Liberty

Libert live in 1985.

      Liberty was known for being one of the more politically militant bands, coming from the Mortarhate label alongside their close friends Conflict, Exit-Stance and Admit Your Shit. The band was formed in 1980 In North Kent with Mark Wallis on vocals, Graham Clench on bass and Derek Banks on drums. Kalibir Bains became their first guitarist, but he was replaced by Alan and then he was replaced by Terry. They also had a female vocalist named Lisa Dillon, but she soon left because of her musical and personal differences with the others.The played their first gig at the Dartford YMCA and where joined on guitar by Mich Harrington from Admit Your Shit in 1984 after Terry left. 

     Practicing took place every Tuesday night at a church hall near Derek's house, and it was pain for several members who had to carry their equipment on trains to get to rehearsals. They quickly entered the DTS studios of Chatham and recorded a demo tape, and even had a live track called 'As Fools Rush in' included in a compilation tape called 'Communicate' in 1985 on TPSY Records. Next, the band joined the Greenwich Musicians Co-operative, and were joined by a poet called Pete Dog, a flute player and a saxophone player from the Bulbous Skunk Cabbages to help them achieve a more unique sound. Around this time, they were brought to the attention of Conflict by a couple from the Woolwich Polytechnic. Conflict took interest in Liberty, and this led to the two bands joining forces, becoming very close in the process.

     Liberty was invited to appear in Conflict's early 1985 'We don't want your Fucking War!' compilation with their track 'Diluted Rebellion'. Several gigs were played with Conflict and other Mortarhate bands, and there were several times where both bands had to fight with weapons to defend themselves from Nazi skinheads and violent idiots. Liberty had a very strong political attitude, and they often questioned their own scene. Mark often said 'lyrics, then music', 'do you really care?', 'this is not enough, stand up and fucking fight!' and 'get out there, and show your anger!'

    In April of 1985, Conflict let Liberty record their first single on their label Mortarhate at Alaska Studios. The band named their E.P. 'Our Voice is Tomorrow's Hope' and it featured their new second vocalist, Steve Flack. Several gigs followed to support the single. 

     In between gigs, the band took part in several events of direct action such as hunt sabotaging, wrecking butcher shops and marching in protests. However, they claimed there were too many 'idiots' in the scene, such as people who wore jackets with 'Meat Means Murder' painted in the back, and this was beginning cause disillusionment for the band.

          After the single, bassist Graham Clench left and was replaced by Rob 'Gonk' Lovelock from The Unorthodox, who was also replaced by Paul Foster from The Spice of Life. However, he was replaced too by Ray Searle who managed to actually stay with the band. To make matters worse, their other founding member Derek Banks left too, but was replaced on drums by Oggy from State Hate just in time for a tour with Conflict in 1986. 

    

      After the tour, this version of Liberty returned to Alaska Studios to record their debut album 'The People who Care are Angry'. The album showed their very creative originality(an acoustic bit by local Dratford Socialist folk singer, Tony Chater, and a classical piano and vocals intro played by trained musician, 'Shemy') and proved to be Liberty's greatest work, but second vocalist Steve Flack left while it was still being worked on from disillusionment. By the time their debut album was released, the other members felt that Steve leaving Liberty was the final push, so they all decided to leave the band to focus more on direct action than music. 

     Liberty has reformed recently, and has already began gigging and releasing more material.

"As Fools Rush In"

Khaki shadows, poppies red.

Lambs to the slaughter

as another war is led.

Soldiers of destruction

maiming in the name of peace.

Play the game, there's no release

controlled by the fantasy

of protection and defense.

Accept the rules.

Accept the bomb.

Accept the lies,

and your all prepared to die.

Northern Ireland's a training ground

for government oppression.

Rubber bullets won't ever

hold back the aggression.

Combat the forces.

Take the troops out today.

The voice of freedom

will never fade away.

Do you remember the Falklands

with patriotic pride.

As it was only through

the leaders greed

that the soldiers die.

Wear the uniform, fly the flag

whilst the government sold weapons

to the opposing side.

You crossed the land

and you crossed the seas

to orphan the children of the Vietnamese.

You found your need

because of your greed

to destroy the Indians

peaceful creed.

Can the money collected

on each poppy day

bring out Hiroshima's

children to play?

With your political held views

you slaughtered the Jews.

Marching through time

your humanities crime.

If you march again

there will be no-one to cry

because you'll be playing

with oblivion's toy.

Oppose the troops today.

As countless soldiers die

in pointless wars

you can spare us your excuses

'cos we've heard them all before.

DON'T LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN!

"Our Voice is Tomorrow's Hope"

Lives cannot be saved by dreams.

Tears will not stop the pain.

Words cannot express feelings

when your hurt again and again.

Nothing will mellow our anger.

It lies too deep in our hearts.

We'll never forget the wounds

of our love abused by others

right from the start.

Our message was torn apart.

