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about

Spoken-word noise satire from Steve North (Lethal Poor) alt-psychers Necessary Animals & Keith Rodway (Alternative TV/The Good Missionaries)

Mixed by Fritz Catlin (23 Skidoo) at Shoretone Studios, Hastings.

What others have said about this track:

"...like Syd Barrett jamming with Stockhausen on the Bitches Brew sessions... it is refreshingly out there" Alan Riggs (Delta 5)

"It's so good mate" Phil Winter (Tunng, Wrangler, Creep Show with John Grant and Lone Taxidermist)

"It's a lyrical and musical cut-up assault on being 'welcome' in the west" Neil Partrick (music blogger and analyst of the Arabian Peninsula and wider Middle East)

Steve North: "It's a dark satire of divide and rule. A coliseum of the now, not the tomorrow. Where some are hatefully vilified for fun and others are undeservedly sanctified, against a background of mundane, self-centred chat and thoughtless consumerism...".

Video: youtu.be/MN9PIOt1_d0

Necessary Animals (necessaryanimals.bandcamp.com) is the South Coast alt psych supergroup, master-minded by Keith Rodway (ex. The Good Missionaries) and featuring members of 23 Skidoo, Near Jazz Experience and Cuban Boys.

'What a Smile' will feature on Necessary Animals' 'Dark Jazz 2' compilation album, planned for release in spring 2022. This will be a sequel to Necessary Animals' first 'Dark Jazz' album (necessaryanimals.bandcamp.com/album/dark-jazz), released in 2020.

Background

Steve North is the former singer and guitarist from 80s avant funk/goth/darkwave band Lethal Poor, who released a 1985 single ('Trancefloor') via Rough Trade. Other members of Lethal Poor were Phil Winter (later with Tunng, Wrangler with Cabaret Voltaire's Stephen Mallinder and Creep Show with John Grant) and Dave Musker (ex-Television Personalities and still with The Jasmine Minks).

Keith Rodway played bass in The Good Missionaries, a later incarnation of Mark Perry’s (founder of punk ‘Sniffin’ Glue’ fanzine) band, Alternative TV. The Good Missionaries toured and gigged with bands such as The Fall, The Pop Group, Crass, Scritti Politti, Delta Five, Poison Girls, Nik Turner's Inner City Unit and The Transmitters.

Instrumental mix: stevenorth.bandcamp.com/track/what-a-smile-instrumental-mix

lyrics

This one is a TOTAL STAR
She should be ASHAMED...
It’s just jealous reporters shooting her down
I would LOVE to see your dance moves sometime (hahaha)
I am convinced that she will be returned HERE
But, she should NEVER be allowed to return HERE
If she can play like THAT, then she IS a citizen
If she IS a citizen, she must go straight to jail
Please please, as the old song goes, ‘stay as sweet as you are’
You two (!) sneaking in and almost getting caught
Is there somewhere that does bottomless brunch?
Why is she even being spoken about?
Good on her, and the family that supports her
You go girl, you are fabulous, simply fabulous
We completely failed to safeguard the young child that she was
They didn’t ask for any of this and yet they pay (again and again and again...)

Leave the girl alone
Don’t leave the girl alone
She is one of US
She is NOT one of US
We’re safer she’s not HERE
Safer if she’s THERE
She’s must be one of the good ones
But what a smile! WHAT A SMILE!!

And so it begins...
Maybe if the Pope had been on the flight, it would all have ended differently?
And he said,
“something real bad is going to happen... ...
if you don’t repost this 29 times on Insta...
...This girl in the photo didn’t repost and now she is DEAD” ...
... and you know what, the girl didn’t look too great...
... her nails were all like terrible and stuff

Leave the girl alone
Don’t leave the girl alone
She is one of US
She is NOT one of US
We’re safer she’s not HERE
Safer if she’s THERE
She must be one of the good ones
But what a smile!
WHAT A SMILE!! (am I wrong?)

'Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans...
...beautiful, beautiful girl' sings the father
She's nothing but me, me, me... you know?
They are totally out of touch with the common people
Precisely why the country is in the state it is in
It didn’t just fall into her lap, you know?
She is intelligent and well-spoken
Let’s not have the media DRAG HER DOWN

Leave the girl alone
Don’t leave the girl alone
She is one of US
She is NOT one of US
We’re safer she’s not HERE
Safer if she’s THERE
She must be one of the good ones
But what a smile!
WHAT A SMILE!! (am I wrong?)

But we do know he has clearly suffered so much... ...
he is covered in scars, emaciated,
LOOK, his bottom lip is even half ripped off
It was SUCH a lovely gesture, Helen!
Bless you ‘little angels’,
bless you all for saving this one
But as Green said in 1985:
“The girl was never real,
It's a word for what you do
In a world of broken rules”
If she is a citizen,
she must go straight to jail

Is there somewhere that does bottomless brunch?
Is there somewhere that does bottomless brunch?
Is there somewhere that does bottomless brunch?
Is there somewhere that does bottomless brunch?
Is there somewhere that does bottomless brunch?
Is there somewhere that does bottomless brunch?
Is there somewhere that does bottomless brunch?
Is there somewhere that does bottomless brunch?
Is there somewhere that does bottomless brunch?
Is there somewhere that does bottomless brunch?
Is there somewhere that does bottomless brunch?
Is there somewhere that does bottomless brunch?
Is there somewhere that does bottomless brunch?
Is there somewhere that does bottomless brunch?
Is there somewhere that does bottomless brunch?
Is there somewhere that does bottomless brunch?
Is there somewhere that does bottomless brunch?
Is there somewhere that does bottomless brunch?

credits

released November 11, 2021
Steve North: voice, anti-guitar (including solo, FX noises and feedback), jazz drums and free-jazz sax sample programming. stevenorth.bandcamp.com

Subliminal pads, samples and loops from original live improvisations by Keith Rodway, Lee Igglesden (guitar) and Nick Weekes (samples, found and household objects).

Words by Steve North
Music by Steve North with Necessary Animals

Mixed by Fritz Catlin (23 Skidoo) at Shoretone Studios, Hastings.

Recorded by Steve North in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, with additional live recordings by Keith Rodway in Hastings.

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Steve North UK

Sound artist. Former singer and guitarist from 80s avant funk / dark wave / noise band Lethal Poor.
His music populates a sweeping territory that encompasses: avant-rock, noise rock, free improvisation and alt psych. Often characterised by his anti guitar playing and barritone vocals. His teenage, psych-folk-rock album can be found here: steveandjuice.bandcamp.com ... more

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