Members of the ex-Fall Of Efrafa band bring peace-punk to the south coast
This unique band – Ancient Lights – is based between Brighton, London and Exeter. ‘Reclamation‘ is their debut album, and I can safely confirm that it’s an interesting one. I would even stick my neck out and say that it’s one of my favourite releases of the year! This makes it yet another top entry in the Grow Your Own Records label roster.
Fronted by Alex CF (formerly of emo/crust legends, Fall Of Efrafa), this is a band that makes a pleasurable anarcho-punk noise, going at things from a historical angle. Before you even slap the record onto your deck, you are drawn in by the front cover artwork. A nice picture of standing stones confronts us, in a wrap-around Crass-style cover, on yellow vinyl (available in all the other formats too, of course!)
Ancient Lights on this recording are :
Mark Thomas – Guitar.
PJ Shephard – Drums/Acoustic guitar.
Mark Ford – Bass, Vocals, Saw.
Alex CF – Vocals, Lyrics.
The album begins atmospherically with an instrumental called ‘Anti-Twilight Arch‘. It starts with the relaxing drone-like sound of a hurdy-gurdy, and it’s a very pleasant folk tune that would probably fit quite nicely on a Shirley Collins record (and that’s okay by me). The song lulls us into a false sense of security before suddenly things turn rowdy. ‘Bones Of Britain‘ reminds us of the fact that this land was indeed founded on immigration.
Alex sings, “Yes, we’ve found the bones of Britain, buried beneath the sewer system.” It’s a song about being groomed by certain parties who embolden people who “distrust those who don’t look the same. Find unease in gradual change.” It’s a timely reminder of our heritage and ancestry, whilst also managing to sound like early Conflict in the process. The mid-section of the song turns slightly gothic/shoegaze in style, before unleashing some chants that wouldn’t sound too out of place in a monastery, or some dark ritual. It’s a serious subject matter delivered with slightly humorous undertones:
‘Paragons Of Virtue‘ is up next, which reminds me of Icons Of Filth in the guitar-riffing department. They also use interesting chord structures with some dramatic post-punk elements in the mix. ‘Pastoral Delusions‘ is about people’s obsession with things being better in the olden days, when in fact, things were far from perfect. A time when short life spans and hardship for the working classes were commonplace.
As the band says, “We often died at 42. In the world, before the new.” It also has a bassline that brings to mind Rudimentary Peni. This is certainly a varied album, where Ancient Lights are not afraid to combine musical styles to create some light and shade, often neglected on your average punk rock album! All of this is rounded off with the merry/sinister sound of a maypole dance.
‘Noonetide‘ is an emotive and well put together instrumental interlude, which neatly segues into the next song on the album’s menu. This recording’s namesake song, ‘Reclamation‘, does not mince its words, as Alex shouts, “National pride? There is nothing inside. Nothing of note, which would to denote, your feelings of pride.” It speeds up proceedings with an urgent guitar line, creating an impactful slice of anarcho-punk rock. A slap in the face and a wake up call to today’s misguided nationalism.
‘Circled A‘ has a catchy “motherfucker”-laden chorus, and ‘Cosplay Autocrates‘ has a stop/start technicality, not too dissimilar to The Cardiacs. Anti-fascism runs through the core of this album, and this song carries on with that theme. ‘Cooperation‘ is the penultimate song on this album. Its intro, “Roll up! Roll up!”, urges all the capitalists to gather around wherever there is money to be made. Heavy sarcasm is, of course, a big feature.
This refreshingly unpredictable album finishes with an acoustic number called ‘Venus’s Girdle‘, which features a spoken-word poem that reminds me of a more relaxed Eve Libertine. We are reminded of the current state of the nation, and the power we all hold, if we all just stick together. This particular song was co-written and performed by Lucy Mitchell.
These 13-tracks will certainly keep you guessing throughout the album’s duration, and surely that can only be a good thing? Ancient Lights are a completely different beast to Alex’s previous band, and if anything, they’re more up my street. ‘Reclamation‘ is a quality piece of work, and I look forward to hearing the next installment. Never have ancient folklore and modern politics been married together so effectively, so maybe it’s time to reclaim your interest in punk rock.
Buy ‘Reclamation‘ on CD, vinyl or digital from the band HERE or from Grow Your Own Records HERE
Main Photo Credit: SONNY TYLER
- Anti-Twilight Arch
- Bones Of Britain
- Paragons Of Virtue
- Pastoral Delusions
- Noonetide
- Reclamation
- Peace By Any Means
- Woodwose
- National Water
- Circled A
- Cosplay Autocrates
- Cooperation
- Venus’s Girdle
Follow Ancient Lights on Their Socials:
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I have been writing reviews for Brighton & Hove News, and more recently Vive Le Rock magazine for a few years now. Previously, I could be spotted playing drums for many a band over the decades. A noisy habit developed whilst wearing short trousers at school, and one that has had me touring around the UK and Europe. Punk rock is my life, but I am also quite eclectic. I am an avid gig go-er and music devourer, and can feel out of sorts if a gig date is not on the horizon. I have also been known to put gigs on myself in order to fill those gaps.
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