Anger Is An Power
That Heaven 17 acquired off to such a monumental begin was because of “the anger and power flowing out of us,” in line with Gregory, as Ware explains: “That anger can go to the darkish aspect, the place you turn out to be bitter and twisted, or you may redirect it into one thing optimistic.
“We’ve all the time been optimistic folks. We got here from pondering one thing like The Human League and Heaven 17 would by no means occur, so something that did occur simply appeared like a bonus.”
Musically, Fascist Groove Thang noticed Gregory, Ware and Marsh take away The Human League’s manifesto of “Solely artificial sound”. There was even, gasp, a bass solo. Ware says: “All bets have been off. That digital manifesto had been impressed by Kraftwerk, however in Krautrock I additionally preferred bands who have been a hybrid of actual and digital devices, like Can, Neu! and Amon Düül.”
Lyrically, Fascist Groove Thang was the primary marker that Heaven 17 might sort out massive topics. “Phil had no real interest in any of that political stuff,” states Ware. “He was into sci-fi and being profound. We wished to shock folks after they first heard us. In a minor method, Fascist Groove Thang is famous, and that’s unbelievable.”
Over 40 years on, its sentiments are nonetheless related, arguably extra so given present world occasions. “It’s irritating that it’s nonetheless so related,” nods Gregory. “I believe we might have launched it each 10 years since, rewriting it with the identify of Donald Trump or George Bush. That’s miserable.”
It wasn’t solely offended polemicism driving the trio, nonetheless, as Gregory admits: “We have been afraid once we have been writing songs like Let’s All Make A Bomb and At The Top Of The Preventing. These threats have been actual, this wasn’t only a stance we have been taking.” Ware provides: “We thought we is perhaps blown up at any second.”
