Rock Against Communism

Punk Front was the brainchild of Eddy Morrison, the National Front (NF) Leeds District Organiser where there were some four hundred members and came to be involved with Rock Against Communism. In the seventies when the far-right National Front were a real threat, musicians, bands and anti-racists had mobilised under the Rock Against Racism and Anti Nazi League banners in large numbers and with great success. The emerging punk scene and rejuvenated youth culture were seen by both sides as a fertile recruiting ground to peddle their ideologies. So it will come as no surprise that someone in the National Front had the bright idea of doing a nazi version.

Morrison in later years was a colourful (sic) character. A Google of his name brings up alcoholism, racist violence, scams, being an informer, and expulsion from every strand of nazi/right-wing party that has evolved through the years. He died in 2020 falling down some stairs.

Anyways, twas Morrison’s idea in late 1977/early 1978 to latch onto Punk as a means of getting kids into the National Front and even came up with a fanzine that ran for some five issues called not surprisingly Punk Front. Most of his activities were centred around the F Club in Leeds. Though there was an unhealthy fascist presence, there was also a healthy anti-fascist presence in Leeds, centred in the local Poly, which made for some troubled times. Leftist local bands like the Mekons were frequent targets for fascist disruption and violence.

It looks like the first Rock Against Communism gig was going to be in Yorkshire somewhere in March 1979 and feature, The Dentists (Leeds), The Ventz (Leeds), The Crap, Column 88 (Rugby) and 2 other bands but apparently media pressure etc meant it never happened.

Why Rock Against Communism? Surely someone must have noticed there was a breakdown company (Royal Automotive Service Company) with the same initials?

It is not known who coined the expression RAC or when it was used for the first time. But the term Rock Against Communism, being used to describe the emerging musical resistance network and playing style of the bands was now firmly etched into the minds of the disenfranchised of Great Britain. Blood & Honour

The first one ended up being in August 1979 at Conway Hall London (the venue is kept secret on the flyer) and coaches are organised from around the country to take fun-loving fascist punks, skins and whoever on a day out. The National Front have laid out £300 for the hall and are desperate to fill it.

Reportedly playing (though bar The Dentists and White Boss it fluctuates) are fascist bands The Dentists, White Boss (Coventry), Phase 1, Column 88 and headline act Skrewdriver (Poulton). In fact Column 88, Phase 1 and Skrewdriver pull out. Sounds reports that Skrewdriver have reformed and playing fascist gigs.

The Blood and Honour website describes the gig as

The audience was made up of Nationalists from across the country, members of the Punk Front, a large British Movement contingent, Arsenal and Chelsea football hooligans, as well as the curious. The Dentists travelled down from Leeds in a fifty-five seater coach that was described by its occupants as overflowing. Tragic Minds (ex Ventz) had also made the journey down south to attend the concert. The bands played in front of a huge Rock Against Communism banner complete with a blue, white and red roundel which became the RAC logo. The banner, which had been especially produced for the night, was paid for by the NF.

According to Vivien Goldman, who reported on the gig for Melody Maker, the crowd was overwhelmingly male (Goldman counted five women) and relatively young. About 150 people attended, with pictures of the gig revealing skinheads, punks, mods and assorted hairy youngsters bouncing around to sets that included odes to the ‘Master Race’and protestations of Nazi innocence (Verrall 1981: 12). In between, a teddy boy DJ – Mike’s Bluejean Bop – flew the confederate flag but reportedly played mainly punk tunes by the Sex Pistols, Devo and, most surprisingly, the Tom Robinson Band, best-known as RAR stalwarts and releasing ‘Glad to be Gay’ on an EP in 1978.

Depending on who you believe – Music Press 150 or 300 people watch and see The Dentists come on and…. break a string. The rest of the night passed uneventfully. Outside though before the gig, there was trouble as a lorry carrying loudspeakers and RAR flags were ambushed at traffic lights and destroyed and its occupants were beaten by local skinheads.

Outside the venue bags of smashed Skrewdriver records had been deposited presumably by distributor Rough Trade.

In short, though the bluster at the time from the far right media made out this was on the scale of Woodstock and the country was quaking in its boots, it was profoundly low key and the amount of people minimal. The gig was reported in the music papers though reporters/photographers were actively intimidated. The Dentists didn’t even get a mention! Click on the images below for larger ones.

There was a fundamental problem though for racist bands. Yer normal average band would gig and build up a following with a growing set list of songs about a variety of subjects. Yer racist band would have to identify themselves as such by a set of provocative tunes that would guarantee they would be banned from most places but accepted by racist fans. In short, they would have fuck all gigs, play to the converted and eventually jack it in. In addition, they could be recognised and outed and maybe even subject to some anti nazi violence themselves. Within one month White Boss had split up and within six The Dentists were gone.

What Rock Against Communism did do though was set a precedent for booking unware venues and secret gigs, bussing in fascists from all over the place and once the groundwork was in place and contacts made establish an underground network for gigs and records and merchandise.

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