Friends of the Earth
Action Briefing Feb 2000/Mar 2000
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Birmingham Friends of the Earth Action Briefing Feb 2000/Mar 2000 |
In December, Seize The Day played the Hare & Hounds pub in Kings Heath, as part of the line-up for the last Peoples' Cabaret of the year (or the Millennium as some people would have it). To say that the room was packed would be one huge exaggeration - only some 30 people turned up. Certainly not a reflection of the quality of the acts, esp. Seize The Day - more likely of the fact that they are little known in these parts.
I always hate branding bands as belonging to this or that genre, and the best ones defy classification anyway. So how to give you an idea what Seize The Day are about? Well, Seize The Day clearly have an agenda, their lyrics are well-crafted and need to be listened to. They mostly address human rights and environmental issues. No raised fore-finger here, though. Good vibes and encouragement abound, and you just have to love their satirical pieces. [Posing as the Monsanto PR Team: "We've got the soya, we've got the lawyers,/ the politicians in our pockets all the way to the President!/ The press and TV, to guarantee the/ co-operation of your nation in our new experiment!" - from "Food'n'Health'n'Hope (the Monsanto story)"]
Musically, Seize The Day cover the range from Peter Paul & Mary to World Music and Flying Pickets with a strong emphasis on close harmony singing and groovy rhythms. The concert was completely acoustic (apart from the PA) and with the band's skill and their excellent voices they have no need for electronic trickery. When their portable PA, powered by a car battery, blew a fuse, they proved their ability to improvise in the face of adversity and within a couple of minutes they were up and running again on the house PA. And they didn't seem fazed by it at all. The audience certainly didn't mind and cheered as if there had not been an interruption at all.
The members of Seize The Day are all dedicated campaigners for the environment, human rights, animal rights. And that is what their music is about. However, their attitude is far from preachy. If it's not also fun fighting for a better world, how enjoyable can that world be?
My favourite Seize The Day song must be "Only Doing My Job", which is written from the point of view of a lorry driver: "Nobody's perfect, we all do the best we can / and I make no claim to be a hero or an educated man / but there are complicated factors that you don't understand / like I can barely meet the mortgage with the money in my hand / nobody's perfect, I just do the best I can."
The members of the band are all active campaigners themselves, so I can only wish them the success they deserve in their campaigning and as a band. For myself, I hope that Seize The Day were not put off by the low turn-out and that they come back to play Birmingham again soon, and for everybody who missed their gig, that they won't miss the next one.