled But there’s many of us having a go And living our lives against the flow Remember that you are not alone And nothing here is set in stone Recognise our struggles are all linked And things can change faster than you think Victories and struggle can be won The impossible can be done CH:
7.
On a show like any other is where it all began They say no one saw it coming and there was no secret plan During the daily dose of ridicule, contempt and disdain For the riff thrown to the lions for their entertaining pain Because there’s nothing like easy targets and public misery To misdirect our outrage and for making good TV Superior, self righteous, arrogant and slick Smugly beating lowly proles with his moralist stick The attack on family values is he how he made his name But now he’s just remembered for the show of his own shame CH: Jeremy Kyle, a man so vile, choked to death on his own bile And the people’s trial of Jeremy Kyle for a long while will bring a smile All cameras were on the high priest spouting his usual crap But it all went very off script on the day the audience snapped A long overdue and vengeful spectator intervention Showed viewers at home some of the things that scumbag never mentioned As the people grabbed the microphones to expose this hypocrite Poor Jeremy must have realised then his life was not worth shit Demanding someone pull the plug but the whole things been rewired For 15 minutes of shame before this bastard gets retired He tried to run for cover to the safety of backstage But there was no escape from the slimelight and his podium was his cage His minders too had changed their mind, all they could do was grin And join millions watching Mr. Kyle taking it on the chin But still he sneered, scoffed and jeered, looking down his nose At those who dared to laugh and point at the emperor with no clothes CH:
8.
This is a sad tale of people betrayed Sold out by their leaders who stand in the way And under the thumb’s where they’re happy to stay Complaining their hands are tied With deals, defeats and compromise They manage to keep workers paralysed Parasitical bureaucrats in disguise As union men on our side All this talk of the struggles of yesteryear But when the class war breaks out too fierce or too near And the conflict might threaten their comfy career Watch them step in to mediate Our fights are just part of their industry And they’ve more in common with the bosses you see Aiming high for a place in the bourgeoisie They’ll find ways to make us wait For too long we’ve been paying our dues To help these bastards ensure we lose We won’t be bought off with a few more pence Going on the attack is our best defence Our lives are worth more than a measly wage No more will they represent our rage Revolutionary change, don’t let them co-opt When we realise our power we won’t be stopped We have to find ways to turn our disputes Into sacking the system, giving bosses the boot Because their world is only fit to loot Let’s rock, then sink their boat Don’t listen when they say our struggle’s outdated And demands are best negotiated No Way! Get organised and agitate Get the boss’s foot off your throat
9.
If you’re hard to condition they’ll give you a condition With letters by your name It’s a war of attrition and expert decisions To make sufferers feel the blame Oppositional defiance and non compliance Are now syndromes and disorders Bogus science and a frightening alliance Of discipline and doctor’s orders Dans ce pays, l'argent est important Un compte bien garni vaut plus qu'un physique bien portant Pourtant omnipotents beaucoup d'entre-nous sont mal partis Trompés, trahis sans emploi dans la mère patrie In this country, money’s important Their bank accounts health is more important than your body’s Even though we’re capable, we start on the wrong foot Sabotaged, betrayed, unemployed in the motherland They’ve got the skills to keep you taking pills Conveniently anaesthetised But feeling more ill and with a breaking will As you’ve been medicalised With a toxic cocktail good for corporate sales And keeping you disabled Feeling you’re a fail and your life’s off the rails Dragged down by your label CH: See through the mind tricks There’s no quick fix It’s the system that’s sick It’s the system that’s sick Again and again you’re told the problems’ with your brain You gotta find ways to adjust To the system that remains the source of all the pain But their medicine you have to trust These pills aren’t for you they’ve got more to do With helping authorities cope And to renew the expert’s view That troubled kids must be doped Tu penses que je pense que tes pensées ne sont pas réfléchies Mais quand tu diras santé, certains entendront ke-fri La valeur marchande au