Coming out of the Commune
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May 1986 Marxism Today 37 British appearance there, people have to travel to Glasgow to see them. In recent COMING OUT OF THE years Glasgow has become a somewhat fashionable place to visit, with its fine COMMUNE architecture, interesting museums and vibrant cultural life. Feri Lean is unper- Interview with Richard Coles turbed by the 'trainloads of trendies' now in evidence during the festival. 'Essential- Jimmy Somerville was for a year the The Communards are already closely identi- ly we're a festival for the people of lead vocalist of the openly gay pop fied with gay politics, Red Wedge and a Glasgow; if tourists come, well that's an group Bronski Beat. Having produced wide range of other causes. What danger is added bonus'. four hit singles and a best-selling LP, there of the band falling into a political This year Mayfest, amongst many The Age Of Consent, the band seemed ghetto? others, offers Japanese dancers, plays destined for a long career at the top. But from Nicaragua, Sweden and Northern in April 1985 Jimmy surprised the music There is a problem. It's something we Ireland, a circus from Pollock; you can press by leaving Bronski Beat - and have fallen into - to a certain extent. It's a hear music in the street, in concert halls shortly afterwards teamed up with very difficult one, because you don't fall and bars. You can enjoy a firework Richard Coles, fellow gay political into a ghetto, you're pushed into it, and if spectacular, Scottish plays from John activist and a classically trained pianist organisations like Radio One and the Byrne, Alastair Gray and Joe Corrie. Oh to form 'The Communards'. Inspired by music press perceive you as political, then yes, there's also an opera recital in WD & the spirit of the Paris Commune, the they push you that way. HO Wills works canteen! group will head out on their first UK tour later this month. With a hit single What about your record company. How do Mayfest runs from May 2-24. You can get and a second, Disenchanted, about to be they feel about your image? further information about the programme released, The Communards have helped from Mayfest, 7 Burgh Hall St., Glasgow to form Red Wedge, a broad left alliance There's a certain amount of confusion GU5LN. Tel: 041-334 3450. of musicians committed to helping the about how we're to be marketed. They Labour party win the next election. made the mistake of seeing us as Bronski Richard Coles talks to Mark Perryman. Beat Mark II because of Jimmy's involve- ment and Bronski Beat being such a successful band. They also made too many assumptions about us appealing to the same people. I don't think we do, I think we appeal to a slightly older market. Well it's not exactly frenetic dance music is it . No, but we do do some 'frenetic dance music' and the next single is going to be a dance record because ... we like dancing. It's difficult because we don't fit into a convenient pigeon-hole and that's always going to create problems over marketing. The Communards seem to be quite a loose and open alliance, are you trying to break down the traditional way a pop group is structured? Yes, because the idea of being stuck with the same people, doing the same thing ... is just not a nice way to earn a living. It's so boring to do just that. I've got certain projects which are really impor- tant to me, and Jimmy has as well. That's really good because when we do work together we enjoy it more. I'm also very concerned to get involvement from young musicians who might otherwise not have that sort of chance to break through. May 1986 Marxism Today 39 Would The Communards like eventually to being in a band is just a device for Politics certainly shouldn't be exclusive, it have their own record label then? separating children from their pocket- shouldn't be alienating. For people to get money, we want to separate them from interested and involved in politics it has to You're talking a long way in the future. their minds as well. be done on their terms, it's wrong for We simply don't have the means to do it, people to be expected to have a taste for and anyway it isn't a good idea because if How does the band's music reflect your committees and things like that. I don't you look at the attempts by other bands at politics? think political activity should be confined doing that they've all been huge failures. to committee rooms, or picket lines, it I'd much rather leave selling records to a Jimmy and I write a lot of love-songs. I should encompass absolutely everything. record company because they know how don't like to write a song which just goes to do it. something like, 'We hate Thatcher . Is that true at the moment? Vote for Kinnock'. That's an awful, // that's the case, how will you help young horrible thing to do. But a love-song from There does seem to be a wider awareness musicians to break through, in practical one man to another is a political these days that politics has to be dragged terms? statement, it's a political song, that's the out of the committee rooms and on to the way we want to do it. A celebration is far . boulevards. Music workshops . that's something more immediate, it touches a chord in I'd really like to get involved in. On a someone which is much more resonant What sort of political activity are you grander scale, there's no jazz or rock or than empty sloganising. interested in getting involved in? pop music school in this country. That's terrible. In America they have whole It is mass popular movements that I'd like departments of universities devoted just to try and be part of, that's the main to jazz. But again it's a matter of finding reason we got involved in Red Wedge, to the time and the resources. try and establish a nationwide organisa- tion like ARCI (an Italian cultural In what ways can you as a famous band organisation, led by Communists, with relate to your audience? over lm members - ed) because that's so successful and has such a good effect. It Breezing in, answering a few questions, would be great if we had that in this signing autographs, that's not the way country. things should be done at all. I want to set up day-long events where we can work in One of the criticisms being made of Red a workshop-kind-of-format. We've got it Wedge by young people, gays, lesbians, the wrong way round. It should be us women, black people is the close tie-up with asking the questions, we should ask the Labour party. How do you feel about young people about the role of pop music those suspicions? and things like that. And those love-songs challenge a lot of members of the Labour party, trade unions, Oh, quite understandable. I'm no fan of Do you intend to tour? Communist party in a way slogans never the Labour party on its record, it's just a will. story of constant betrayal. I don't think of Yes, we've got a tour coming up in May. myself as naive about that. I certainly That's why it is so important we do don't believe that if Kinnock wins the Do you like touring? associate ourselves with certain organisa- next election it's going to be the 'Dawn of tions and events, and that we are the Age of Aquarius'. But what the Yes, I enjoy it a lot. Recording and outspoken and don't make compromises. Labour party does have is access to touring is what I enjoy most of all. I've got We don't want to be seen as pop stars, we power and a national organisation. a really 60s feeling about it all. It's so nice want to be seen as ordinary people doing to be in contact with people. In all the something, concerned with a situation. And where do young people fit in? local places we play we want to get in touch with local bands and have them How does your sexuality affect your views? It is important a dialogue exists between doing some slots at some point in the the Labour party and youth. Because it evening. We're also working on the idea Obviously being gay is a major factor in doesn't at the moment. The Labour party of taking a political worker along so we somebody's life, informs a lot of their has singularly failed to represent the can co-ordinate some stalls, so people who values and the music arises out of certain interests of young people, the only thing it come to see us can get access to us. of these tensions. Sexuality is such a has done is vaguely investigate YTS. I want us to be associated with that kind formative experience, at the one time They haven't got what I'd call a coherent of approach. It's very important to us to personal and political. Also a sense of youth policy.