Syd.31’s debut EP ‘Start A War’ is a fierce, rage-filled trash can full of gobby punk ranting which flashes a middle finger in the face of the politics of hate, discriminatory power structures and consumerism. Heavily inspired by the explosive ‘UK82’ era of Brit-punk and focuses on the ‘anger-as-an-energy' approach to music. From the first wrath-filled distorted note of the title track 'Start A War' the EP grabs you by the throat and spews it's electro-punk bile straight into your stomach.
Syd.31 have taken the influence and extreme sounds of their punk idols (Discharge and Exploited) mashing it with classic industrial, electro, rave and post dubstep noises, citing their love of Knife Party, Noisuf-X, Nachtmahr and Nitzer Ebb as key ingredients. It's a contemporary rallying cry to raise the banner, rebel and reject. Syd.31 intend to start a war, and start it in your mind.
Believing that music needs a social conscience, Syd.31 aims to be an active threat again to all that is bigoted, corrupt and destructive to this world. Songs like Power! (Are You Fucking Angry?) and Dieter Rams Is Dead reflect their distaste for the system. Dr Magic, frontman and noise bringer, chose to reject traditional styles of recording and instead did most of the vocals in one single take, improvising on-the-spot lyrics fuelled by raw expressionism, pure emotion, and vulnerability, something which very few artists at the moment are daring to do.
On top of all this, the Start A War EP steals all the best bits and structures from pure pop, such as Kylie, Britney and the Vengaboys – regardless of their rage, Syd.31 believe that all hope is lost if you can’t have fun and dance like a diva.
Start A War is a rallying cry for the dejected and desperate, a kick to the teeth of a political system which chews the vulnerable up and spits them out, and a middle-finger salute to a world which has nothing left to offer any of us.
