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.
Pig Iron
Anti-Nowhere League Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We got videos, stereos, radios and telephones
Nubile contractors, nuclear reactors
Sex scenes in magazines, lazer beams
And war machines
I have no fear the new age is here... pig iron
Technologyis all just shit to me... pig iron
Saterlites and motorbikes
Silicon chips and breakdowns
Virtual reality is breeding insanity
Well, fuck this rat race... shoot me off
Into cyber space...
I have no fear the new age is here... pig iron
Technologyis all just shit to me... pig iron
..Don't touch me...
..I'm dirty...
..Don't push me...
..I'm evil...
Test tube families
We got ecstasy, heroin, crack, cocaine, amphetamine
Sniff it up... jack it up, blow your fucking brains out
We got star wars, race wars...HIV and BSE...
I have no fear the new age is here
Let's fire up the ovens, let's burn the atmosphere...
I have no fear the new age is here...
..pig iron
..pig iron
..pig iron
The lyrics of the Anti-Nowhere League's song Pig Iron vividly describe the dystopian nature of modern society, filled with technological advancements and rampant consumerism. The opening lines, "Plastic age...road rage," set the tone for the rest of the song, highlighting the superficiality and inherent violence of contemporary culture. The verse depicts a world full of material possessions and artificiality, ranging from videos and stereos to sex scenes in magazines and nuclear reactors. However, amid all the technological advancements, there is a sense of despair and nihilism that permeates through the lyrics. The chorus, "I have no fear the new age is here...pig iron, Technology is all just shit to me...pig iron," reflects a rejection of progress and development, suggesting that the new era has failed to bring any genuine improvement to human life.
Additionally, the song highlights society's moral decay and indulgence in self-destructive behavior. The use of drugs such as ecstasy, heroin, crack, and cocaine and the glorification of criminality in phrases such as "sniff it up...jack it up, blow your fucking brains out" reveals a world that has lost its sense of morality, and the consequences are dire. Moreover, war machines and virtual reality contribute to the insanity of the modern world, and the reluctance to take part in it prompts the desire to be shot off into cyberspace.
Overall, Pig Iron is a song that captures the disillusionment and alienation of modern society, expressing a deep sense of cynicism and hostility towards the state of the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Plastic age ...road rage
Our society is driven by plastic products and the need to acquire materials which fuel road rage.
We got videos, stereos, radios and telephones
We have a wide variety of technology at our disposal, including audio and visual equipment as well as communication devices.
Nubile contractors, nuclear reactors
We seek out young and attractive contractors and we use nuclear reactors to generate energy.
Sex scenes in magazines, lazer beams, And war machines
We consume media with sexual content and weapons technology that uses laser beams.
I have no fear the new age is here... pig iron
I am not afraid of these modern times and all the negativity that comes with it.
Technologyis all just shit to me... pig iron
I believe that technology is not worth pursuing and it adds nothing valuable to our lives.
Saterlites and motorbikes
We have technology that allows us to communicate through satellites and we also have motorbikes as a mode of transportation.
We got smog counts... head counts, Silicon chips and breakdowns
We measure the amount of pollution in our environment and track people's movements through data collected from silicon chips, but we also experience technological failures.
Virtual reality is breeding insanity
The use of virtual reality technology is causing people to lose touch with reality and become mentally unstable.
Well, fuck this rat race... shoot me off Into cyber space...
I am tired of participating in this competitive lifestyle and would rather escape into the world of technology.
..Don't touch me...
I do not want to be touched physically or emotionally.
..I'm dirty...
I am not pure or innocent.
..Don't push me...
I do not want to be pressured or manipulated.
..I'm evil...
I have bad intentions and I am capable of doing immoral things.
Test tube families
We have families that are created through artificial means in a laboratory.
We got ecstasy, heroin, crack, cocaine, amphetamine Sniff it up... jack it up, blow your fucking brains out
We have access to various drugs and people abuse them by inhaling, injecting or ingesting them until they become addicted or even lose their lives.
We got star wars, race wars...HIV and BSE...
We have wars fought in outer space and wars fought based on race, as well as diseases like HIV and BSE which have caused widespread panic.
Let's fire up the ovens, let's burn the atmosphere...
We should destroy the planet and cause further harm to our environment.
..pig iron
These societal issues and technological advancements are irrelevant and insignificant.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David
We've got some
Half price cracked ice
And miles and miles of carpet tiles
TVs
Deep freeze
And David Bowie LPs.
Ball games
Gold chains,
What's-names
Pictures frames
And leather goods
And Trevor Francis track suits.
From a mush in Shepherds Bush
grindcoremaniac
anti-nowhere league was one of the most energetic punk bands ever. animal is a crazy lead singer
metamaggot
one of the few singers who sounds as good on record as live...and still as good twenty years later
Milky
Kieth Warren of the Adicts is the same
Ken M
Great song, the boys have still got it after all these years !
Joseph Duffy
How on earth can 60 people not love this song
Todor Radic
Classic British music, I agree with Doug, they're very Motorheadesque, keep 'em coming!!!
darren kawasaki
80's. the good old days. anti nowhere league was my number 1. and its mint to see there still going strong today
Eugene
Still one of my favorites!!🤘🙂🍻
Villious Vile
This song is fucking excellent. The first track of a wholly top album, one of my favourites. CHEERS CHAPS.
DooMRunneR
one of the best and oldest punk bands ever