Newcastle’s west end artistic community centre the John Marley Centre hosted an exclusive viewing of ‘Crass: The sound of free speech’, a brand new documentary that tells the story of ‘Reality Asylum’ by Brandon Spivey.
Crass were an art collective and punk band that formed in Essex in 1977, and disbanded in 1984, they promoted anarchism and a movement of resistance that awakened and appealed to many. They inspired many bands and artists such as The Levellers and Charlatans’ singer Tim Burgess, and seem to be more relevant now than ever. Artist and director Brandon Spivey tells the tale of Crass’ ‘Reality Asylum’, the story and the inspiration behind the album from Spivey’s point of view through interviews with Crass co-founders Steve Ignorant and Penny Rimbaud, and Small Wonder record label owner Pete Stennett.
The documentary doesn’t beat around the bush and highlights what it means to be artists and in the midst of a movement of anarchists no longer biting their tongue to protest against the few. Crass were a collective living and breathing their art, creating songs and sounds without much knowledge of how to do so but never letting anything stop them spreading what they found to be an important message. Their stubborn DIY ethic expressed itself in the band creating what they could themselves and what they couldn’t by creatives within and outside of their network.
Spivey however tells a broader story, expanding on the narrative of anarchism and a broken system. Through open-hearted interviews he touches upon subjects such as assault carried out by the church, Magdalene Laundries in Ireland, the biggest war that threatens humanity; class war, and of course what it was like to be a punk band in the 70’s and the 80’s. Crass co-founder Penny shares some beautifully inspiring quotes in his interview, sharing openly what it was like to be a part of the movement and how life went on after Crass. “We hold back because we’re afraid of the dark but the dark is actually the light” and “It’s when you go the wrong way in life when you learn the most” are what I live by.
Brandon Spivey created an environment in which his interviewees felt comfortable enough to speak freely about a time that was not always easy and treated no one and least of all creatives fairly. Most inspiring about this film is seeing how artists used to give their lives to their art, without compromise nor excuses. Being a punk is a lifestyle choice, kicking against the system and choosing not to participate is a big part of that. Young modern-day punk bands do scream loudly on Saturday evenings, but return to their day job conforming to a nine to five lifestyle on Monday mornings, they are part-time ‘punks’.
After the film, viewers had the opportunity to ask Brandon their questions during a Q&A, which made for some interesting conversations and shone a light on the fact that despite the fact that Crass existed a good 50 years ago, their message is ageless. They were accessible then, selling their 7inch for a mere 45p, and are accessible now with thanks to the internet and streaming platforms. Their ethos is a powerful one, highlighted by this film and its director, and with this only being the beginning of the journey of ‘Crass: The sound of free speech’, they will hopefully keep inspiring and attracting a new audience they would otherwise not have been able to reach.
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