Shouting at you has not changed a thing.

A few people may listen

but a lot more turn away.

It's so easy to act out a part play

but a lot harder to mean what you say.

Our voice is tomorrows hope.

It's time to put our words into effect.

Don't turn away and accept.

Don't let them sever at the roots

of what we've built.

When we confront ourselves

that is when we are change.

When actions speak louder than words

that is when we create.

There is a future beyond

all this darkness.

If we share today

and stand by each others side

we will win and survive.

Shoulder to shoulder we will find

what we are searching for.

Once again we are the individuals

we were before, fighting our so called friends and enemies

who are mocking our ploy.

We are the voice of today.

We are the hope for the children of tomorrow.

Unite to work as one.

Don't drown yourself in sorrow.

"Suffer No More"

From the meat at the butchers,

to the bodies at Belsen slaughter is slaughter.

Whether animals or human, breakdown their

industries of death it's what creates their

obscene wealth they will never suppress our anger.

Fuck their profit, give us life.

Vivisection dissect humanity vivisectors dissect

life. Torturing is their evil trade.

Nail the bastards don't be afraid, the battle

begins across the countryside. Parasites on

horseback only out for a ride but any

sign of life their hounds tear it apart,

for a pride a sick bastard claims the blood

splattered heart.

We are gonna stop all forms of abuse, but

not by giving peace signs. We're gonna

use force, we won't stand back and

let it happen. It's gone on far too long.

We've got to stand together and prove

those murdering bastards wrong.

SMASH DOWN THOSE ANIMAL DEATH CAMPS!

"Wake Up"

Wale up to reality, stop dreaming.

Life's not a game.

Change is in our hands.

Open your eyes, face the truth.

Can't you realize, apathy is you.

Stop running, stop hiding.

You can't escape.

Wherever you run

the answer is clear.

You can't escape yourself.

Why have a voice.

if you don't break the silence.

It's only up to us

to create cracks in the system.

To raw the line.

Breakdown the barriers

between you and me

and the tables will turn.

We shout to be heard

but our voices are in the wilderness.

We've been shouting for far too long.

Come out from the wilderness.

So here we stand and what have we got?

The same as usual, not a lot.

But we still sit 

and say what we can do.

The choice is not theirs

It's up to you.

It's us who have the say.

We have the real power.

Stand up against those bastards.

They can't lock you in the tower.

They finance death, exploit life,

but we still insist on being put down.

They could drop the bomb tomorrow,

and we would not make a fucking sound.

Peace means active organization.

Life means co-operation,

not social sedation.

Together we can build a future.

Tomorrow does not have to be 

just another day.

We've been shouting

for far too long.

Come out from your hideout

and make a stand.

WAKE UP!

"Do you Care?"

We have become disillusioned of the past few years with people inside our own circle of moment. You cannot trust as far as you can throw them. It's the same old things on the world stage. Time goes on, but nothing seems to change.

How are we going to achieve change, accomplish in our lives, when we have set a battlefield amongst ourselves? We've had enough of two-faced bigots, hypocrites, who contradict every word they speak, and action they make. Traitors amongst us creating new divisions in the lack of support and cooperation of "so-called" friends. Unity and trust, I'm slowly disbelieving.

The message we scream at you, you're still not believing in. You might live in fantasies, we don't. You might be playing a game, were not. Do you really care? Unity? Reality or fantasy? Do you really care? Do you blindly accept every and anything that's given?

It seems we take one step forward, and two steps back up against the never ending barrier in the struggle for release. What are we doing? Where are we going? Surely by now, some progress should be showing. No more backbiting, no more backstabbing. Stop all forms of deceiving. We must face each other before we can fight the enemy.

We all ride the waves of the same boat, and this time around, if we don't unite and attack, we will sink, not float, sink, not float, sink, nor swim, lose or win. Win or lose?

The wall of oppression needs kicking. Persist and it will crumble. Doesn't it make sense? Isn't it what we all want? I state of MIND, not a state of CONTROL. A CARING society, where EVERYONE plays a leading role, where we're ALL leaders, LEADING ourselves. A society where it can ALL come down off the shelves.

Did you ever listen? Do you really care? Did you ever listen? Do you really care? How often must we say it? Will you ever listen? Do you really care? Did you ever listen? Do you really care?

Listen to the song a moment, but unless you act, you'll keep eating SHIT.


Soon to come downloads:

Wake up! Demo 1984

http://www.box.net/shared/xofdmay2o22hhb1cpd4e

Our Voice is Tomorrow's Hope 1985 Mortarhate

http://www.box.net/shared/3fusqecyzsxvjj1u0ico

Live at the Old Tiger's Head 1985

http://www.box.net/shared/hajv8xoyb88d7zy7l06z

The People who Care are Angry 1986 Mortarhate

http://www.box.net/shared/0pmrrmuakgnd9p4y8g5z

(I wont be uploading their current releases)