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Breaking News

by The Antelopes

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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $7 USD  or more

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    CD of Breaking News in a four-panel wallet with a 6-page booklet of song descriptions written by band members Glenn Dallender and Martin O'Keefe-Liddard.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Breaking News via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $8 USD

     

  • Cassette + Digital Album

    Normal-bias cassette recorded in real time by Floating Mill Records. Includes a 4-panel j-card and booklet of song descriptions written by band members Glenn Dallender and Martin O'Keefe-Liddard.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Breaking News via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 7 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $9 USD or more 

     

  • Cassette + Digital Album

    High-bias cassette recorded in real time by Floating Mill Records. Includes a 4-panel j-card and booklet of song descriptions written by band members Glenn Dallender and Martin O'Keefe-Liddard.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Breaking News via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 7 days
    edition of 15  8 remaining
    Purchasable with gift card

      $14 USD or more 

     

  • Original Press "Prisoners / Hour of Light" 7" w/ Modern Jacket
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Original 1981 pressing of "Prisoners / Hour of Light" 7" with a freshly printed jacket assembled by FMR. Also includes a lyric insert that wasn't a part of the initial release.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Breaking News via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

1.
Prisoners 04:24
You stand and look through the space Of a grey stone square And cry in the bedroom For the wind in your hair The windows are cloudy Outside there is mist But for you the difference Is the strength of your fist In the dark of a nightclub You wish you could see, In the back of your mind You want to be free You want to be free Ha! The passage of time Is an elegant race - For you it is hard, You can’t stand the pace. The mirrors are blushing, The coal is down low - The room is so cold, On the floor there is snow. A tighter grip on the wheel As you try to flee Sitting in the car You want to be free You want to be free Ha! The man in the moon Has his stare fixed on you, In the warmth of the sky You wish you were there too. The shadows are gone, The streetlights are out, Now you are lost, Now you can doubt. There’s a knife in your hand, Stones in the sea - Waves all around you, You want to be free You want to be free Ha! [Repeat]
2.
She’s in the shadow of night And the sound of the whistle in the trees is the fire in her eyes. Her hero is calling, But she dare not speak for the fear of an error in her voice. She hears footsteps creaking, And the finger on the trigger of her life squeezes, squeezes, squeezes tight. She closes her eyes, She knows she’ll be safe when it comes to the hour of light. Hour of light. Her flesh is creeping, The ring on her finger strangles blood rushing quickly in her heart. Laying in the kitchen, She takes a knife from the drawer that she’s chained to for the rest of her life. Her hero is calling And he opens the door to the room he’s only seen on TV. Then she opens her eyes – She knows she’ll be safe when it comes to the hour of light. Hour of light. Hour of light. Ah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3.
[chorus] You’re full of sounds of no tomorrow You’re saying you feel no sorrow, With the pleasure of saying you knew. Tell us there’s no tomorrow – Stand up and say you feel no sorrow, You can say you told me so. Lending an ear to the buzz in the air, Standing proud the wind in your hair, Being a prophet in a jumble sale, Trying to find a donkey for your tale. Telling your friends how we’re destined to die, Singing second hand songs as time passes by, Your mouth is a mirror for the nine-o’clock news And you’ve borrowed a few of Panorama’s views. [chorus] You’re proud of your nightmares and your proud of your stance - You’ve a hydrogen walk and an atomic dance. You say it’s too late, there is nothing we can do, The story is told, we must follow it through. So we are never gonna ‘Protect And Survive’, You say we are not gonna be alive. The future is planned, so all life will stop, But what will you do if the bomb doesn’t drop? [chorus]
4.
You come and see me And you say that you’ve been praying. The night is windy And I can’t hear what you’re saying. Doing to me What you’re doing to me I want you to see What you’re doing to me. If you just hide your face ‘Cos I can’t stand the pace of you. Going around With your head in a cloud. You look back to me And I’m stuck in the crowd. Going around With another new lady. Come back to me ‘Cos I’m crazy for you. You keep on calling But I tell you that I’m busy. I keep on falling ‘Cos you’re making me so dizzy. Doing to me What you’re doing to me I want you to see What you’re doing to me. Please don’t call today ‘Cos I’m running away from you. Going around With your head in a spin. You don’t seem to notice The state that I’m in. Going around With another new girl. Please come back to me ‘Cos I’m all in a whirl for you. You just don’t realise How much that you’ve upset me. If you’d apologise Then you could come and get me. Doing to me What you’re doing to me I want you to see What you’re doing to me. Please come back tonight ‘Cos I’m setting a light for you. Going around With our heads in a cloud ‘Cos we’re free from the crowd. You’ve come back to me And I’m feeling glad. You’ve come back to me ‘Cos I’m You’ve come back to me ‘Cos I’m You’ve come back to me ‘Cos I’m mad for you.
