Their uncompromising, dissonant sound spanned punk, free jazz, funk and dub music. Their lyrics were, more often than not, politically charged. In '79 they issued their debut single, "She is Beyond Good and Evil" on the Radar label.
The band reformed in 2010 for a reunion tour. In November 2014, the Pop Group announced that they would release an album of new material titled "Citizen Zombie" on 23 February 2015. The album was produced by Paul Epworth.
Their debut album Y, was produced by reggae veteran Dennis Bovell to critical acclaim but low sales figures. Although it did not chart, the album's success was sufficient to convince Rough Trade to sign the band, but not before more line-up changes, with Dan Katsis, formerly a guitarist in the Glaxo Babies, replacing Underwood on bass.
The band's career with Rough Trade commenced with what is possibly their best-known single "We Are All Prostitutes", which featuring a guest appearance by free improviser Tristan Honsinger on cello. This was followed the release of their second album, For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder? in 1980, which included a contribution from US proto-rappers The Last Poets.
Shortly afterwards The Pop Group released a split single, "Where There's a Will There's A Way", with The Slits, a band with whom they now shared a drummer and managers (Christine Robertson and Dick O'Dell), as well as a growing interest in exploring dub and funk rhythms.
The band split in 1981, after legal wranglings and internal disagreements. Members of the group went on to form bands including Pigbag, Maximum Joy, Head and Rip Rig & Panic, the latter notable for the involvement of Neneh Cherry.
Singer Mark Stewart, meanwhile, collaborated with Adrian Sherwood and the On-U Sound posse, issuing records firstly as Mark Stewart and Maffia, then as a solo artist.
The Pop Group and associated bands started a Bristol 'scene' that would later spawn trip-hop.
It was reported on 24 May 2010 that the Pop Group would be reuniting. Stewart announced the first two dates of a reunion tour. Three members of the original line up were part of the reunion with two gigs in London and two in Italy initially confirmed. The band played live in Paris (for the first time) on 6 September 2010, at La Machine Du Moulin Rouge venue as part of "L'Etrange Festival" Film Festival which served as a kick off to their five date tour through Europe which included a London gig on New Year's Eve with Sonic Youth and Shellac.
In a 2010 interview, Stewart said that the reformed Pop Group was recording a new album, to be titled The Alternate. However, this album never materialized. The band were chosen to perform at the ATP I'll Be Your Mirror festival curated by ATP & Portishead in September 2011 in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
They have been cited as an important influence in the development of alternative music in the 1980s; Mike Watt, of Minutemen and, more recently, Nick Cave , have cited the Pop Group as an important source of inspiration on their own work. In November 2013, the band played the final holiday camp edition of the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Camber Sands, England.
The Pop Group's 1980 LP We Are Time saw its first reissue worldwide (ex. Japan) on October 20, 2014. The band also released a brand new compilation of rarities titled Cabinet of Curiosities. In support of the reissues the band undertook a 7 day UK tour starting on October 20 in Edinburgh and ending on October 26 at the Islington Assembly Hall in London. Richard Williams - who championed the band and featured them on the front of Melody Maker on 24 March 1979 - wrote in his review of the London show: 'one of the most important British bands of the 1970s, the gig provided evidence of their continuing relevance'
TRAP
The Pop Group Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Snap my skin
Trap
Scissors cut the seam
Cage
Limb from limb
Cage
Now the sand flows in
Scissors cut the seam
Limb from limb, now the sand flows in
Life life life life
Life is a chair
Death death death death
Come out to play
Come out to play
Choice of freedom to say no
If God is evil, to the devil we go
Burn all of my books
Burn
Burn them page by page
Eat
Cut my flesh
Eat
With a paper edge
Burn all of my books page by page
Repeat
Trap
Life is just a flash
Trap
Constrict like a tomb
Cage
Only death realise
Cage
From chair of freedom
Trap
Life's just a flash
Constricts like a tomb
Death will release from chair of freedom
The Pop Group's song "Trap" is a haunting and intense portrayal of the feeling of being trapped and the desire for freedom. The repeated phrase "trap, snap my skin" suggests physical and emotional pain, as if the singer is trying to escape from a suffocating situation. The use of the verb "snap" implies a sudden, violent action, and the image of skin being broken adds to the sense of vulnerability and rawness.
The lines "scissors cut the seam" and "limb from limb" suggest a sense of dismemberment or fragmentation, perhaps as a result of being confined or trapped. The imagery of a cage and sand flowing in suggest the idea of being trapped and helpless, with no way out. The repeated phrase "life is a chair, death come out to play" suggests that freedom and escape are not easy or painless, but may involve taking risks or even facing death.
The lyric "choice of freedom to say no" speaks to the power of choice and the idea that true freedom requires the ability to resist or reject. The line "if God is evil, to the devil we go" suggests a questioning of traditional religious beliefs and the idea that one must choose between different forms of oppression or control.
Overall, "Trap" is a powerful and challenging song that speaks to the human desire for freedom and the struggle against confinement and oppression.
Line by Line Meaning
Snap my skin
A plea to escape from a situation that makes one feel trapped
Scissors cut the seam
The only way out is through pain
Cage
A metaphor for confinement
Limb from limb
To be separated or divided completely
Now the sand flows in
When one is no longer alive, their body returns to the earth
Life is a chair
A metaphor for the mundanity and limitations of existence
Come out to play
A call to embrace the inevitability of death
Choice of freedom to say no
The power to reject societal norms and expectations
If God is evil, to the devil we go
A questioning of traditional religious beliefs and morality
Burn all of my books
An attempt to erase one's past and start anew
Eat
A destructive act that represents self-harm
Cut my flesh
A physical manifestation of emotional pain
With a paper edge
The use of something fragile and fleeting to cause harm
Life is just a flash
The brevity of existence
Constrict like a tomb
Being trapped and confined in life like a prison
Only death realise
That one's true freedom and release only comes with death
From chair of freedom
The irony of feeling trapped even when one has the freedom to act
Trap
The feeling of being confined and helpless
Cage
The sense of being trapped and unable to escape
Writer(s): Mark Stewart, Gareth Sager, Simon Underwood, John Waddington, Bruce Smith
Contributed by Ella D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Juan Pablo Yavoski
genius
Howard Slater
Philosophy of life without philosophers
Ant Scott
trap!!
Ant Scott
life!
Ant Scott
trap!
Ant Scott
release you!
Nate Walker
Boom
Ant Scott
come out and play!!!!!
Ant Scott
gather up!
Ant Scott
gather up!