détriment de la valeur humaine Bienvenue sur ta planète ou la consommation est reine You think that I think that your thoughts aren’t thought out But when you say health, others hear only money Market worth is more revered than human values Welcome to your planet where consumerism is King The “side effects” make you sick and vexed So it’s time to add more drugs To keep it all in check and to keep you wrecked As your health goes down the plug Angry or depressed there’s interests That made and will keep you that way And they know what’s best when you fail all their tests It’s a professional game they play La santé, les gens, passe au second plan Profits et bénéfices suffisent à motiver les gens L'amour le plus important est celui voué à la monnaie Plus de sentiment tout n'est que conflit d'intérêts Health and the people are a secondary matter Profit and benefits are the prime motivators The most imperative devotion is the one to money No more sentiments, they’re but a conflict of interest CH:
10.
We pile into the van and we’re off on tour Em’s at the wheel with her foot to the floor We got places to go and people to see For a while at least we’re breaking free We may get lost but we can’t go wrong With so many good people laughs and songs And collective living where everything’s shared Remind us that we are everywhere Sound system’s full blast and we’re doing alright Dancing all the way through another top night Tomorrow our legs and heads will hurt But tomorrow we don’t have to go to work We got a feeling that we’re in the right place And the dance floor’s full of friendly faces We’re so proud to support and play In all the free spaces where we wish we could stay CH: For all the trouble makers and the rebels we know For the squats and the raves and the punk rock shows Woah hoah!!!! GO GO GO!!!! Buzzin from the music, the people we’ve met The places and the stories we’ll never forget All the people who understand All the organisers and wicked bands There’s lots of places we have been That show what we got is more than just a scene And we can do more than just survive Resistance culture keeps us alive Up the punks, anarchists and squatter crews Opening spaces and showing new views They know what they’re doing and show what can be done Mixing freedom and autonomy with lots of fun None of this lot could you call workshy They’re not afraid of living it DIY They’ve built so much from fuck all Flying the flags and standing tall When the cops come it’s less talk more rocks On the streets and barricades defend the squats Never mind the laws, whatever they say They may get us out but we’ll never go away CH:
11.
It’s a tired old story when times are harsh The racists and fascists go on the march With twisted faces and ideas Misplaced anger, ignorance and fear They go for easy targets and never aim high Believing all the bullshit and swallowing all the lies Yeah they can shout loud but they’ve nothing to say Just the same old bigotry that never goes away Repackaged as radical, new and improved But so many times it’s been proved They’ve got nothing to offer but division and hate And power and strength to the nation state CH: Raised fists antifascists help the fightback spread And the only good fascist is one that is dead Militants in resistance we know our enemies And we know that our best weapon is solidarity Police and fascists march side by side It’s always been the way, it can’t be denied Waving batons or St George crosses They’re working for the rich and the same bosses So there’s plenty of violence to protect “Free speech” For the fascist scum and the filth they preach Their “right to protest” is always ensured While antifascists feel the force of the law CH: Liberals without a clue Trying to tell “the movement” what to do Follow the leaders from a to b And let’s pretend we got unity Stirring speeches keep people still As designated protest pens get filled Miles from the fascists behind police rails Playing it safe and doomed to fail We know that fighting fascism means sometimes we have to fight Not pacified, dead end demos where everything is so polite It’s not about being macho, elite or super tough But a look at the history of fascism should tell us enough It’s confidence and strength will grow if it is unopposed So with barricades and whatever it takes we’ll make sure their road is closed Wherever they start we have to stop them to make sure they have no chance There’s many ways to beat the fascists and push back their advance We’ll never accept the rise of the right or fascists on our streets And we won’t follow leaders on the long road to defeat In memory of fallen comrades we will never forget Nor do we forgive so our rage is fuelled to destroy the fascist threat
12.

