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Anarchy sounds good to me, especially when it’s THE EX we’re talking about.
Posted by Rob Ortenzi on 09-Dec-05 @ 04:47 PM
FILE UNDER: Unflinching Dutch Anarcho-Punk With A Global Worldview YEARS OF EXISTENCE: 1979-Present RECORD TO START WITH: Starters Alternators (1998, Touch And Go;
tgrec.com) AFTER THAT, CHECK OUT: (complete catalog available at theex.nl)
GO DOWNLOAD: Everything you can find—it'll take a while.
THE MUSIC, THE MESSAGE: Subhumans are still touring, and Rudimentary Peni's shadow still looms ominously via frontman Nick Blinko's art career; but of all the European anarcho-/peace-punk bands to have been inspired by Crass in the late '70s, only the Ex can say they're still making music that challenges both audiences and themselves. Like punk itself, the band's lineup has stayed in constant, healthy flux for the past 26 years; and though the Ex's beginnings—they originally drew straws to decide who'd play which instrument, and they chose their name because it could be quickly spray-painted onto public walls—seem quaint in hindsight, they're also a sad reminder of how far from pure, anarchic independence most punk bands have come. Like Crass, the Ex were (and are) foremost an artistic collective, with members often taking sabbaticals to pursue other ventures; album and single packages doubling as elaborate, high-concept political statements; and a "no borders" policy informing their music. Scan the group's 15-album, gazillion-single discography and you'll hear everything from African drumming to European free jazz, all woven into a never-tiresome formula of scrabbling post-punk energy. PUNK-ROCK RELEVANCE: Even if the band's music can sometimes be a hard pill to swallow, their politics (stridently left and humanitarian) and operating principles (it's their business; they'll handle it) are underground punk's life's-blood. You can't get much more DIY than the Ex did at their outset—starting their band as a graffiti campaign/publicity stunt, then deciding to make music, before gigging in local squats and youth clubs—and though the halls they play have gotten a touch bigger since 1979, the Ex's m.o. is still pure do-it-yourself action (shop their extensive catalog through the band's website, and your order is handled personally by vocalist Jos, a.k.a. G.W. Sok). Granted, humble little quirks like this wouldn't seem so iconoclastic if this weren't a world-renowned, extensively pedigreed group of musicians we're talking about, with a collaborative circle that ranges from recording engineer Steve Albini (who's recorded their more recent U.S. albums for Touch And Go) to world-famous jazz drummer Han Bennink (a frequent collaborator) to Sonic Youth (ditto) and beyond. CURRENT WHEREABOUTS: Still going strong, this month the Ex are celebrating the 25th year since their first release with a new singles collection, released on Touch And Go (Singles. Period. The Vinyl Years 1980-1990), as well as European tour No. 1,001 (give or take a few gigs). And though we can't say anyone from this magazine was in Amsterdam in July, it would've been a sight to behold the band in their element, as they joined the theater group d'Electrique in—get this—a live operatic adaptation of A Clockwork Orange, held in an enormous shipyard. Quick, someone get Against Me! an art grant—this country needs its own set of heroes. —Aaron Burgess |