5.
Oriental China, Do you want a preacher? Someone who will teach you, Someone who will save you. Oriental China, Do you want a preacher? Someone who will save you from your heathen godless ways. I know what it's like there. I know what I'll find there. If I get me the keys to the kingdom I'll stay. Keys to the Kingdom. [Repeat x2]
6.
Working on the Mississippi Working on the Mississippi Working on the Mississippi Line. Well I've been working hard on the steam train line Everybody's having such a good time But me I'm a lazy guy. This life's a drag. Hey now brothers I had an idea Come on let's sing loud and clear. Hey now son we're gonna have good fun Working on the Mississippi Line. [chorus] Working, I said I'm working Working hard gonna spend my time Working on the Mississippi Line. [Repeat] Hey now brothers, hey now sisters Come on we gotta sing it loud. Hey now we have gotta sing it loud Working on the Mississippi Line. [chorus] Working, working, working, working yeah Working, Working, working yeah. Working hard working, Working hard working. We’ve got to act hard working on the Mississippi Line. This Mississippi Line is dead, Now we have got to spend our days in bed. We got to work hard, yeah, yeah, We got to work hard on the Mississippi Line yeah. We’ve got to work on hard Working on the Mississippi Line. Working, I said I’m working...
7.
8.
Burning in the street, Confusion all around Soft shoes on our feet But our ears down to the ground. There’s fire in the grooves But chains down on the floor - We’re fighting with our shackles But our heart cries out for more. Spending all our time Dreamin’ of romancin’ But our music’s got no rhyme And our bodies should be dancin’ But how can we all dance When we’re imprisoned on the street? We’ve got to have a chance To get up On Our Feet. [chorus] How can we dance to the music With our backs up to the wall? How can we dance to the music With our backs up to the wall? How can we dance to the music With our backs up to the wall? How can we dance to the music With our backs up to the wall? Calling out your names To go collect our money. Everything’s the same And nothing turns out funny. We just want to get down And party all the night, But how can we go crazy When living’s such a fight? They keep selling us some jive About building a new country But how can we stay alive When we’ve all got to go hungry? We’ve got our backs up to the wall And we want to lose it all And dance The night Away. [chorus] [repeat verse 1] [repeat verse 2] [repeat chorus until fade]
9.
You’re doing alright You got my head on tight You ain’t got no fight But you gotta get smart (Uprising) Put your hands on your back ‘Cos the skin’s gone slack As they put you on the rack And they took your heart (Uprising) Don’t listen to the lies, When you close your eyes You can’t recognise What they used you for (Uprising) Don’t listen to the bitch She’ll take every stitch Give it all to the rich And then she’ll want more (Chorus) Rise up and get your pride back Rise up see what you’re giving Rise up and get your pride back Rise up (Repeat) You can’t fight on the street ‘Cos they’re treading on your feet And there’s no way you’re gonna beat them When they shoot you dead (Uprising) You gotta speak to get them out, You gotta use every shout It’s the only way about Or the plastic bullets turn to lead (Uprising) No martyr’s gonna save ya From the suffering that they gave ya It ain’t no servile behaviour To stand up proud (Uprising) You’ve got to keep your mind steady Don’t let your chest down to your belly ‘Cos when the time comes you gotta be ready Too stand up and shout aloud [repeat chorus til fade]
10.
[chorus] Going Nowhere (my hands are tied) Going Nowhere (my hands are tied) Going Nowhere (my hands are tied) Free I wanna loose through the ropes of this nowhere Free Got to get up on the ladder Free Gotta find myself a place in the hothouse, hothouse Free Gotta push, gotta push ’til I’m at the front Free Wanna run with the fun, wanna drop this skin’ Free Wanna see their faces cry behind me! Free I’m tied too tight, but if the pressures right Free I’m busting out in a rage and you’d better duck. Wanna name Wanna name Wanna name In the game In the game It’s the same You put your brother In the shit In the shit This it This is what we’re living for It’s the score To the core Just on more And then we’re living. [chorus] Greed I wanna chase up to the top Greed I never ever ever ever ever wanna stop Greed See, I’ll have you crawling at my feet Greed Want the money and the fun and the fun and the money Greed Crawl back into the woodwork Greed If only I had the time, if only I had the place Greed Want my face on the pages of a magazine, Greed I want it all. Want a ball Want a ball Want a ball I want it all Want it all You can fall Catch your money falling out Falling out Falling out Ain’t no doubt Just remember my name From the game It’s a shame That it’s you that does the digging. [repeat chorus til fade]

