The Pop Group were a post-punk band from Bristol, United Kingdom whose uncompromising, dissonant sound spanned punk, free jazz and dub reggae. Their lyrics were, more often than not, political in nature.
Formed in 1978 by Mark Stewart (lyrics, vocals), Jon Waddington (guitar), Gareth Sager (guitar), Simon Underwood (bass) and Bruce Smith (drums, percussion), they issued their debut single, "She is Beyond Good and Evil" on the Radar label the following year.
Their debut album Y, was one of the earliest touchstones of the emerging post-punk sound. Produced by reggae veteran Dennis Bovell, the record is still cited today as one of the best of the era, although it is, at the time of writing, along with the rest of their discography, sadly out of print, save for an expensive import edition from the Japanese label Wea. A rarities compilation known as We Are All Prostitutes is also available on the Japanese label AK according to Amazon.com.
Although it did not chart, the album's success was sufficient to convince Rough Trade to sign the band, but not before more line-up changes, with Dan Katsis replacing Underwood on bass, and Tristan Honsinger joining on cello.
The band's career with Rough Trade commenced with what is possibly their best-known single, the angry 'We Are All Prostitutes', which preceded the release of their second album, For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder? in 1980. Apparently this album is also available on an Japanese import CD though it's exact status is not known save that it is quite rare.
The band split in 1981, after legal wranglings and internal squabblings engulfed them somewhat, but that was not the end of their members' involvement in the music scene, with ex-members going on to form bands like Pigbag, Maximum Joy and Rip,Rig & Panic, the latter notable for the involvement of a young Neneh Cherry.
Singer Mark Stewart, meanwhile, collaborated with the On-U Sound posse, issuing records firstly as Mark Stewart and the Mafia, then as a solo artist.
The Pop Group are often credited with founding the Bristol scene that would later spawn trip-hop
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Didn't see the BBC thing but saw the ON/OFF documentry screening. The mystery about its delay was resolved- it wasn't finished...& its pretty crap... filmed by a director who can't direct; edit or other basic requirements. The good news is 'Acording to M.S> the PopGroup are reforming to play some big festivals'.
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maybe you wanna see mark stewart /the pop group documentary?
I DO ! ! !
trailer here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1ZhOcd9rD9E
" from august 2008, the documentary on/off: mark stewart - from the pop group to the maffia by toni schifer will be gracing selected cinemas and film festivals. the film retraces the singer's steps and paths from the early days of the pop group right up to the present. schifer, who followed mark around for a full two years, has crafted a detailed, often intimate portrait of the artist, supplemented by interviews with a. o. mark stewart himself... the dvd will be released by monitorpop in october/november 2008. http://www.monitorpop.de "
these are trippy also:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=IpdDtPf9T2k
and:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=N-JtieoNKF4
(both old favorites put to video!)
this pop group had huge impact on us young minutemen, huge! maybe you can't know?
"dear old south land" had three notes in each measure but they weren't used to that kind of syncopation yeah! I told them teenagers I played it I taught them finally though they had to suffer because he liked his playing but my interests went deeper but my interests went deeper
bestest bastille day from watt here now in margaux, france...
Just to let you know about an extra-special New Root gig on Saturday 31st May @ The Croft, Bristol.
We're doing a headline set featuring Visual Projections from VJ James Bragg and everyone gets a FREE copy of our new 'Sick of Me' EP on the door. Venue Magazine described it as '...an extraordinary sound...a sort of power pop/goth/rock opera hybrid...the most exhilarating thing we've heard all week'.
There also support from Sally-Anne Langton - 'one of Bristol's most promising singer/songwriters' - plus Special Guests. All for £5. You can buy tickets in advance from www.thenewroot.com
Thanks and hopefully see you there on Sat 31st May!
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Did anyone see the episode of Ashes to Ashes that had a messed up young chappy in 1981 become a suicide bomber after quoting We Are All Prostitutes? To hammer the point home, a bit of it was played in an interview scene & he wore a t-shirt and had the poster!!! Surely they should have used the "Jihad!" from How Much Longer???? Anyway, now The Pop Group create suicide bombers!!!
