Page 25 - Black Velvet Issue 94

BV94 pg22-25 xander_BV94 pg25 17/09/2017 00:19 Page 4

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short and to the point.” has created more division, hatred
and trauma to both the victims and
s a band that focus on the soldiers. Even the soldiers be-
Apeace, it is no surprise that come victims by believing these
they have a song related to the deceitful agendas will have any
atrocities of war. In ‘Dance With positive outcomes for humanity
The Devil’ Keith sings, ‘Joined the and the world as a whole.”
army to see the world, to be a man,
to fight a war, but I just ended up ut getting back more to the
killing strangers’. Stu tells us that Bmusic, and in particular,
their father was involved in World the band’s live shows. They tell us
War II. “Our father flew Lancaster what they aim for. “Our job is to
Bombers during WWII and was se- make the audience feel uplifted in
verely traumatised by his experi- these precious passing moments;
ences – he taught us with our music unites us all when we sing
mother early on about the futility of and dance together. We feel if you
war. He died when we were young connect with the audience by inter-
after years of drinking and smoking acting with them and playing from
finally caught up. In recent years, the heart, they will usually feel part
we have had friends both join the of the show. Music for us is about
services and come back mentally inclusion, getting the audience in-
and spiritually damaged from the volved by clapping and singing
many wars raging around the world along makes them part of the
they have taken part in. The song magic; one cannot be without the
was written to try and counter the other.”
war propaganda and dispel the Keith adds, “The most impor-
hero myth – we wanted to do this tant aspect of the gig is to maintain
with empathy for the soldiers, as in a connection by involving the audi-
a lot of ways they are victims too. ence in the performance in a play-
Rich men send poor men to fight ful, simple way by asking them to
for resources, so rich men can stay clap and sing along; one of my
rich and poor men can stay poor.” favourite things to say is “clap your
We often hear about veterans hands if you got ‘em”.”
that have PTSD, and that 22 veter- Recently, Keith and Stu have
ans die every day from suicide. been taking their blues to schools.
Keith says, “The real war should be Stu explains, “Both Keith and I, in
a war against suicide and its our teens, worked doing arts and
causes – more soldiers die from music workshops and this is a
suicide than on the battlefield – we theme that continues. We have re-
think that says a lot. Humans are cently been going into inner city pri-
not meant to kill each other and to mary and junior schools in
do so breaks them inside. It’s Liverpool and performing and talk-
ridiculous to think that on Thursday ing about diversity and peace. The
a person can be in Iraq shooting blues in schools thing is in direct
people in the head using a sniper response to hearing that the mili-
rifle and then on Saturday they can tary have been going into junior
be home with their family and feel schools and running leadership
OK. We, as the public, are guilty of and self-respect courses - this is
supporting this madness and as obviously an insane idea and a fat
such condemning these soldiers to load of brain washing.”
mental illness and suicide. Keith adds, “We go in and ex-
“We know a few people who plain that they can be creative and
are ex-armed forces, including run their own lives doing something
members of Veterans For Peace, they love; they just have to believe
who are part of a movement to dis- and never give up.”
courage people joining the forces Schools are not the only un-
that hold us all prisoners to fear. conventional gig settings that they
We see that the co-operation with have entered into though. The
violence and war is the problem, guys (who happen to be vegan)
that if people really understood that posted recently about playing ‘a
they were part of the problem by lunchtime set between bingo and a
partaking in such crimes against comedian’ at The Sandon Complex
nature and their fellow humans in Liverpool. Stu adds that they
they would simply stop, if it is have also “done a number of living
peace they truly seek. But some room gigs and they are always very
are so conditioned that there is an special and unique. We even
attraction and in some cases an cooked dinner at one of the nights
addiction to suffering. The song is before we played; vegan of
the realisation that by playing along course.”
with the agendas of the super rich Take a listen to these guys if
and greedy corporations, we are you haven’t already. Chances are
essentially making life more violent you’ll be as impressed as we were,
and less safe for everyone. It is and may even be (tofu) scrambling
common sense to know that war to book them for a vegan dinner gig
can never be the solution it claims at your own home in the future too!
to seek. War will never bring For more info, visit www.xan-
peace, because it is obvious that it derandthepeacepirates.com
has created the exact opposite. It
Words By Shari Black Velvet

XANDER AND THE PEACE PIRATES