Above The Ruins
Encyclopedia
Above the Ruins were an English
Post-punk
band fronted by Tony Wakeford
.
in 1984 due to his then membership in the British National Front
, Tony Wakeford formed Above the Ruins. None of the group's releases name any of its members. Wakeford never said which other persons where involved in the group and the involvement of musicians Gary Smith, Liz Grey and Ian Read
has remained mere speculation .
Above the Ruins released one mini album, entitled Songs of the Wolf. The album's sound was similar to the dark post-punk of early Death In June. The group also contributed a track to the British National Front benefit album No Surrender Vol 1 alongside the neo-Nazi
/White power skinhead groups Skrewdriver
and Brutal Attack. The lyrics were dedicated to subjects like patriotism
, anti-Marxism
, anti-egalitarianism
and anti-multiculturalism
, articulated explicitly in the song "Progress". For some of his lyrics, Wakeford used (slightly altered) passages from the book 1957: Before the Storm by Paul Comben, published in 1984 by right-wing
activist Richard Lawson
.
The political affiliations and content of Above the Ruins led to on-going criticism of Wakeford's musical output. Wakeford formed Sol Invictus
shortly after this project was abandoned. In 2007, he stated that he has had no connection or interest in such ideas for 20 or more years.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
band fronted by Tony Wakeford
Tony Wakeford
Anthony Charles "Tony" Wakeford is an English folk and neoclassical musician who primarily records under the name Sol Invictus.Wakeford lives in London and is married to Sol Invictus violinist Renée Rosen....
.
History
After being asked to leave Death In JuneDeath in June
Death in June are a neofolk group led by English folk musician Douglas Pearce, better known as Douglas P. The band was originally formed in Britain in 1981 as a trio, but after the other members left in 1984 and 1985 to work on other projects, the group became the work of Douglas P. and various...
in 1984 due to his then membership in the British National Front
British National Front
The National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes ....
, Tony Wakeford formed Above the Ruins. None of the group's releases name any of its members. Wakeford never said which other persons where involved in the group and the involvement of musicians Gary Smith, Liz Grey and Ian Read
Ian Read (musician)
Ian Read is an English neofolk and traditional folk musician.-History:Read left school at 16, and at the age of 17, he became an adherent of Germanic neopaganism and began studying Germanic paganism . He was particularly interested in galdor or magical metrical poetry and the runes...
has remained mere speculation .
Above the Ruins released one mini album, entitled Songs of the Wolf. The album's sound was similar to the dark post-punk of early Death In June. The group also contributed a track to the British National Front benefit album No Surrender Vol 1 alongside the neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
/White power skinhead groups Skrewdriver
Skrewdriver
Skrewdriver was an English punk rock band formed by Ian Stuart Donaldson in Poulton-le-Fylde in 1976. They later evolved into one of the first neo-Nazi rock bands, playing a leading role in the Rock Against Communism movement and becoming known as the most prominent white power skinhead...
and Brutal Attack. The lyrics were dedicated to subjects like patriotism
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
, anti-Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
, anti-egalitarianism
Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism is a trend of thought that favors equality of some sort among moral agents, whether persons or animals. Emphasis is placed upon the fact that equality contains the idea of equity of quality...
and anti-multiculturalism
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
, articulated explicitly in the song "Progress". For some of his lyrics, Wakeford used (slightly altered) passages from the book 1957: Before the Storm by Paul Comben, published in 1984 by right-wing
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
activist Richard Lawson
Richard Lawson (UK politician)
Richard Lawson has been a member of various far right groups in the United Kingdom.Lawson was the Student Organiser for the British National Front...
.
The political affiliations and content of Above the Ruins led to on-going criticism of Wakeford's musical output. Wakeford formed Sol Invictus
Sol Invictus (band)
Sol Invictus is an English neofolk and neoclassical group fronted by Tony Wakeford. Wakeford has been the sole constant member of the group since its inception, although numerous musicians have contributed and collaborated with Wakeford under the Sol Invictus moniker over the years.-Overview:For...
shortly after this project was abandoned. In 2007, he stated that he has had no connection or interest in such ideas for 20 or more years.
Discography
- Songs of the Wolf (Mini album) - Originally a cassette only release. Issued on vinyl in 1986 and CD in 1996.