Music review: Stay Voiceless

Manics’ punk spirit is alive and well

Welsh punk three-piece Stay Voiceless

Welsh punk three-piece Stay Voiceless   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Scott Jones

‘Those kids have no idea whatsoever of what went on at Stalingrad’ is a song title that leaves you as curious as the name is long. You certainly take away more from it than the three minutes 32 seconds dose of punk rock you get.

The song is a new single by unsigned Tredegar band Stay Voiceless, and it samples a famous speech that actor and activist Michael Sheen made in the south Wales town in 2015.

Stay Voiceless frontman Chris Morgan says: “I’d attended the People’s March for the NHS in my hometown last year to show my support, protecting the NHS is something quite close to the band’s heart.” Speakers that day included a Caerphilly Socialist Party member before Sheen went viral.

The part of his speech the band has sampled includes: “When people are too scared to say what they really mean, when they’re too careful to speak from their hearts, it’s no surprise that people feel disengaged with politics.

“There is never an excuse to not speak up for what you think is right. You must stand up for what you believe. But first of all – by God, believe in something.”

The band said the speech was perfect for the song, which attacks those who have failed communities and public services. They aim to be a voice for the voiceless, with a sound that is as uncompromising and arresting as the politics – I’m glad to see the spirit of the Manic Street Preachers is alive and well in the Valleys.

  • Check out the song and upcoming gigs at facebook.com/StayVoiceless