NO AUTHORITY BUT YOURSELF
Be an artist, be a carer, whatever you like
Be trans, be an activist, whatever feels right
You don’t need consent for the skin that you’re in
Be the person you admire, be content within
There is no authority but yourself
Don’t live your life for anyone else
Be a writer, be a fighter, be an instigator
Be queer, be a witch, be an agitator
Take that trepidation and turn it round
Don’t let the bastards ever grind you down
There is no authority but yourself
Don’t live your life for anyone else
Be a squatter, be a lover, if that’s what works for you
Be unruly, be fragile, but just strive to be true
Never let the doubters make you feel marginalised
Unseen masses are standing at your side
There is no authority but yourself
Don’t live your life for anyone else
GET OFF THE STAGE
I think you’ve lost your balance
This isn’t about free speech
If you give a stage to racists
They’ll fill it with hate speech
Get off the stage
Get off my TV
Whipping up rage
In a lying frenzy
Giving fascism a platform
free reign to the intolerant
Broadcasting to the nation
emboldening the ignorant
Get off the stage
Get off my TV
Whipping up rage
In a lying frenzy
MY STREET
A thousand houses like mausoleums
Two thousand drones ignoring their fate
A guy that lives in the piss filled doorway
Of a family who feed their dogs on steak
When you don’t want to be heard
When you don’t want freedom of choice
If you want to feel the comfort of blinkers
Contained like laboratory mice
A thousand boxes with neat little labels
Two thousand corpses just waiting to die
Neighbours getting mugged by junkies
No worse than those who just walk by
If you like to shut your doors
Close the curtains to the world outside
When you want to be placated by boredom
And live like you already died
Come live on my street
Come live on my street
CO-OPERATION NOT COMPETITION
Everything seems to be a competition today
Every TV show needs a vote to go or stay
Vote ‘em off, keep them in, you have the final say
Turn the TV off there is a better way
How about some co-operation
Or Collaboration
How about some communication
And community
Check the stats you did more, so you win today
But don’t let this drop or you’ll be on your way
Everyday is a competition trying hard to stay
Everyone against each other a cruel game to play
How about some co-operation
Or Collaboration
How about some communication
And community
We have to work together we should co-operate
We have the power to refuse and not participate
Communicate, collaborate, prepare to agitate
Don’t play their game and don’t assimilate
WEENING OURSELVES OFF
Shake off the enduring myth and nutritional lies
It’s time we all grew up and opened up our eyes
Dairy cows, your welfare and the planet are at stake
Milk is just infanticide, and nothing short of rape
Lets start to ween ourselves off
Its time we weened ourselves off
If we create a need big businesses will follow
Industrialised murder will become too hard to swallow
When there’s six kinds of plant milk in every single store
It seems to me that we just won’t need it any more
Lets start to ween ourselves off
Its time we weened ourselves off
You only drink it because you never questioned why
But for your daily pint an animal must die
A legacy of subsistence farming we no longer need
Where half the world are hungry due to other people’s greed
Lets start to ween ourselves off
Its time we weened ourselves off
VANITY OR CHARITY
It’s on the news what a disgrace
A gross display of vanity
A billionaire has gone to space
To raise money for charity
What a messed up world
Some people seem to have it all
And no one ever says a word
When others are just left to fall
There’s not a decent billionaire
But lots and lots of decent poor
Yet no one really seems to care
It’s their exploitation you ignore
What a messed up world
Some people seem to have it all
And no one ever says a word
When others are just left to fall
A billionaire went to space
When some people need charity
GOVERNMENTS DON’T CARE
I’ve got over a hundred words
They’re all floating round my head
None are very eloquent
Anger at the lies they spread.
Fuck governments (x4)
Governments don’t care for you
Governments don’t care about you
Just the money they can accrue
Their dividends and dirty deals
While we subsidise their meals
Fuck governments (x4)
Governments don’t care for you
We don’t need a government
Fuck them all there’s more of us.
QUESTION EVERYTHING
Too many rich white males
Filling small minds with division
Keeping them fixated on fear
And seeing with tunnel vision
Always remember to question
And see what’s in front of your eyes
Always remember to question
Then you’ll see through their lies
Truth is they don’t really care
For all the people of the nation
The rich get richer and richer
As workers face more exploitation
Always remember to question
And see what’s in front of your eyes
Always remember to question
Then you’ll see through their lies
PRESS-TIGIDITATION
Inhumanity and government lies
Watch them disappear in front of your eyes
Lackies of the system peddling filth
Falling for the same tricks in spite of ourself
Pay no attention, look over here
We can make problems disappear
Misdirection is the name of the game
Swapping out scandal for glitter and fame
Slight of hand magic to ramp up the fear
Smiling as the skeletons disappear
Pay no attention, look over here
We can make problems disappear
Mass media – equals mass control
Spin the wheel of fortune and see where it lands
You see ink but I see blood on your hands
The heart doesn’t grieve on what the eyes don’t see
You might trick the crowd but you don’t fool me
NSFW
I'd rather sit and listen to (punk rock) music
I’d rather be playing in this band
Prefer hanging out with cats and dogs
The work ethic I just don't understand
Not Suitable For Work
I'm Not Suitable For Work
I'd rather hit snooze than get up
More to life to work: there's play and rest
Rather be outside than sitting in an office
A day off or a holiday is best
Not Suitable For Work
Not suitable for work
I'm Not Suitable For Work
FREE SPEECH FOR THE DUMB
We all know its what you’re used to
But stop making this all about you
Until the balance is redressed
Give your own opinions a rest
There will be no white history month
Don’t want your not all men bullshit
Don’t wanna hear that all lives matter
You really just don’t fucking get it
Until we all take a step forward
Your small concerns just leave me bored
Reach out and just help others up
And keep your own mouth fucking shut
You know your privilege is showing
But somehow you just keep on going
Keep your poison to yourself
And join a cause for someone else – for once
KEEPING YOU POOR
Blame those living on benefit street
As they struggle to make ends meet
While that pop star you think is so sweet
Is a filthy rich tax dodging cheat
Asking you to give more and more
Call you lazy because you’re poor
Demanding you give more and more
While making sure that you stay poor
Asking those who have the least
To give some more to show they care
While they’re promoting their career
And not contributing their fair share
Asking you to give more and more
Call you lazy because you’re poor
Demanding you give more and more
While making sure that you stay poor
Work more hours with no time off
Get less pay for the hours you give
Can’t afford the heat or food to live
Capitalism needs to keep you captive
Asking you to give more and more
While making sure that you stay poor
Demanding you give more and more
Doing all they can to keep you poor
WHY BELIEVE?
