Ahead of the release of their debut album Radical Animals, we caught up with Them Bloody Kids vocalist and guitarist Seb Moederle-Lumb about his favourite political anthems. Let’s see some of the tracks that inspired Them Bloody Kids‘ own politically-charged, doom ladened rock anthems.
Killing In The Name – Rage Against The Machine
“A classic protest song. I think the line ‘Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me’ resonated with everyone when they were a teenager as it did with me, and got me on to political songs generally.”
Imagine – John Lennon
“I really connected with this song when I was younger, going to a Quaker school that didn’t believe in violence, this song pretty much summed up my political view of the world as a child.”
Imagine – A Perfect Circle
“It’s a dark and depressing twist on the John Lennon song. A song showing the other side of the utopia described in the lyrics.”
Blue Sky – Pink Floyd
“This song is dark in musical tone and lyrics representing the terrors of war from the perspective of struggling families. The trombones are insane.”
Meat Is Murder – The Smiths
“As a vegan, this song was an obvious choice. It was the first song to really open my eyes to the meat industry and the slaughter of innocent animals.”
Prison Song – System of a Down
“How Serj uses spoken word to display the facts of the incarceration rate in the USA and the war on drugs is hard hitting and ruthless, which I found to be super effective and then inspired me to try this within my own songwriting.”
One – Metallica
“Very similar in tone and style to Pink Floyd’s ‘Blue Sky’ but heavy metal, showing the horrors of war.”
Psycho – Muse
This song illustrates the state of mind a soldier would have to enter in a warzone. The drill sergeants screams make the track and allow you to place yourself into the mind of the soldier.”
Come Together – Primal Scream
“Although lyrically minimalist, the song can really bring unity to everyone across the world with its easy to learn lyrics and chorus chanting. Everyone wants a better world and wishes to leave this one behind for something better, and this song creates that feeling in its music. Outstanding live.”
Another Brick In The wall – Pink Floyd
“The track addresses the oppression of the individual within the British school system “Hey, teacher, leave them kids alone.'”
You can pick up a copy of Radical Animals by Them Bloody Kids here.