Under Two Flags, Lest We Forget
Well, as it is coming up to Armistice Day on the 11th and Remembrance Sunday swiftly following, I thought it seemed apt to post 'Lest We Forget' by a post punk band on an Independent Record Label. The header photo was taken whilst up in Sheffield recently which I came across quite randomly on the wall of a cafรฉ on Kelham Island just a little north of the City Centre, (not a brilliant snap by me I have to be honest). It reads 'Never Forget' and shows a soldier and a poppy.
A bit like the one above taken in Sheffield Cathedral with the 'sea' of poppies adorning the floor (the photo doesn't do justice to the scale of it), and the poem 'In Flanders Fields' by John McCrae on the lectern. The poem starts...
"In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below".
And above in the Cathedral the doves hang in a massive shower from the ceiling, again difficult to capture it's enormity on a cell phone camera.
All quite sobering stuff and makes you think. Anyhow, enough of the bad photography and cue the music...
This track called Masks was released in 1984 on the Independent 'Situation Two' Record label. The bands first release 'Lest We Forget' initially in 10" format was also released on the same label a year earlier and is featured further in this post.
The Band
They managed to notch up supporting The Clash in 1984 at Brixton Academy. They have been described as a cross between Theatre Of Hate, Death Cult and early U2. I am guessing based on the above track the opening guitar style a little bit 'The Edge' from U2 and the vocals sound to me a little like Ian Astbury from The Cult. Either way a good track and I like it. Yet another band I missed back in the day.
I can only guess that the band lifted their name from a book called 'Under Two Flags' written by English novelist Maria Louise Ramรฉ? later made into a film (the graphics used on the track Masks above is certainly a hacked about film poster for it)? Anyway the band were:
- Gavin Juniper - Vocals
- Martin Campbell - Bass/Backing Vocals
- Bob Wond - Drums
- Soapy Jones - Lead Guitar
- Johnny Didz - Guitar
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Lest We Forget on the Situation Two Label released in 1983, the above track is False History.
Track Listing
- False History
- Lest We Forget
- Drown Inside
Catch the other two tracks from the E.P. at the youtube links above.
Another one of those bands that were actually really good, but just never got the recognition they deserved, they seemed to have faded into obscurity sadly and it is a little difficult trying to find out much more about them, from the information sources below it seems they were more awesome live than on vinyl though.
Information Sources
For more information about the band, downloads of their material and pictures visit:
KYPP.co.uk
Video Thanks
Photos
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