In these difficult economic times, you would think that the protest song would be enjoying something of a revival. That, unfortunately, has not proven to be the case although British band The Amplifires do find time to make a point or two regarding society’s situation during the course of their album “Life’s a Gamble”.
There is nothing as overt as a call to arms here but The Amplifires manage, at the very least, to suggest subversion with Sharon Clancy’s laconic voice evoking the atmosphere of oppression that often provides their lyrical motivation. Of course, there are conventional songs, like “Grace and Danger”, that demonstrate something more akin to honesty than a political sensibility but, equally, there are songs like “Fat Cats” and “What Is It Good For (War)” to show the band’s true colours.
Although guilty of avoiding virtuosity in favour of a gritty minimalism, The Amplifires stay true to their blue collar roots. Not quite revolutionaries, therefore, but The Amplifires, nonetheless, have something to say.