Description
Anti System – “No Laughing Matter” LP
The Bradford band’s one and only full-length album, released on their own label in 1985. Reinforced by a new line-up that included new, dual vocalists (in classic anarcho style), and with an Antisect taking over from Flux Of Pink Indians as a primary influence. Perhaps due to the dense, guitar-heavy production, this album placed Anti System in a second division position compared to their mentors, (at the time I remember finding it a bit unrelentingly in its wall of noise barrage, lacking those rewarding hard-rock hooks that Antisect had mastered on In Darkness…), but the passing of the years has been kind to this recording, and considering high decibel noise punk of more recent times (think modern day noise-heads such as Physique) No Laughing Matter now sounds impressively way ahead of it’s time. Yesterday’s mistake becomes today’s good fortune! The spoken word interlude, that tries to emulate Antisect’s Tubular Bells moment, tumbles from the ridiculous to the sublime in light of the fact that the keyboards were played by a member of Black-(Agadoo)-Lace.
