Bands currently find themselves with a mountain of possibilities if they want to express the current state of affairs through their music. The list of subjects in our turbulent world right now seem endless from Covid-19, to the behaviour of politicians, to social justice, to the environment and attitudes on climate change just to name a few.
One of those bands is definitely Belfast based post punk outfit Enola Gay. Their debut single "The Birth of a Nation" got recently remixed by up and coming producer Mount Palomar (PRS for Music Techno Act of 2020) and made it onto Spotify's Techno State playlist.
The original version of "The Birth of a Nation" was released back in July and confronts head on various movements including most notably Black Lives Matter. There is a driving bassline underlying this track which provides a foreboding and dark backdrop. This is combined with a punk aesthetic which creates an urgent and forceful track. It makes you want to sit up and take notice. There is a constant accompanying drum beat plus a depth and intelligence to the lyrics which again makes you catch your breath. “More blacks, more dogs, more Irish” cleverly reclaims the statement. “No blacks, no dogs, no Irish” that was believed to have been used post World War Two in the UK. Such statements fed into systematic racism and Enola Gay have turned this around. There are many lines I could quote from this song, as it is full of attitude, driving home the message:
“Knee to the neck from those who serve 'n protect”
“Tear gas to the face cause his skin face was brown”
“Tear gas to the face cause his skin face was brown”
There is a defiance as they sing “You’ll never kill our will to be free, Cause in our minds we hold the key” and “ Burn the house, rebuild the home”.
Enola Gay express hope as we work together to create positive change and the passion in this track builds to a crescendo at the end.
The video is a no holds barred view of the Black Lives Matter protests, and ironically reminded me of The Police's controversial video for Invisible Sun in 1981. The song was banned by the BBC and the video contained footage of life in Belfast and beyond during the Trouble.
The video is a no holds barred view of the Black Lives Matter protests, and ironically reminded me of The Police's controversial video for Invisible Sun in 1981. The song was banned by the BBC and the video contained footage of life in Belfast and beyond during the Trouble.
Check out the video for "The Birth Of A Nation" here: