Redskins
Neither Washington Nor Moscow

THE REVIEW

Most of the time, political commitment is just a fig leaf behind which insignificant groups hide their ignorance; the classic "fuck-ze-system" shouted to cover an often embarrassingly lack of ideas. In some sporadic cases, however, political commitment and inspiration go hand in hand, merging to create an irresistible blend. It is said that during the French Revolution, many churches were occupied by peasants who turned them into dance halls. I like to think that the spirit animating this trio from York is somewhat the same. In the mid-Thatcherite eighties, amidst miners' strikes and reckless privatizations, they tried to create and support a social opposition far from the –isms (the title of this their only LP is a glaring proof of this) and, above all, they did their utmost to push workers, put in check by the employer-friendly policies backed by the conservative government, towards organization.
The tools they had at their disposal weren't many: musical culture (the founder Chris Dean made ends meet writing for the NME), a passion for sixties soul and rhythm'n'blues energized by the influence of punk, a skinhead aesthetic complete with red hair, protruding ears, and skin as English as it gets.
The result is an extremely compact work both in content and style, which even brought them close to fame – the single "Lean on me" was considered the best track of the year (1983) by the specialist press. In addition to the already mentioned "Lean on me", the blues of "The power is yours", "Keep on keepin' on", driving and hyperkinetic, "Kick over the statues" (which in its lyrics foreshadows the many statues that would be toppled in the following years – from Moscow to Baghdad...) stand out.
The strength of these compositions is mostly found in the explosive horn section, the voice of leader Dean, and the excellent work of the drummer who hits hard and creates rhythms on which generations of Mods and Northern Soul lovers continue to sweat through their Fred Perrys, although the lyrics end up being somewhat monotonous with their insistence on worker unity, which I believe greatly contributed to making the Redskins protagonists of just one season, that of social struggles culminating, or rather concluding, with the failure of the miners' strike.
The musical coordinates can be found in groups such as the Jam, the Style Council, and perhaps even the Lambrettas, but what makes the Redskins superior in my opinion is their more aggressive drive and the warmth with which they convey their (alas, still the same) message.