aaamusic | On 06, Mar 2011

“Woody Guthrie gone digital hardcore” NME

“Fantastically impassioned stuff, full of a scattershot kind of dissent.” The Guardian

The Agitator – Say NO! by Sainted PR

February 2011 sees the release of ‘Say NO!’, the third single from political and musical activist The Agitator. As we brace ourselves for a year of inevitable unrest, discontent and protest at the extreme government cuts that will affect us all, there could not be a more appropriate soundtrack from a more relevant and timely artist. There’s been a lot written recently about the marches, riots and the lack of any musical voices to accompany this turbulent new era. Well, The Agitator is definitely emerging as the chief contender for this crucial role.

‘Say NO!’ is a politically charged call to arms set against an equally radical new musical style. Not a guitar in sight, just front man Derek Meins’ force-of-nature voice accompanied by Robert Dylan Thomas and T-Train on thunderous double drums. Pared down and primal, this startling voice-rhythm combination challenges and questions in equal measure. Meins says, “I wanted a new kind of music, nothing more than banging, stamping, clapping and voices. Something anyone could do anywhere, on a march, at a protest, on the barricades…” Indeed The Agitator played for the students at the UCL occupation in December and went down a storm.

The Agitator is one of the most exciting live acts to emerge in recent times with a storming set and an irrepressibly infectious energy that has to be experienced. It’s like nothing else you’ll see this year.

Last summer The Agitator launched a campaign based on a simple idea: NO!-ism. Say NO! to all that’s gone viciously wrong with the present political and economic system. They believe the present disastrous policies can be reversed if it is made plain how many of us are angry and ready to voice their discontent loudly, scrawling the simple exclamation, NO!, across the nation’s walls and consciousness. The Agitator certainly wouldn’t take all the credit, but there’s no doubt the word has been increasingly filling the nation’s media over the past few months. Something big is definitely starting to happen out there.

The Agitator’s debut album ‘NO!’ will be released in April 2011.

Catch them live:

4th March – Club NME, KOKO, London
17th March – Communion, Ginglik, London
26th March – The Victoria, Dalston
30th April – Camden Crawl, London