about

REVIEWS

From Just Some Punk Songs:

12 tracks of agitation and revolt in which the lyrics are lengthy and thought provoking whilst the music will get you dancing as you rage against abuse and brutality, raise your fists to fight fascism, pile your barricades high to thwart the bailiffs or bring Jeremy Kyle to account. I can’t imagine why anyone who’s reading this wouldn’t want this album so go get it, listen to it and join the struggle.

From Underdog Zine:

Seit 2000 vermischt SPANNER Politik und Spaß und wollen daran beteiligt sein, wenn es Zeit ist, auf den Ruinen des Imperiums zu tanzen. Barrikaden- und PartisanInnen-Ska, als Beitrag für den Soundtrack zur Revolution, der sowohl Tanz als auch direkte Action impliziert.

Die roh-raue Mixtur aus Conflict, Chumbawamba, The Autonomads entfacht eine auf Freiheit für Alle basierende Vernunft mit “Wreck, Rebel, Revolt, Rethink, Reject”_Attitüde. DIY Punk und Ska als Transportmittel innerhalb einer widerständigen Kultur und Partyszene im Squat, auf Wiesen und Feldern, auf Baustellen, bei Demos, auf Lastwagen, in Vereinen, in Lagerhäusern, Kneipen, unter Autobahnbrücken…Beeinflusst von den 90er-Jahren Party, Reggae, Folk, Anarcho-Punk sorgen Empowerment, Empathie und politische Radikalität für eine “get organised”-Wirkung, für gestreckte Fäuste und turbulente musikalische Rhythmik, die oft in längeren spoken words-Passagen münden, Statements und Botschaften, die ein authentisches, ehrliches Go Go Go “for all the trouble makers and the rebels” skandieren. Musik für Herz, Hirn und Haltung, nimmermüde, die antifaschistische Perspektive und den Kampf gegen Rechts in die Herzen von KapitalistInnen, PolizistInnen, Chefs und PolitikerInnen zu injizieren. Der tolle mehrstimmige Gesang, die abrupt geänderte Rhythmik von HC in den Ska-/Dub-Modus, gelegentlich eingestreuten Rap-Parts (“Sick to death”) und die schwungvolle Spielart sind ein Garant für den Tanz auf den Barrikaden, einem Anarcho-Folk-Class War, der wütend ist und befreiend wirkt.

From Organise Magazine:

Fans will welcome the first full length release from Bristol’s finest ska’d up anarchist punk export, Spanner, since 2011’s Crisis, but there is plenty here for new comers as well. Into their existing sound they have woven elements of folk, dub, spoken word, French hip hop, and on one track Bad Religion style ‘oozing ahhs’ accompanying a melodic hardcore intro. The musical changes are accompanied with a shake up of vocal duties, with every member of the band and numerous guest vocalists taking a turn on the mic, and joining together for choruses. It all combines to form a sound that feels like it was created as part of a real community, much like the best of Chumbawamba’s records.

Its certainly a sound that is well earned, as Spanner have always followed up their words with deeds. Track 10, ‘All Over the Place’, is all about their experiences throwing themselves into the DIY music scene, long stretches of touring and a thriving ‘resistance culture’. You’re also likely to find the band members anywhere there is a demonstration to be had, solidarity funds to be raised, or trouble to be caused. It’s this direct involvement that lends weight to the lyrical content, and allowed them to successfully sue South Wales police to raise funds for making the album!

‘Property Wrongs’ features perhaps the most instantly infections lyrics, after all who could resist joining in with a shout of ‘SCUM LANDLORDS’? There is certainly a lot of anger at the state of the world throughout many of the tracks, something which any of us paying attention will share. Other targets of the band’s wrath include the alienation of having our social interactions mediated by online companies in the more ‘traditional Spanner’ ska-punk opening track ‘Immobilised’. ‘Always Antifascist’ aims its anger at not just the fascists but the self appointed leaders of the left who would rather we politely protested away from the fash. The spoken word and folk laden ‘Apotheosis’ takes aim at organised religion, and Jeremy Kyle gets his comeuppance in the eclectic ‘The Peoples Trial of Jeremy Kyle’.

Beyond all the insight, and well directed rage is something much rare, and far more important. Optimism. It’s not often any of us can manage to be earnestly positive, instead we use self deprecation, cynicism and sarcasm as the tried and tested coping mechanisms (very British of us!). Loudly exclaiming that we can, and will, win is something we need more of, and is a running theme here, most notable in the energetic harmonies of ‘Impossible’.

We Won’t be Stopped is a great edition to any rebel’s record collection, and I highly recommend banging it on before you head out on your next direct action. Don’t just take my word for it, you can listen to the album in full on Spanner’s bandcamp, and order a copy on Vinyl or CD. Despite their many valid critiques of social media, you can also like them on facebook, and find out when they are coming to a town near you.

