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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    8 new songs and a dub from the original ska-punk-reggae fusioneers!

    Includes unlimited streaming of Mandemic via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 7 Culture Shock [ska-punk UK] releases available on Bandcamp and save 20%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Starts With A Scene, Mandemic, Everything, Found it in a Skip, The Humanity Show, Attention Span, and Solar Power- Live at Surplus Fest 2015. , and , .

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  • CD
    Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    8 new songs and a dub from the original ska-punk-reggae fusioneers- Digipack with fold-out lyric sheet/poster

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  • Limited amount of CASSETTES
    Cassette + Digital Album

    got 28 of these lovely TAPES, they don't scratch or warp and they fit in your pocket! co-released with No Time Records, who are also selling this in the USA >>notimeforfun.bandcamp.com

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1.
his face is lonely he said he knows me he said he's only here while they find him a place to get his head down just need a few pounds they sent a man round took away his living space its a total disgrace to be going through hordes of waste of more that you could ever afford to have - someone's having a laugh at the expense of living on the edge of the map hes going downtown its like a fairground put your hat down flat rate penny for the guy prize every time for the look in the eye and if you ever wanna tell me something ive never known before or show me a better place to go to swap this less for more it took him ages between the wages paying off the mortgage things he'll never need again they had a slim down they had a whip round put your hat down flat rate penny for the guy if you never ask why you'll be living the lie that it couldn't ever happen to a nicer guy that its safety first to just walk on by but when the bubbles burst you're on the other side of the downtown he's in your hometown you better get round there with a cup of tea and if you know him ask where he's going and if he's already gone say goodbye from me
2.
Mandemic 02:18
on the one hand we have nature on the attack we been messing with the food chains if you mess with the balance it bites you back humanity's end game the seas gone brown and tastes like plastic bags and petrol the extinction rate is up and its not accidental the land is overused or scorched or under water humanity's a new disease there is no cure for on the other hand we got these idiots running the place who are seriously psychotic everything that led to the imminent collapse was all about making a profit its like nature snapped and has revenge coincidental when the earth is run and ruined by the rich and mental when complacency in the face of greed becomes systemic time to wake the world up to its own pandemic
3.
whose side are you on do you feel you belong has the memory gone of before it all started? like a knock at the door it was hard to ignore did you want to make more cos life is hard it's - too much making it/success breeding excess too much bullshit feeding the nervous lonely numbed out needing a voice to call their own how low must you go til you can't hear the No from the voice down below doesn't sound like you it's shooting holes in the lies you were sold you put your mind on hold cos you already knew it's too much making excuses wearing suits in a world that noone shares in the selfish paranoid loud uncaring voice you've never known whose side are you on the rich man's song has all of the notes but none of the music how low must you go when you already know it ain't what you got it's how you use it too much pressure to surrender our soul to the manmade gods of money and gold listen to the voice that you can't control instinct wins in the war on senses
4.
Consequences 02:08
Don't you worry if you're out of step What you see and what they promise is never what you get Here's your identity it's on a card All this security has never felt so hard We are the consequences We see we hear you can't control our senses Don't get too near we are the consequences Sick of feeling that you don't belong Ask different questions and it won't last long Who set the picture? Who bought the frame We come in numbers but we all got names We see we hear you can't control our senses Don't get too near we are the consequences
5.
War is Peace 02:36
War is peace witness the majority down on one knee to challenge your authority over our lives - well here is how it used to be black and white divide and rule mentality For all the lies you dressed as hope we hold you to your vanity here's our freedom, let's see yours we all know where we'd rather be Free, free, free, from all your violence and greed we wont fight, no, more, in your racist culture war Rich white men tell us of priorities the one per cent its more than a conspiracy its all intent on dressing up this slavery as civilised- but this aint how we wanna be Free, free, free, from all your violence and greed we wont fight, no, more, in your racist culture war From left to right from black to white from heart and soul and skin all we demand is an equal chance in the fight we're living in we're here to replace your love of power with the power of love- take heed these words mean more than they did before we brought you to our knees Now we're free free free from your violence and greed we've already done your version, now have a go with these we wont fight no more when we got what we came for less scrutiny more dignity less cruelty and war
6.
Wake Up Time 03:03
Here's the people your grandad said would do it all again if left a way it's what you get when history goes cold and fades away the power of fear will draw the mindless ever near anger seeks an enemy and never bites the hand that feeds it It's wake up time- can you read the signs- time to decide Divide and rule the same old story tells again of how ignoring fascists and the games they play never makes them go away its like a war on WE, that wanna stay free they're looking back to slavery, they want the whole world on its knees It's wake up time- can you read the signs- time to decide Any facts we learn are burnt on the altered state of entertainment we interact like copycats with the killers of our self-containment social status amplified by people unafraid to lie heres your enemy dont ask why swallow this bullshit open wide Invent a truth without a proof and lie to hide the facts scapegoat those who lack the voice to publicly react see the people blame each other as value disappears and all the flags come through the door to stoke the hate and fear History screams as it looks to the future recognise the signs of fascist dictators rich white racist heartless mostly male devoid of human nature
7.
Radio question out of the blue how could things in the world improve? at 5 years old he knew the score 'people should concentrate more' well profound that, wrote it down that the world needs more of kids like this unconditioned witnesses to the fast and futile world of- showbiz instant distant thought-resistant waves of human entertainment see its free for the cost of a lobotomy CH: Focus gone where does it belong Get that switch back up and on dont wanna lose my concentration hurry to the next one big one get one free its saturation Help you sir? yes tell me matey what since fuck knows when til lately made the world such a messed up place? we all forgot to concentrate switch goes down and the brain rewinding back to a place where you can't find me locked in a room of my own resistance alienation needs assistance [CH] What gets told and taught is bought and sold as truth, but lies in a cloud of ads and fads and madness all gets nullified knowledge and taste it all gets wasted concentration's what you crave its the world crying out to its own excess where's the peace and where's the progress? how come it feels like there's none of it left? how many times before the button gets pressed? its never too late let's concentrate on keeping our heads on too many time bombs boom and its all distraction drive you mental interaction
8.
9.
Its a war we didn't expect between freedom of speech and its consequences penny for your thoughts lets see what i bought another soul at war on the self-defensive you can't converse when the words are covered in chains left hand give and the right hand take it away CH: we give- they take- too much of everything we give- they take- we want it back again The left want to turn the world around the right just want to eat them for breakfast bully in the playground got a career now journalism politics and get rich off the back of it too they wannna take a cut from everything we do they want to split the world in two CH We give away our freedom, its good to pass it round they take away that reasoning and turn it upside down we give them our attention cos they take up all the screen they take us being quiet as permission to deceive we better get loud, and watch it rebound everything we build they wanna pull it all down CH

