Active Minds – Two Sides Of The Same Coin
Veteran duo unleash six new politically-charged tracks in their classic UKHC style.
Scarborough two-piece Active Minds have consistently been one of the most powerful and inspiring political punk acts in the last say 30 years, and their persistence alone gains them a lot of deserved respect.
No matter how hard I tried to avoid it, I can’t help but start this humble review with a bunch of nostalgic murmur about the good old times when I was 14 and the bass player in my band at the time handed me some “hardcore”—home dubbed on a C90 of course. It was an Antisect / Active Minds mixtape, and one I still held onto dearly. One of the first glimpses of ultraviolent, straight-forward, and politically charged UKHC—a fine example of probably the best wave of punk worldwide. Active Minds’ side on this tape was their Free To Be Chained—a brilliant record—and even back then it struck me that their sound was very different than most bands at the time. Very distorted, yet focused crushing fast beats and raw vocals, but also melodic, even poppy at times.
Years have taken their toll on the global punk scene, yet Active Minds is still a constant. This absolute veterans of the English scene have been around for more than three decades, starting back in ’86! Their discography is huge and the just won’t stop spitting new material, splits, live recordings, and whatnot in a true DIY manner.
Their 2020 release Two Sides Of The Same Coin—a follow up to their 2019’s Religion is Nonsense—contains six short and to-the-point tracks that still kick major butt. Not much has changed or evolved in their style, which honestly is a good thing. They still have massively distorted guitars and energetic drumming, catchy riffs, and smart, critical politically-charged lyrics dealing with today’s realities.
What makes them think that they’re one in a billion And that the world’s poorest deserve so much less? Global wealth inequality is an obscenity. Will we ever learn to get out of this mess?
In my opinion, Active Minds and Oi Polloi are just two prime examples of bands that keep on running true to their ideals and not willing to step back and make a compromise. Huge respect for them.
You can check Two Sides Of The Same Coin on their Bandcamp and support the band directly purchasing records directly from them. Yes, this is still the best way. Punk post rules!