Why tether yourself
To a blinkered fantasy
Why confine your life
To a stalemate in a waiting room
Why look for support
From a phantom that you’ll never see
Why devote your time
To a god that only feeds your guilt
Why do you believe
In a world that isn’t real, instead of what you see
Why not rise from your knees
And challenge what christ allows
Why not put things right
Instead of looking to the sky
Why bow and scrape
To a master who serves you lies
Why not ditch the bullshit
And start to live without control
Why do you believe
That god must action change, instead of being free
Is it because you are weak? – and in need of chains
Is it because you are lazy? – and cannot stand alone
Is it because you’re brainwashed – and let yourself be
Or it is all of the above?
FRIENDS NOT FODDER
I’ve seen the look of love
I’ve seen the look of fear
I’ve seen inquisitiveness
Content when their held near
CH: But still you bastards eat them
And still you bastards kill them
You fuckers even hunt them
Inflict cruel Experiments on them
You Work them to their death
Whip them raw until they race
Shoot them if they’re injured
Discard them when they lose the pace
THE FALLEN
When I found out you were gone
A part of me could not go on
So many thoughts I shared with you
So little time to see them through
All that time just being there
It left me stranded in despair
How to move beyond the past
When potential can just fade so fast
The fallen – I still think of you so often
The Fallen – Your ideas won’t be forgotten
But those conversations have not gone
And in my head you’re standing strong
I feel the fight because of you
You made me think the way I do
I realise that everyday
To make a change, to have my say
To stand my ground and sing this song
Allows your voice to carry on
THE WOKE SONG
Can't say you're English - Because of woke
Can't have Christmas - Because of woke
Can't tell sexist jokes - Because of woke
Can't have human rights - Because of woke
Can't sleep in because I woke
Can't play conkers - because of woke
Can't have black bin bags - Or white tea
Can't sieg heil - Because of woke
Can't be a racist prick - Because of woke
Can't have manhole covers - Because of woke
Can't have bent bananas - Because of Woke
Can't hate people - Because of woke
Can't have Easter eggs - Because of yolk
Because of woke
ABRAZOS - My Street EP
Alan - Bass & Vocals / Nath Guitar / Tony - Drums & Vocals
Recorded at The Fishtank in Portsmouth on 13th & 14th April 2025 By Dave Sloan
Backing vocals by the Dangerous Brothers - Damo Mapson, Jochen Such & Rob Day
Extra lyrical input from Dave Sloan and Sarah Whatley
Thanks to Dave Sloan, The Dangerous Brothers, Pete Zonked,
Gaz Suspect, Stuart Armstrong, Pete at Noise Merchant
and Angus Quinn for the Abrazos carrier bag
How we recorded it
We had recorded our Nothing Gets Changed By Being Polite album in June 2021 and Alan moved to Scotland. We got together for a gig in Plymouth in October of that year and then recorded the People Not Products EP in 2023 remotely, with Tony and Nath doing their bits with Dave at the Fishtank and Alan laying down his bits in Scotland.
We kept writing riffs and sending them to each other and by January 2024 we had 13. Another couple popped up shortly after. Words were written and pinged back and forth. Alan made the long journey down so we could do 2 practices and gigs in London and Southampton at the end of August 2024 but we were too busy trying to remember how to play our existing songs to worry about the new stuff. Tony and Nath practiced 8 of the songs and captured rough room recordings to work from in October 2024 and then did the others in January 2025.
Plans to re-record a few old songs and, perhaps over ambitiously, record covers of SLF and X-ray Spex songs went out the window.
On Friday 11th April 2025 we practiced the songs now assembled on this release a couple of times each.
We went into the Fishtank on the afternoon of Sat 12th April and laid down the drums, bass and guitar live. All recorded live by Dave Sloan. No extra guitar. We made sure we did each song right twice (although in one or two cases it took 5 goes) and picked the best take for each. That evening Tony and Alan finalised who was singing which bits. On Sun 13th April we popped back down to spend an afternoon doing the vocals, joined by the Dangerous Brothers for backing (now expanded from two drunken maniacs to three hungover bums).
What you hear is raw and not overehearsed and that's the way we like it. Stripped back is the Abrazos way. Captured not connected energy
We are indebted to the good nature, technical skills and patience of Dave Sloan who manages to capture what we do when other studios would probably squash the butterfly while trying to capture it.
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