about

Recorded in the available moments between lockdowns and largely never played live, these songs are fresh and bouncy, fired up and angry, solid and spikey - both a reflection of and an antidote to the current times
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
from PUNKNEWS.ORG, review by John Gentile

Mandemic might be the most… metaphysical... Dick Lucas has ever been. While fronting anarcho legends The Subhumans, Lucas has spent decades blasting religion - usually organized, but sometimes at the concept of supernatural essence itself. But here, on Culture Shock’s surprise new album, he suggests that there is a sort of cosmic war occuring right under our feet.

On the title track, he calls out, “On the one hand we have nature on the attack / we been messing with the food chains / if you mess with the balance it bites you back / humanity's end game!” It’s an interesting turn, especially since it fits right into the same thesis that Lucas and all three of his main bands (Subhumans, Culture Shock, Citizen Fish) have been making since each of their inceptions. Lucas very much pitches anarcho politics and advocates for the dismantling of corporate power, which he argues divides people and destroys the world for the profit of a select few. In this age of Covid lockdown, that’s certainly true, at least directly- that creep Bezos is richer than he’s ever been and that’s the direct result of corporate failure to control its results and corporate ability to exploit death and tragedy.

So, that’s why it’s interesting that here, while Lucas does point his finger at capitalism, he suggests that the earth itself is an organism striking back trying to eliminate its own plague - humanity. But, whereas Rudimentary Peni or (classic era) Amebix would pull that idea to higher levels of astral musing, Lucas takes the evidence and hammers it back down to further support his argument. "Don't you worry if you're out of step / What you see and what they promise is never what you get” Lucas laments on “Consequences.” That is, he’s not wondering “why are things the way they are…?” He’s straight up saying, “HERE’S why things are this way and we need to do something!”


Yet, in true Culture Shock style, whereas most bands would back this dire message with abrasive, grindy music, the CS boys support the whole thing with bouncy ska and post-punk. Interestingly, whereas many Culture Shock releases tend to pull from spacey, looming riffs reminiscent of Gang of Four and Wire, here the band is in a juiced up mode. Multiple skas are straight up ska-bouncers and could pass for Citizen Fish tunes. My favorite aspect of Culture Shock is their willingness to use open space as an instrument itself, and they break that out on the records b-side. As always, ina nod to reggae, they include a dub of “concentration” and have some fun dropping a tap dancing guitar and ghost house piano over the rhythm section. But, whereas reggae dubs are usually pulled back and drift in a sort of low, rumbling laggardly pace, the Culture Shock dub here feels jumpy and is constantly bucking forward. Perhaps unlike some other anarcho-bands, Culture Shock isn’t afraid to get arty and that pays off.

However, despite people (myself included) often say Culture Shock is an “anarcho band”, assuming that the label actually means something and is attached to a specific set of ideals, the closing track, “Too Much of Everything,” shows a remarkable level of nuance. Here, Lucas looks at the arguments of the left and the right, and makes the point that the conflict between these two sides is more complex than Fox/CNN shouting suggest. “Its a war we didn't expect between / freedom of speech and its consequences...you can't converse when the words are covered in chains.” That’s not to say that Lucas is suggesting that the right wingers are valid in some of their positions, because he’s not. But, he does seem to be suggesting that the left, when forming its own arguments, should be careful not to sacrifice important ideals for the success of others. If anything, he’s suggesting a more aggressive attack, as opposed to a defensive position: “They take us being quiet as permission to deceive / we better get loud, and watch it rebound.”

It’s not easy to balance nuance with powerful calls to action and a sense of fun. Between their bouncy riffs, howled refrains, and diatribes slipped in between big bass slaps, Culture Shock sure make it seem easy, though.

credits

released February 19, 2021

Dick - voice and words
Jasper - bass and voice
Alex - guitar and voice
Bill - drums
Recorded and mixed by Dom at 9 Volt Leap in Melksham between July-Dec 2020
except 'War on Senses', recorded by Ian Atterkop and mixed by Eeyun Waggle Dance Dec 2019. Previously released on a 7" on Pumpkin Recs
Artwork by Ron Conductor except insert collage by Dick [IG:@dicklucasart]
Mastered by Joe Caithness

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Culture Shock [ska-punk UK] Bath, UK

The original ska-punk-reggae fusioneers, who from 86-89 woke up the alternative scene with their 3 albums and incessantly energetic touring, and are now reformed since 2013, with another 3 albums since then- onwards!

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