about

Floating Mill Records, FMR.003

Nudge Gambler and the Alcoholics formed in the Islington borough of London in late 1980 when three braille translators decided to leave the pub for “well-oiled sessions in each of our parents’ houses, bashing out some early versions of our songs” (this quote and all subsequent from Glenn). To Glenn Dallender (guitar, most vocals), Martin O’Keefe-Liddard (bass), and Steve Empson (guitar) translating braille was “slow and cumbersome” but playing rock music together, eventually at the local pubs, offered some excitement for the Londoners raised on 60s psychedelic music.

The guys convinced Tilly Vosburgh, an employee at The Old Red Lion, one of their favorite pubs, to join the band (interestingly, Tilly is the daughter of legendary writer/actor Dick Vosburgh, sister of musician Matthew Vosburgh who is best known for founding Solid Space, and a fantastic actress in her own right with 99 acting roles on her IMDb page spanning back to 1974 when she was about 14). “Then we realized we needed a drummer,” so Vince Brown was brought into the fold. After dabbling with other names like The Fucking Horrible Bastards and The Shit Brothers, the crass Nudge Gambler and the Alcoholics took the bar of soap out of their mouths and landed on something a bit more graceful: The Antelopes.

With their new radio-friendly moniker, the band sent a demo tape to legendary BBC Radio DJ John Peel. Peel loved the tape and sent the band back a letter of praise, encouraging a vinyl release from The Antelopes. The band, who’d already been planning a vinyl release on the newly formed (and eventual one-off) Jungle Records run by Glenn, his friends, and his ex-wife, was understandably excited. Glenn, who “adored” Peel, was “elated” to receive the note despite the fact that he (and everyone at FMR) can’t actually read most of the damn thing—if only Peel had written the letter in braille… (The first band we released, The Stick Figures, also got a similar note—Peel cited his poor handwriting as a reason to type that one, but The Antelopes weren’t so lucky. If you can read chicken scratch, please let us know what the note found in the download files says when you get a chance.)

Either way, with this heightened confidence, the band entered Starforce Studios in London to record over a weekend with Martin Daly—they went in with four songs written to record and came out with six ready to go. Everyone chipped in and Jungle Records pressed a 7" of “Prisoners” and “Hour of Light”—two songs inspired by stories Glenn read in the paper (contributing to this reissue's name, “Breaking News”). Those two songs, available in a limited edition of their original-pressing 1981 vinyl from Floating Mill Records, make some of the bands key influences felt: the brooding, gothic psychedelia of The Doors mixed with the new wave danciness (and more brooding, gothic psychedelia) of contemporaries such as The Cure. Left on the cutting room floor, the other four songs tend to show a more playful and at times more “Americana” version of their post-punk/psychedelic fusion—these loose, fun songs that can be found on Breaking News sound like The Antelopes put down the cigarette to lace up their dancing shoes a bit tighter. (The only Antelopes track featured on this release and not recorded at Starforce is the sax-driven, Arabic-influenced instrumental, “Night Yak in Leningrad (Live).”)

