Lyrical Lefties

Historically, the rave has always been an event of resistance against authority. Beginning in the 1980's, rave culture in Britain was originally birthed as a remedy for the misery caused by the Thatcherite government. It was a place for everyone, breeching the barriers between different groups and often resulting in an environment where socio-politics were left at the door. Raves historically allowed people to give in to the urges which mainstream society aimed to control and suppress: drugs, sex, music, dancing, and the absence of a need for authority or leadership. The socially free nature of raves as they existed in the late eighties and nineties meant that they posed a threat to government powers and power structures. Unlike the power structures within the political system which favoured the rich and privileged, the rave scene encouraged equality and a duty of care between and for all members. There were no leaders, and often not even an official host as raves were held in publ...

  Hello. My name is Tom, and this is my newly created blog ‘Lyrical Lefties’! The focus of this blog is to explore and discuss left wing music as a form of protest against conservative governments and their policies in the UK. We will be looking at different controversies and scandals which the tories oversaw, such as Grenfell and Windrush, and the responses that were elicited from left wing musicians in their musical, political activism.   In the coming few weeks, I will be exploring a range of different genres - from BritPop, to Rave Music, to modern day indie rock - and their relationships to a range of different political issues, such as Margaret Thatcher’s governance, the neglect of the working-class, and over a decade of Tory austerity. I wanted to delve into this topic because I have grown up in a working-class environment, raised by the likes of Pulp and Billy Bragg. My upbringing also means that I’ve seen first-hand how my community has been affected by the Torie...