The Dance of Decadence – The Permissive Society
By Steve Finbow
(Photos by Karen McBride)-------------------------------------
There is a certain sartorial look in Manchester, England. It goes like this: asymmetrical hair, tracksuit top zipped up to create a foreskin-like appearance under the glans of the head (the tracksuit can be Adidas, Puma, Fred Perry, or Reebok); baggy jeans worn low, hanging off the ass; the jean-leg bottoms scrape the floor and are torn and ragged over Adidas, Puma, or Nike trainers, preferably worn in bright colours. I must admit that during my recent months-
long stay in Manchester I appropriated this look (well, not the off-balance barnet) and, on my return to London, my friends said I looked like a Manc – hence the huge bonfire of clothes on Primrose Hill.
This is NOT the way The Permissive Society dresses. Although they are proud to be a Manchester band, and quote as influences the likes of Joy Division and The Smiths, their style is as much their own as is their music. They look like overgrown schoolboys with a hint of Johnnie Thunders’ Heartbreakers, a smidgen of The Kings of Leon, a sprinkle of The Gang of Four; the ensemble has an almost fin-de-siècle feel. They kind of look like a Fringe-era Peter Cook crossed with Aubrey Beardsley. The incongruity of their dress goes well with their sound. They are Sean Gregson – vocals, Joe Parkinson – guitar, Matt McKeever – drums, and Gary Dumbarton – bass.
Matt, Gary, and Joe were originally in a band called Grace. When Sean joined, they became The Good Life but changed to The Permissive Society because an
American band had already appropriated the Richard Briers/Felicity Kendal programme title for their name. Sean joined the band as lead singer after the other guys watched him at a gig and were enthralled by his twitching leg, tennis allegories, and heart-slapping left hand.
What do they sound like? Well, the lead singer of Jackie O described them as having the tight drum and bass of Joy Division and the riffs and energy of Led Zeppelin. That is not far off, but there is evidence of Joe’s other influences – Television (the band), Ronnie Hazlehurst, Geoff Love & His Orchestra, and television (the thing in your living room).
Other non-musical influences are evident in the sparseness of the lyrics and the tightness of the music: Minimalism, Sol Le Witt, Francis Bacon, Henry Miller, Charles Dickens, Louise Brooks, Lewis Carroll. The playfulness of Carroll and the darkness of Bacon’s paintings manifest themselves in the lyrics and guitar solos.
The music is structured around a concept of Joe’s, the song is then given a name, Sean goes away and writes lyrics using lists of words, the cut-up technique, free association, he then strips the lyrics of articles and prepositions. They then play around with the song on acoustic guitar, take it in to the studio for six weeks, feel it up, mess with it, corrupt it, purify it – all band members have input. A new song – Isaac – is a love song to gravity. It plays with the Warhol/Ballard idea of the build up and aftermath of a car crash. The band’s lyrics, in songs like Swan, EP, Resolver, and Fighting Crime and Protecting People explore a Carrollean loss of innocence; there are scenes of domestic rebellion, disaffection, and horror on a personal and global level. The body, used as a personal document, sometimes scarred, abused, broken, misused, is also desired and loved.
There is not a pigeonhole for this band. They are a musical unit 24 hours a day. They have a loyal and growing fan base (which includes me). They have just finished performing in Grace and follow in the illustrious footsteps of The Velvet Underground (Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable – nightclub as theatre) and The Fall (I Am Curious Orange with Michael Clark). If these guys are not the next big thing, I will eat my cat.
Click here to download the Permissive Society's song, EP.
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Click here for Steve Finbow's bio and other published writing.
© 2005 Me Three