Photo by Ben Bentley
Fresh from Atlantic Curve records comes a new offering from Leeds post-punk heroes I Like Trains. The caustic track is a standalone single entitled “The Spectacle,” a hypnotic critique of propaganda heralding the spirit of their brilliant last album, KOMPROMAT. In the spirit of The Fall and Killing Joke, with the droll delivery of Tom Vek, “The Spectacle” is an Orwellian observation of the language of public speaking, and control of the masses.
“Spectacle is the sun that never sets over the empire of modern passivity,” remarks the band’s Guy Bannister.
“I see this as part of the KOMPROMAT world,” vocalist David Martin explains. “I would love to say we were seeking closure, but there’s no light at the end of that particular tunnel. ‘The Spectacle’ deals with the final days of Johnson’s premiership. The message from him and those loyal to him was, that despite all of the scandals, he had done a good job. It was repeated at every opportunity, and somehow that message stuck and it kept him in power much longer than he should have been. In this era of mass communication and interconnectivity, it was a painfully blunt instrument that managed to cut through. We’re at the point where we welcome a new prime minister. I strongly suspect we’re in for more of the same.”
The eye-popping montage lyric video, directed by Michael Connolly. showcases the media and skewers the nonstop barrage of images and sounds thrown at us on a daily basis at all hours of the day. There is no reprieve. Although the key protagonists may no longer be in power, there’s a recognition that their legacy remains intact – and perpetuated. Good luck out there.
Watch the video for “The Spectacle” below:
I LIKE TRAINS are on tour this autumn and winter. Audiences will be treated to the full AV KOMPROMAT nightmare with visuals by Michael Connolly.
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