one of the biggest nights of my life; an emotional fuelled experience that I’ll never forget, one that drained me mentally and physically.

A thoughtful (and well illustrated) review of the gig has been posted on the Digital Fix site.

Ignorant and Rimbaud performed a drums-and-vocals version of Do The Owe Us a Living? (recalling the famous early version of the song included on the original Bullshit Detector compilation). Libertine and Rimbaud then peformed an extended rendition of Darling from Stations of the Crass, before the three embraced on the stage. Libertine returned later to join singer Carole Hodge for the mid-section of Shaved Women.

Libertine and Rimbaud peform Darling
Photo: John Marshall Punk Rock Pix

Libertine joins Hodge during Shaved Women
Photo: John Marshall Punk Rock Pix

Rimbaud and Hodge in the final (emotionally charged) section of the closing number – Bloody Revolutions
Photo: John Marshall Punk Rock Pix

Later in the performance, Ignorant announced that the chapter in his autobiography The Rest is Propaganda which accused Colin of Conflict of misappropriating royalties from Crass songs was based on misinformation. Ignorant publicly apologised for the error, and indicated that the offending article would be removed from future editions of the book.

Towards the end of the set, Ignorant introduced a one-off cover song – a version of The Ruts’ Shine on Me which he dedicated to those volunteers who risk their lives to save others. During the number, the band were joined on stage by members of the lifeguard crew that Ignorant volunteers with, in full gear. The number was greeted with rapturous applause.

The set concluded with a highly charged version of Bloody Revolutions, during which the emotion of the moment visibly affected Ignorant.

The evening also included a blisteringly good set from The Cravats (who opened with a sublime version of Rub Me Out) and energetic support from Paranoid Visions and Andy T. The event was recorded by a multi-camera film crew, and a future release of the concert on DVD and/or download is anticipated.

The Boo-Hooray exhibit space is happy to present an exhibition of fanzines and ephemera collected at Dial House, home to the English anarchist punk band Crass, active from 1977-1984. The public and private political stance of Crass was without peer or compromise. Their influence on the lives of misfits, belongers, winners, losers, straights and visionaries across the globe reverberates to this day.

Dial House has been running as a creative centre since the late 1960′s and was instigated by the poet, philosopher and Crass drummer/lyricist, Penny Rimbaud. The Crass/Dial House fanzine archive, saved by Gee Vaucher, consists of approximately 3000 fanzines, broadsides, pamphlets and flyers, as well as posters, manuscript and original artwork. The materials were sent or given to the anarcho-punk group Crass during the years 1977 to 1984 from all over the world. The archive also includes later publications mailed to Dial House during the 1980′s and 1990′s. The show illustrates and demonstrates the immediacy and potency of these grassroots activist punk artworks from an era which was pre-computer and, in some cases, pre-xerox. In addition, related original artworks by Gee from her ground-breaking “nihilist newspaper for the living,” International Anthem, are also included.

Ignorant comments on his blog:

In the interview we talked about the tour, and the approaching final show at Shepherds Bush. We tried to cover as many areas as possible but as usual ran out of time.

On 13 October, Ignorant posted:

Only a few weeks to the final showdown, nerves kicking in, but on the eve of it I think there’s gonna be a couple of surprises on the night if the penny has dropped. But don’t hold me to it yet.

Many of those commenting on the post drew what appeared to be the obvious conclusion – that vocalist Eve Libertine and drummer (and fellow founder member of Crass) Penny Rimbaud were potential participants in the event.

Ignorant has also posted news that the band is now beginning its final rehearsal schedule ahead of the gig.

Speaking to The Guardian, Dunstan Bruce described his:

“total and absolute outrage and horror [...] This song being used by Ukip is so wrong. I am absolutely appalled that this grubby little organisation are stealing our song to use for their own ends. It’s beyond the pale and if they use it again we will consider legal action.”

Alice Nutter added:

“If ever there was gross misuse of a band’s music this is it [...] As a former member of Chumbawamba, I would like it to go on record that we do not support either Nigel Farrage or Ukip. In fact we would go further and say that Nigel Farrage is an arse, his party is mainly made up of bigots and its policies are racist.”

The Guardian reports that a spokesman for UKIP suggested that: “if the band were unhappy with the use of the song, the party would not use it again.”

Recorded during the Falklands war in May, flexidiscs of How Does it Feel to Be the Mother of 1,000 Dead? were smuggled, guerrilla-style, into random albums by distributors Rough Trade. It sailed out under its own steam in November, replacing Robert Wyatt’s Falklands-themed Shipbuilding at the top of the independent chart.

Exitstencil has a long history. Dreamt-up some forty years ago by artists Gee Vaucher and Penny Rimbaud, it has acted as a conduit for a huge range of creative projects, from the avant-garde outfit Exit of the late sixties, through punk rockers Crass, to the jazz experimentations of Last Amendment, from event/happenings as part of the sixties Fluxist Movement to Gee’s international multi-media shows and exhibitions. In a uniquely loose and unconventional manner it has, over the years, published books, pamphlets and general ephemera, released a small number of albums and arranged innumerable radical gigs, exhibitions and gatherings. Committed to people rather than profit, to creative expansion rather than just personal gratification, it has always sought to push boundaries.

In 2008, Gee and Penny decided to revitalise their project, dividing it into four related but separate entities, publications, prints, recordings and films. By so doing, they hope to be able to concentrate their energies and talents into producing a vibrant outlet for themselves and others whose creative and political ideas they share. Exitstencil’s impressive back-catalogue will act as a sound foundation for the already growing number of proposed projects, working on the publication side of things alongside Christian Brett and Alice Smith of Rochdale’s quirky Bracketpress, and recordings alongside Allison Schnackenberg of Southern and Tony Barber of Exitstencil Recording Studio.

The Independent reported (4 August 2011):

It is estimated that half a million of the Trust’s members were aged between 16-25 in the late 1970s when the establishment was in uproar over the appearance of disaffected bondage-trouser clad youths in the nation’s new concrete shopping centres.

Now it hopes to cash in on the demographic shift by selling the album at its gift shops and online to fund conservation work on its historic homes and ancient landscapes.

“Over thirty years on, many of them now enjoy family outings with their children and families at parks, beaches and historic houses. Perhaps, though, this collection will offer them the chance to rekindle a little of that youthful spirit,” explained Phillippa Green, National Trust brand licensing manager.

Ignorant is unimpressed at the news:

“For me punk was not about dressing up in strange clothes and going to nightclubs in London. It was about getting on the streets and protesting about stuff,” he said.

“It just goes to show how shallow that part of the punk movement always was and always will be,” he said. “What’s it going to be next? You are sitting in ye olde tea shop listening to the Sex Pistols? I can’t get that at all,” he added.

John Lydon has also registered annoyance with the inclusion of two Sex Pistols songs on the release. His objection is entirely focused on what he claims is the lack of proper licensing and financial agreements. In widely reported comments, he says: ‘I would like to be able to trust the National Trust but from this point forward I can’t… No one however has even spoke to myself or my management, or had a conversation with myself or my management about this album. Never Mind The… Permission.’

The final show. The final flyer. The last time I will sing these songs. Hard to believe there is only one gig left.

Paranoid Visions have joined the bill, alongside Andy T and The Cravats.