Citizen Fish - Free Souls In A Trapped Environment

I had most of side two of this LP on a rough-hewn compilation tape (also containing RDF and Back To The Planet, I reckon), given to me in about 1990 by a crustie woman I knew and I played it loads.

Around the same time, I'd been lent all the Subumans LPs and had realised what I'd been missing there. We saw Citizen Fish live, a lot.

When you talk about ska-punk, people often associate it with American-style ska-punk: big bands, big brass section, super-rapid guitar upstrokes 'drink beer and skank at the party'-lyrics. I've often heard people express a strong aversion to the genre based on this.

The British tradition of ska-punk was much more stripped-back affair. Played at a less frenetic pace and leaning more into its anarcho-punk and 2 Tone heritage. This album is an excellent example of British ska-punk.

Flesh And Blood has to be the best vego-anthem ever written (closely followed by Meat Is Murder by The Smiths and Wha Me Eat by Macka B.)

We got to know Citizen Fish quite well over the next few years. I know you should never meet your heroes, but they were always delightful people.

Anyway, on a side-note, what happened to crusties? You never see one now. Has any sub-culture ever faded and died so absolutely as the crustie? They had a particular smell that you never smell anymore. Is it time for the crustie revival?

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