The politics of culture: did Brexit result in the current wave of post-punk?
Brexit has resulted in many things, ranging from dire economics to the dark blue passport, but what about the latest wave of post-punk? Many commentators have been quick to draw a connection between the two, and of course, it wouldn’t be the first time politics influenced the music industry trend. Although Brexit has undoubtedly affected British culture, it isn’t the primary reason for the latest wave of angry rock emerging. It has its roots long before the 2016 referendum and is attributed to various acts that aren’t exclusively British.
With that said, it must be noted that Brexit has undoubtedly impacted, albeit to varying degrees, the current crop of British post-punk acts mistakenly categorised as ‘post-Brexit’. From IDLES satirising post-Brexit Britain in ‘Great’ to Dry Cleaning touching on “Brexit’s disruptive role in romantic relationships” in ‘Strong Feelings’, the theme of Brexit is certainly a topical one for contemporary post-punk. Of course, the dire economic hardships involved with organising touring schedules in Europe has also had an effect. Nevertheless, Brexit is still not the main focus that drives the genre’s most prominent acts of today.
So where did the current wave of post-punk start? Well, it was around the time that the Danish outfit Iceage broke through 12 years ago. Whether it be their 2011 debut, New Brigade, or 2014’s Plowing Into the Field of Love, the group helped to revitalise the post-punk formula for the modern era. Other bands who flourished around this time and helped popularise the new form of post-punk were the now-defunct Leeds outfit, Eagulls, and London heroes Savages, fronted by the enigmatic Jehnny Beth.
Possessing a hauntological slant indicative of the post-modern age, harking back to pioneering first-wave post-punk groups such as Gang of Four, Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and perhaps most importantly, The Fall, these groups resowed the seed of the genre. Evidently, these bands were drawing on the work of the first wave, but imbuing it with a more visceral and refreshing contemporary edge, aided by technology and shared cultural experiences. Of course, with that, it must be noted that a decade ago, when Eagulls and Savages were arguably at their pomp, the European Union Referendum Act of 2015 had not yet passed. Leaving the European Union was still just a discussion at this point.
Displaying how Brexit had nothing to do with the current wave of post-punk is that Canadian outfit, Ought, arguably the most influential of these early trailblazers, never mentioned it once. Whilst their modern post-punk classics such as 2015’s ‘Beautiful Blue Sky’ are majorly indebted to The Fall, with frontman Tim Darcy sounding uncannily like the band’s late creative director Mark E. Smith, Brexit was nowhere to be seen. At this point, it was still just about the art. Posturing, you might even call it.
Other bands that were majorly influential on this new group of so-called ‘post-Brexit’ acts are the likes of Canada’s Preoccupations, America’s Protomartyr and Parquet Courts and Nottingham’s very own Sleaford Mods. Even just the mention of the groups from North America is evidence enough that this current crop emerged with little to no significant attention paid to the national interest, let alone Brexit. When it comes to Sleaford Mods, the story is different, given that they are one of the most politically-charged bands out there. Still, only describing them as post-punk diminishes their style and work. Brexit is not the only topic they’ve covered. For Sleaford Mods, Brexit is just one result of a much larger malaise, which includes a “corrupt government”.
It’s vital to accept that many of these bands were a reaction to the stagnant state music was trapped in, with the political environment measuring equally with this. The world of the post-financial crisis era was a cultural wasteland. The likes of The Vaccines, who still retain a large following, were the most successful by the traditional metrics. This was the perfect moment for post-punk to rear its head once more. Following this, the idea that society was now perfectly set for post-punk to return was only accelerated by Brexit and the ascendance of Donald Trump in 2016. Life started to echo the socio-economic makeup of the late 1970s when post-punk emerged for the first time.
Whilst they are all similar in some ways, musically or aesthetically, the loose collection of artists labelled ‘post-Brexit’ don’t have much of an association with Brexit at all, apart from being British, of course. Although IDLES might have once torn into Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, on their last album, 2021’s Crawler, they changed tact from the overly political approach that gave us Brexit-satirising cuts such as ‘Great’. Elsewhere, other groups such as Shame and Yard Act have confronted the Brexit issue, but there are other reasons for their existence. Brexit affects most British musicians to one degree or another. Take the following comments from Black Midi bassist Cameron Picton, who questioned why his band and others are lumped together as ‘post-Brexit’. His remarks are significant as Black Midi are viewed as being at the forefront of this pack. “I don’t think there’s actually any bearing of Brexit on any of our music. And if you were going to call anything post-Brexit, it would be the bands that are starting out now, maybe,” he told Exclaim! in October 2022.
Picton also went on to say that ‘post-Brexit’ is a “really poor term to lump these bands together”. However, he clarified that grouping these acts together has some advantages. “The scene-ness is definitely overwrought, and made too much out of I think, but it’s useful for us,” he said. “You know, I don’t think any of us can say that we haven’t benefited from the fact that all of these bands sort of come together as a package.”
Picton might well be correct in his assertions. As Brexit is now only starting to fully display how disastrous it has been for Britain, socio-economically and for the music industry, we should be looking to emergent bands. Then we can truly extrapolate how it has affected music rather than lumping in bands for ease. Furthermore, if we’re honest, the post-punk boat has now passed. Most of the bands connected by ‘post-Brexit’ are moving away from the genre. The new zeitgeist that is forming has one eye firmly locked on the kaleidoscopic sounds of the noughties. This is where we’ll see the theme of Brexit emerging most prominently, if anywhere.
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