The band behind the massive hit ‘Liar Liar’ are not letting BBC censorship beat them [VIDEO]

Captain SKA’s track Liar Liar GE2017 is now at number four in the UK Top 40 chart. But BBC Radio One has refused to play the song, due to impartiality rules. And it’s even put a generic photo in, where the song’s artwork should be. But Captain SKA is not letting this stop it from getting its message about Theresa May out there.

Jamming in Brixton

On Wednesday 7 June, the band will play at the legendary Brixton Jamm venue in South London. The 10-piece group will be performing a live set, including recording a massive crowd sing-along of Liar Liar GE2017 that will be used for publicity. Afterwards, legendary DJ Jamie Renton will be closing the evening with a set of protest tunes. Tickets for the must-see music gig of the election are selling fast, and you can buy them here.

It’s been quite a few days for Captain SKA. Its founder Jake Painter told The Canary:

The last week has been truly overwhelming. I can’t believe we are at number four in the UK charts, and I’m just so glad we have got the message out to so many people that you can’t trust Theresa May…

Rattling the BBC

As The Canary previously reported, the BBC seems intent on censoring Liar Liar GE2017 as much as possible. Because on Victoria Derbyshire on Friday 2 June, Painter was told by the show’s Editor “not to go too hard on the Tories” as they had to be “balanced on the show”.

But this hasn’t stopped the song’s popularity from ballooning. It’s been viewed 2.4 million times on YouTube and reached number two in the iTunes download chart. All download proceeds from before the 8 June election will go to food banks across the UK, and to the People’s Assembly, which is promoting the track on behalf of Captain SKA.

Eclectic roots

Painter told The Canary that he started the band in 2010 because he was “horrified about the austerity measures being brought in by the coalition government, and equally appalled at the lack of musical response”. But the group’s influences run a lot deeper:

The band are all freelancers and I like to think everyone’s specialism comes into play in the writing. One of our singers, Rubi, is a dancehall specialist and brings a heavy dose of that. The rhythm section are Brazilian. And our guitarist plays awesome Jazz, and also is amazing at mixing and mastering. So it all adds up. From a reggae point of view I also toured for many years with the wonderful Maroon Town and learned my skanking chops with them.

Be part of history

It is telling of the current mood in the UK that Captain SKA’s track is performing so well. And with the opinion polls showing a noticeable shift in Labour’s favour, it seems the public is becoming increasingly aware of just what’s at stake in this election. Jake is personally throwing his weight behind Labour:

The best outcome for me would be that Corbyn wins. It’s totally doable. There’s a lot of angry young people out there. And if they mobilise and vote in mass I can see a big upset.

And if Corbyn does win, Liar Liar GE2017 just might go down in history as one of the seminal protest songs of all time. So if you want the chance to be part of that history, warm up your vocal chords and get down to Brixton Jamm on Wednesday 7 June. It may be the last time you get to call Theresa May a ‘liar’ while she’s Prime Minister.

Get Involved!

– Make sure you download Liar Liar GE2017 and get tickets to Captain SKA’s gig on 7 June.

– Get out there and vote on 8 June. And encourage others to do the same.

– Discuss the key policy issues with family members, colleagues and neighbours. And organise! Join (and participate in the activities of) a union, an activist group, and/or a political party.

– Also read more Canary articles on the 2017 general election.

– Support The Canary if you value the work we do.

Featured image via screengrab