That 7”, the only release from The Antelopes during their original stint (before they reunited in the 2010s), hit the local scene running. Legend has it that, appreciating the final product as he had the demo, Peel selected the release as his ‘record of the week’ but evidence to confirm that claim has gone the way of Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. With the help of Peel and a reputation for putting on a great live show, the new band and upstart label sold a few thousand records. (Luckily for FMR, a pile of those records were still unsold, never played, and begging to be put on shelves alongside other top-tier 7”s of that era, so we added an insert and called it a “reissue” for FMR.002.)

However, within about 8 months of their formation, The Antelopes fell apart—”too early” by Glenn’s current calculations. Martin had another band to tour with, and Tilly and Steve were busy writing music for a children’s TV show on top of other artistic commitments. Glenn and Vince’s personal tastes were starting to skew away from the cold danciness of The Cure and towards the protest funk of bands like Parliament/Funkadelic (coincidentally, also a major influence on FMR.001 from The Stick Figures). They found some new band members (Martin Grant, Chris Homewood, Mark & Paul Brandon, and singer Rupert Sweeney) and followed this new inspiration, recording songs as The Class of ‘76. Never-before-released, this funk rock sounds distinctly of its era—in a great way—with bass-heavy melodies feathered by Chic-influenced rhythm guitar. '76's lyrics, presented in anti-capitalist group chants and rapping that draws on early hip-hop releases like "Rapper's Delight," are often even more "punk" than the poetic narratives of The Antelopes.

All in all, Floating Mill Records is incredibly happy to have two great titles from The Antelopes in our catalogue—and to introduce The Class of ‘76.

credits

released November 5, 2021

"Album dedicated to Steve ‘Ace’ Empson, a talented guitarist and gentle man who passed away three Christmases ago, and to Neecy Dallender, a remarkably talented photographer who is missed more with every passing day." - The Antelopes

- The Antelopes -
Songs 1-4 written by Glenn Dallender; Song 5 written by Martin O’Keefe-Liddard, Steve Empson, and Vince Brown; Songs 6 + 7 written by all of The Antelopes.

GLENN DALLENDER - Vocals on 1-4; guitar on 1-4 + 7; bass on 5 + 6; keys on 1 + 2; percussion on 5; backing vocals on 6
MARTIN O’KEEFE-LIDDARD - Vocals on 5 + 6; bass on 1-4 + 7; guitar on 5 + 6
STEVE EMPSON - Guitar on 1-7
TILLY VOSBURGH - Backing vocals on 1, 3 + 6; vocals on 2 + 4; sax on 7: epic scream on 2
VINCE BROWN - Drums on 1-7; percussion on 5
Performing Musician: MARTIN DALY - Extra keys on 2

Songs 1-6 recorded and produced at Starforce Studios in London by Martin Daly in 1981. Song 7 recorded live onto cassette tape.

Songs 1 + 2 originally released in 1981 as a 7” single on Jungle Records that Floating Mill Records reissued as FMR.002 in October 2021. Songs 3-7 originally released in 2020 as a self-reissue from The Antelopes.



- The Class of ‘76 -
Songs 8-10 written by Glenn Dallender.

GLENN DALLENDER - Vocals on 10; guitar on 8-10 (additional guitar on 8-9); keys on 8 + 10; backing vocals on 8-9; EBow on 8; dub-mix guitar on 9
MARTIN GRANT - Bass on 8-10
VINCE BROWN - Drums on 8 + 10
RUPERT SWEENEY - Vocals on 8; backing vocals on 9 + 10
CHRIS HOMEWOOD - Vocals on 9; guitar on 9; timpani on 9: backing vocals on 8 + 10
MARK BRANDON - Backing vocals on 8-10
PAUL BRANDON - Backing vocals on 8 + 10; guitar on 9

Songs 8-10 self recorded by The Class of ‘76 in 1981.

Songs 8-10 previously unreleased.


Floating Mill Records, FMR.003
November 2021

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The Antelopes London, UK

Post-punk band from London, UK. Active from 1980-1981. Reissues from Floating Mill Records.

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