Attacco Decente were a musical group from Brighton

Brighton

Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...

, England

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...

, active from 1984 to 1996.

The band was notable for using unusual acoustic instruments such as hammered dulcimer

Hammered dulcimer

The hammered dulcimer is a stringed musical instrument with the strings stretched over a trapezoidal sounding board. Typically, the hammered dulcimer is set on a stand, at an angle, before the musician, who holds small mallet hammers in each hand to strike the strings...

s, Appalachian dulcimer

Appalachian dulcimer

The Appalachian dulcimer is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings. It is native to the Appalachian region of the United States...

s, and tongue drums alongside more conventional instruments such as acoustic guitar and acoustic bass guitar

Acoustic bass guitar

The acoustic bass guitar is a bass instrument with a hollow wooden body similar to, though usually somewhat larger than a steel-string acoustic guitar...

. Their founder member and sole constant was Geoff Smith. Their lyrics, written by Smith, reflected a strong socialist political stance, especially on the early singles and the first album. Although the band were active at the height of Thatcherism

Thatcherism

Thatcherism describes the conviction politics, economic and social policy, and political style of the British Conservative politician Margaret Thatcher, who was leader of her party from 1975 to 1990...

, they did not participate in the more moderate Red Wedge

Red Wedge

Red Wedge was a collective of musicians who attempted to engage young people with politics in general, and the policies of the Labour Party in particular, during the period leading up to the 1987 general election, in the hope of ousting the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher.Fronted by...

 collective.

The band's first single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

, "Trojan Horse", featured Smith and Graham Barlow. Acoustic guitarist and backing vocalist Mark Allen joined and they released a 12" EP, "U.K.A. (United Kingdom of America)", the sleeve of which featured an endorsement from Billy Bragg

Billy Bragg

Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...

.

The band released their debut album

Album

An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

, The Baby Within Us Marches On

The Baby Within Us Marches On

The Baby Within Us Marches On is an album by Attacco Decente. It was the band's first album, released in 1988 on All Or Nothing Records.- Track listing :#"The Will Of One"#"Fear Of Freedom"#"Don't Join Their Army"#"The Bully"#"Natural Anger"...

, in 1988. Barlow left after the release of the "I Don't Care How Long It Takes" single. Smith and Allen recorded the band's second and last album, Crystal Night, as a duo. The band's sound changed somewhat in this incarnation, with the heavily percussive sound of the trio line-up replaced by a mellower, folky feel. There was less emphasis on the tongue drums and more on the hammered dulcimer and Allen's guitar, which took on a markedly flamenco

Flamenco

Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....

 aspect. Smith's lyrics became less overtly political, and more concerned with love and personal relationships.

The band split after the Crystal Night album. Smith continued as a solo performer and composer, creating music for film and dance. Allen is now a teacher, but has also continued to work as a singer and guitarist in a number of groups.

Singles and EPs

• "Trojan Horse"/"Storms Clear the Air" (Timber, 1984, with lyric sheet)
• "U.K.A. (United Kingdom of America)" (All or Nothing AON001, 1986) (tracks: "The Law Above The Law", "U.K.A.", "Dad Hits Mum", "Touch Yourself", "All Or Nothing")
• "The Will of One" (All or Nothing AON003; 7", 12", CD, 1988) (tracks on 7": "The Will of One" (short version), "One Mountain, One Checkpoint, One Chance"; tracks on 12" and CD: "The Will of One" (short version), "The Will of One" (long version), "One Mountain, One Checkpoint, One Chance", "Together in a Bed of Blossom")
• "I Don't Care How Long It Takes" (All or Nothing AON004; 7", 12", CD, 1988) (tracks on 12" and CD: "I Don't Care How Long It Takes" (7" version), "I Don't Care How Long It Takes" (Hammer House Mix), "Tears of Blood", "Don't Join Their Army")

Albums

• The Baby Within Us Marches On
  The Baby Within Us Marches On
  The Baby Within Us Marches On is an album by Attacco Decente. It was the band's first album, released in 1988 on All Or Nothing Records.- Track listing :#"The Will Of One"#"Fear Of Freedom"#"Don't Join Their Army"#"The Bully"#"Natural Anger"...
  
  (All or Nothing AON002; LP, CD, 1988)
• Crystal Night (All or Nothing AON005; cassette, CD, 1996)