Kick Out The Tories
I have been trying to sort out millions of things in front of my PC today, it is used for so much that sometimes I think I am connected directly to it. I have been doing stuff connected to the artwork for my new Jenga Society album and the single that is to be released from it, contacting loads of people via Facebook and sending emails for various other projects and doing day to day stuff too. Also, of-course, doing this blog.
Looking back at the ‘Kick Out The Tories’ single I always marvel on the evolution of this song. Originally, it began life as a Christmas dittie that I threw together to finish of a Christmas eve gig at Bishops Stortford Triad. The chord sequence was worked out but the lyrics were to be improvised on the night and that involved repeatedly singing,” I had another larger and then another Marlboro” in the verses.
The release of ‘When The Oil Runs Out’ was our first introduction to the dubious delights of the brand new Thatcher era. This was because we were waiting to take delivery of 1000 odd copies of this single when she came to power and once she had, she slapped extra VAT on all goods with immediate effect. This meant that the pressing plant would not give us our singles until we paid them more money and the fact that we had ordered them before the VAT increase made no difference at all.
This was bad news for us because we only just had the money that was needed for our original order and not a penny more.
It was all downhill all the way then between us and that terrible woman.
Anyway we found the money from somewhere, it has been too long to remember where, and When The Oil Runs Out came out.
Later in the New Year of 1980 (February, I think) we were asked if we would play a TUC rally to be held in the Cinema Square in Harlow entitled ‘Kick Out The Tories’. As you can imagine, that is exactly what we wanted to do to them before Thatcher had even got into her stride. The rally also gave me an idea for a song. I Immediately thought of the Christmas tune now laying unused and lyric less and decided I’d come up with some more temporary lyrics so that we could play something relevant in the spirit of the day. I remember writing some of it in the toilet at work (such inspiration!).
I managed to finish it in time and it was well received on the day.
And that was the end of that song after that I thought. Never to be played again!
But actually, it was the song that got us signed, it was the song that got us noticed.
Thirty two years later I am still playing it, which is sort of depressing but also, it has, over the years been our most popular song, requested at probably every single gig we have ever played. 17,724 views currently counted on one of the versions of it on YouTube.
Most memorable line? “ Evil will triumph if good men (and women) do nothing”
Life can take some funny directions some times.
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