Formed from the ashes of UK anarcho/reggae outfit Military Surplus (see bonus tracks "Time of the Dispossessed" & "Firepower" included below), Radical Dance Faction or RDF as they were most commonly abbreviated, was founded by Chris Bowsher in Hungerford in 1986. RDF's line-ups were erratic to say the least (with over thirty different people having been part of the band at one time or another). Founder, lyricist & vocalist Chris Bowsher is the only person who has been in every line up of the band.
Bowsher's lyrics are hip/beat poetry, more spoken than sung, with imagery of modern decay & capitalism gone wrong. The style is primarily Dub/reggae/ska. Bowsher is a veteran of the early punk explosion, particularly enamoured of bands such as the Clash & the Ruts who had attempted to bridge the gap between rock & JA sounds. Along with the Levellers, RDF became prime movers in the media-christened 'crust or crusty' movement. Much of their following was comprised largely the dispossessed & homeless, the young & the impoverished, bonded by a political consciousness that has its roots in hippiedom, beatnik romanticism & early 80s anarcho-punk.
Here RDF is: Chris Bowsher - vocals; Linda Goodman - vocals; Phil Astronaut - guitar; Brian Powell & Mark McCarthey - bass; Graham Spey = keyboards; Tim Hill - saxophone; Sid Wobble - harmonica; G.T. Moore - melodica & hand drums; Graham Usher - drums & hand drum; Style Scott - drums with Kay Beckett & Steve Swann - backing vocals.
Radical Dance Faction - Wasteland, Earth Zone EZ-003, 1991.
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Station X Red Flame
Working Class Hero
Tension Town
Tense (instrumental with surprise WSB)
Sadness
Babylon
Can’t Stand No More
Hope
Next Man in Europe
What the Man Made of Stone
bonus tracks:
Time of the Dispossessed
Firepower
Enjoy,
NØ