For decades & centuries, musicians have used their art to plant a flag in the ground & stand against the tide – from Lead Belly to Pussy Riot … from the broadside ballads of eighteenth century England to Beethoven’s call for equality ‘Ode To Joy’. There will always be a need for people making visceral musical statements questioning the status quo.
Enter Nrvs’ latest offering ‘The Tanks Are Coming Out’. While we’re all busy putting out fires in our everyday lives, governments & leaders around the world are accumulating tanks, bombs & drones. “You think they are just gonna leave them parked up on a backlot somewhere forever?”
The rise of authoritarianism, censorship, community collapse & impending apocalypse are upon us. Nrvs expand on the idea saying “So yeah ‘The Tanks Are Coming Out’ is about Ukraine, Gaza & the rest of the shit-shows. But zoom right in and it’s also about the war that can break out when two people’s hearts get broken”.
Written while Nrvs spent time in jail for peaceful protest, ‘The Tanks Are Coming Out’ is sonically inspired by the music of Brian Eno, John Cale & in particular Faust’s ‘Rainy Day Sunshine Girl’, while production duties fall to band member Matt Allchin whose production credits include Florence + The Machine, Joy Crooks & Mark Ronson. As for the artwork, photomontage artists & Professor of Political Art Peter Kennard, empathising with Nrvs’s mission, has offered them use of his iconic artwork, giving added context to the band’s agenda. There’s a long-form video too, directed by Emmy Chitty & featuring Josef Altin (Pypar in Game of Thrones). Shot in the “bleeding heart of suburbia”, the video perfectly captures their concept of the “everyday horror of the end ”.
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When asked what makes them different, Nrvs says “Many artists like to project an image of rebellion / bad boys / bad girls / fight the power / I’m some kind of cool like pirate or whatever the fuck. Nrvs actually ARE all those things and live that life. I mean several current UK laws were written specifically to try to block Nrvs from doing things (they failed!)”
So where has Nrvs been these last few years? “Nrvs were building pink boats and breaking into places and supergluing ourselves to things. Nrvs were saying No to the bastards and meaning it. Nrvs were in jail, sisters and brothers. Where the hell were you?”
Reflecting on their previous work including the apocalyptic sci-fi tinged psych-rock EP I Like You, Nrvs are shaping “a nightmare-normal vision of the near future, that you can dance to”. Ideologically they are confrontational, unapologetic, existentially on the edge & uncompromising in their beliefs – all of which is reflected in their creative output, whether it’s music, visuals or their involvement in Extinction Rebellion & similar protests against the status quo.
Many artists have been shrouded in mystery: the music & the visuals should strike you first, whether you’re ready for them or not. Looking to the future Nrvs aim to spell out the writing that’s already on the wall – the story continues…
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Aural Aggravation 