A few years ago talking about politics in pop music was something that musicians just didn’t do. Singing about being 'in da club' and 'not giving a fuck' was the standard and even so called alternative musicians, who in past decades had been more politicised, seemed to have grown brains of beige.
Remember a few years ago when Farris from The Horrors was quoted in the Guardian as saying: “Politics doesn’t mean anything to me, the stuff that gets discussed on Newsnight isn’t relevant to me, and it’s pretty much not relevant to anyone.” And this was from a singer in a band who was supposedly well educated. “I don’t think you get anything from voting. I find it funny that someone would vote for another person, whether it’s on Celebrity Big Brother or as a politician, on the basis that they could imagine going for a drink with them. I just think voting is for people who don’t have their own imagination. It’s for a different generation. You’re not accomplishing anything.”
Well sorry Farris. You’re wrong. And thankfully after Brexit, Trump and the rise of the 1000-1 outsider Corbyn, people in all aspects of pop music are talking about politics in interviews, to their audiences and in songs. It's important because young people look up to musicians and their favourite pop stars. If they're talking about politics then it makes it OK / cool for their fans to do the same.
Since naming him as one of my Ones to Watch for 2017 last year, Dave has been developing a bigger and bigger audience and in his new track Question Time he’s certainly talking about the issues that matter in this quite incredible track. Game over Farris.
Dave - Question Time (Video)
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