Mark Stewart's death at the age of 62 was announced on Friday. Mark was a towering presence in post- punk and in music thereafter, a man who saw music as an art form that should be provocative and challenging. The Pop Group, the Bristol group he led, brought together punk's guitars and confrontation, dub's space, free jazz's noise and funk's basslines with Stewart's politicised, expressive and sometimes ranting vocals, with Dennis Bovell at the controls. They were hugely important in influencing the wave of 80s and 90s industrial bands. When the group fractured in 1980 Stewart went on to New Age Steppers and then to work with a like- minded soul in Adrian Sherwood and the On U Sound collective. His Mark Stewart and The Maffia records were made firstly with On U musicians from Creation Rebel and later on the Tackhead trio of Doug Wimbish, Skip McDonald and Keith LeBlanc.
This song was from 1983, the title track from his debut album although the edited version here is from a flexi- disc given away with a Dutch magazine. The album, all cut up electro beats, dub bass, distorted, sample- like vocals and Mark's politics, isn't an easy listen and it's not supposed to be.
Learning To Cope With Cowardice ((Flexi Version)
In 2019 Mark's voice and denunciation of Brexit and all those who pushed it were at the centre of a single recorded by Jah Wobble and a post- punk supergroup containing Youth, Richard Dudanski, Keith Levene and drum tracks and loops courtesy of Andrew Weatherall and Nina Walsh. Mark Stewart- one of those people who you feel we shall not see the likes of again. R.I.P.
4 comments:
I read about this - a loss. A Very British Coup is the best you can play to his tribute.
When Mark screamed out 'department stores are our new cathedrals' it blew my teenage mind. Punk had become too predictable. The Pop Group took me to funk and dub and Mark informed my politics from then onwards. Mark was an incendiary performer and of course with Adrian Sherwood they pushed the boundaries of recorded sound. A frequency response to the 'Passcivecation Program'.
The corporations, fascists and dictators now run the world from the virtual godhead and Mark continued to call them out with scorching wit and knowledge. His music and speech always exhilarating, heartfelt and extraordinary. RIP
-SRC
One of those occasions where a comment is better than my post. Thank you SRC.
Thank you Adam for giving the space to comment on your ever interesting and enthusiastic blog.
-Warwick@SRC
Post a Comment