From OjoXOjo zine:

El Ultimo LP de estos anarcopunks de Bristol, Inglaterra, es un verdadero viaje politico-musical. Politico porque Spanner se aleja de las tipicas consignas y propone letras muy bien pensadas sobre temas diversos pero que impactan en nuestra vida diaria: el peligro de las redes sociales, los desalojos, el peso de la religion, el DIY, la solidaridad en nuestras comunidades, la necesidad de no bajar los brazos y seguir luchando… en resumen: la esperanza de vencer a este maldito sistema.

Musical porque Spanner propone un excelente ska-punk muy a la inglesa: una mezcla de Conflict con The Specials (muy a la Inner Te- rrestrials o a la No Respect).!Rifado carnal.a!

From Punk News:

Tasteful anarcho ska-punk in the classic British tradition of the earliest works of Chumbawamba. Hailing from Bristol, Spanner wallop their horns out from your stereo with clear intent, sharp wit, and infectious songsmithing on their second album We Won’t be Stopped. The brass work is well utilized and just askew of center stage for much of this carnivalist, revelrant record. It’s an artful approach to brandishing and taming the anger spilt across the musical landscape of political punk, a statement of defiance and vision in contrast to their contemporaries, and a proclamation that they don’t need all the noise or distortion to harness our anger into a political movement– that speaking with honesty and clarity and the promise of working toward a better tomorrow is all the hope a rebellion needs to thrive.

The ska elements are handled deftly and, as I’d characterize it, decidedly British; understated as a caution against oversweetening the composition. It’s a much more second-wave flavor and a couple great tracks swirl around a dollop of Dub. The overall effect is a very effortless attitude hanging above the tracks, utilized intrinsically in the songwriting and indulging terrifically melodic chorus craft.

The agenda for this record is jam packed with social ails and their prescribed punk rock remedies, and to accomplish all we aim for on such inspired anarcho releases such as these we’re treated first to an opening track setting the tone for our work ahead, and by time we wring out our runtime we’ll have an honest road map to getting our hands dirty. We Won’t be Stopped sees many tempo changes throughout the album, but Spanner hit their finest stride at a nice mid-tempo. On a track or two the band is a bit too quick footed for their heads and hands and show some cracks along the way; see “Above it All” for a band stumbling through a time signature. Do be sure to stick around for the immediate compensatory piece, the terrifically slowed down and perfect example of a low-tempo ska ballad “Chagossian Heartbreak”. Heartbreak is an apt signifier, regarding its lyrical sorrow directed at colonialism’s generational impacts on Africa and her people. A couple constants through the first-half’s change-ups being the hollers from the rear of the stage and the male and female vocals often sharing the mic at the same time, creating a festivitous air about the proceedings. “Impossible” accomplishes the timeless ska illusion of crafting a horn riff that feels as though you’re just now dropping in on a melody that’s been blowing for eons before you came along to it, familiar and long-toothed even upon first listen.

The second half of the album (well, the portion on the other side of ‘The People’s Trial of Jeremy Kyle’) does start to drag on a bit, but does so in a comfortable groove reminiscent of when the big name first-wave punk bands mattered. Not every lick and line are as clever as the band would sell you on, there’s some clumsy writing structures, uneven syllable sorts, and a bit of lyricism that comes on as cheesy a time or two. As easy as these are to highlight or dock ‘em points for, these instances are just more endearing evidence drawing them closer to their influences; Chumbawama and The Clash were never completely clear of similar criticisms of hokeyness or cornball tendencies.

Brilliant closer ‘Cadet Cops on Fire’ is an excellent and inspirational outro, featuring spoken word over nontraditional instrumentalism, striking the perfect chord of forward movement and introspective action while providing for a space-clearing exit from the album that ensures you don’t escape the album’s ideas. This is the audio equivalent of handing every attendee an activation pamphlet on their way out the tent, a call to continue the search and evangelize the message out into the world. It’s an imperfect mobilization anthem crafted from a rich tradition with an ear to our past but an eye to our future.

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released February 9, 2019

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Rebel Time Records Hamilton, Ontario

! Rebel Tunes For Rebel Times !

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