Later that year, they also opened for The Damned on a short tour round the north of England. November 1981 saw the release of their first single, a cover version of Ralph McTell's 'Streets of London', with the song that was to become the group's anthem, 'So What' on the B side.
In 1982, things were looking good for the band, with the 'So What Tour' in the company of such groups as Chelsea, Chron Gen and the Defects, and the release of their debut album We Are...The League. However, the Obscene Publications Squad seized all copies of their records, which were removed from shops and they were banned from TV and Radio. To top it all, they were thrown out of the Top Of The Pops studio...just because Animal happened to be carrying a 3ft axe around with him! However the year finished on a high, with the 'Hardcore Storms America' tour with the UK Subs.
Anti-Nowhere League LogoGilly (real name Mark Gilham) joined the band in 1983 as an extra guitarist, which according to the bands website,[1], was because Magoo was drinking heavily and was often unable to carry out his commitments as guitarist. The band went to Yugoslavia to record a live album, imaginatively called Live In Yugoslavia, but even this was dogged by problems with the authorities insisting that references that Animal had made about recently deceased president Tito be removed from the master tapes, and any language which they deemed to be offensive be bleeped (including a few "when’s", "it’s" and "ands" according to Animal!).
By 1984, things were not looking too good. PJ quit, unable to cope with the pressures of the drugs and alcohol lifestyle the band were now leading and they were musically inactive. 1985 saw Michael Bettel on the drums, followed in 1986 by JB (Jonathan Birch). During this time they signed for GWR Records, and recorded the Perfect Crime album. However, once again there were problems, when GWR refused to put up the money to finish the album once they heard its rough cut, and it was released unfinished to try to get back some of the money already invested in it. This was the final straw, and in 1987 ANWL disbanded. There was a "Farewell" show in 1989.
Fast forward to 1992, and Animal was working on his car, in the rain. The phone went, and it was JB, with the news that Metallica wanted Animal to guest at Wembley Arena, when they did their cover of 'So What'. Apparently Animals response was "Who the fuck are Metallica?, and anyway I'm working on my car!!" JB phoned back later, and managed to persuade Animal to do the slot. Animal put it thus on ANWL's website. "As I waited on the edge of the stage waiting to go on it suddenly dawned on me I was just about to stand in front of 10,000 punters who didn’t know me from Adam and sing a song that I couldn’t fucking remember………….all that kept running through my head was RUN you silly old fucker!". However, after the show, the bug had bitten again. Mark joined that year on Lead Guitar, and 1993 - 1995 was spent playing gigs in the small venues the band had started out in. In 1996, they signed up with Impact Records and recorded their next album Pig Iron. Beef also joined the band after Mark's departure.
1997 saw another personnel change when Winston left the band to be replaced by Jon Jon, and recording the album Scum.
Danny joined on drums in 1998.
The album Out Of Control was released a year later in 1999 2001 Magoo quit playing live shows.
2002 - now.... Jon Jon, Beef and Danny all left, to be replaced by PJ (original drummer), Jez, and Shady. This lineup of the band is still going as of April 2006.
Branded
Anti-Nowhere League Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No kisses in their wine (?)
We see the girl stand still when she learns to kill
Are we in the wrong time?
Why do we laugh a lot?
Why do we cry a lot?
At the things that people say
The boys will be girls
And girls will be boys
But it's a game that we can't play
'Cause we are branded
We are branded
And by the cradle ?
'Cause we are branded
We are branded
And by the cradle ?
We see the boys all run at the sight of a gun
The men lay down and die
We see the bitch with a butch in the city lights
Their mothers start to cry
Why do we scream at night?
Why do we dream at night?
Of the life we never saw
We got false illusion
And world confusion
But we are...what we are
And we are branded
We are branded
And by the cradle ?
And we are branded
We are branded
And by the cradle ?
Why do we scream at night?
Why do we dream at night?
Of the life we never saw
We got false illusion
And world confusion
But we are...what we are
And we are branded
We are branded
And by the cradle ?
'Cause we are branded
We are branded
And by the cradle ?
...
The "Branded" song by Anti-Nowhere League is a powerful message about the societal norms of gender and the confusion that arises from it. The opening line "The times are changing, see the boys in drag" highlights the shift in traditional gender roles and what was once frowned upon is now becoming acceptable. However, the line "No kisses in their wine" shows the struggle that the members of the LGBT community face in terms of their acceptance even though there is a shift in societal norms.
The following line "We see the girl stand still when she learns to kill" is a reference to the patriarchal nature of society where women are supposed to be passive and nurturing, and it shows that society is moving towards a point where there are no gender roles but are still at the transition phase. The lyrics "we are branded, and by the cradle" refers to the fact that these gender roles are instilled in a person from childhood, hence the sense of confusion and struggle.
The chorus "Why do we scream at night? Why do we dream at night? Of the life we never saw, We got false illusion, And world confusion, But we are...what we are" highlights the confusion that arises from the shift in societal norms, causing people to question certain things and leads to a false sense of illusion and confusion. This song calls for acceptance and understanding, and for people to question their own beliefs.
Line by Line Meaning
The times are changing, see the boys in drag
The world is changing, evidenced by men dressing up as women.
No kisses in their wine (?)
The situation is not as romantic as it used to be.
We see the girl stand still when she learns to kill
Women are often unprepared for violence and its consequences.
Are we in the wrong time?
Is this world not meant for us?
Why do we laugh a lot?
We would rather not face reality.
Why do we cry a lot?
We are moved by what people say.
At the things that people say
Words can be very powerful.
The boys will be girls
Men can be feminine too.
And girls will be boys
Women can be masculine too.
But it's a game that we can't play
But society will not let us be who we want to be.
'Cause we are branded
We are marked by society's standards.
And by the cradle ?
It starts from birth.
We see the boys all run at the sight of a gun
Men are often afraid in the face of danger.
The men lay down and die
Men often give up their lives in conflicts.
We see the bitch with a butch in the city lights
Women who are not feminine are seen as subversive.
Their mothers start to cry
It is painful to watch loved ones suffer.
Of the life we never saw
We often have an idealized view of life.
We got false illusion
Our beliefs may be misguided.
And world confusion
The world is not always easy to understand.
But we are... what we are
But we are who we are, regardless of societal standards.
And we are branded
We are marked by society's standards.
And by the cradle ?
It starts from birth.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHRIS EXALL, CLIVE BLAKE, NICHOLAS CULMER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind