From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rock Against Communism (RAC) started out as series of white power rock music concerts in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s, and is also a name for the subsequent music genre.[1][2] Despite its name, RAC song lyrics rarely focus on the specific topic of anti-communism. Instead, RAC lyrics typically feature nationalist, neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic and racist themes.[3][4][5][6] Musically, the RAC genre is mostly comprised of Oi!, punk rock, southern rock and rock and roll.[citation needed]
[edit] History
The Rock Against Communism (RAC) movement was started in the United Kingdom in late 1978 by far right activists associated with the National Front (NF), notably Ian Stuart Donaldson of white power skinhead band Skrewdriver. It was intended to counter the influence of — and was clearly named after — the successful Rock Against Racism organisation. The first RAC concert was in Leeds, England in 1978, featuring the Nazi punk bands The Dentists and The Ventz.[7] RAC held one concert in 1979 and another in spring 1983, which was headlined by Skrewdriver. After that, RAC concerts were held more often. RAC concerts were usually held in secret, due to direct action by groups such as Anti-Fascist Action and the Anti-Nazi League. They were often headlined by Skrewdriver, and featured other white power bands such as Brutal Attack, Skullhead, Squadron, Sudden Impact, Ovaltinees, Lionheart, No Remorse, Violent Storm and Battlezone.
In the mid-1980s, summer concerts were often held at the Suffolk home of Edgar Griffin, father of Nick Griffin, a National Front organiser who later became the national chair of the British National Party. By the late 1980s, the RAC name had given way to the White Noise Club (another NF-based group), and later Blood and Honour — which was set up by Donaldson and his friend Nicky Crane when they fell out with the NF leadership.
As hardcore punk music became more popular in the 1990s and 2000s, many white power bands took on a more hardcore-influenced sound. Bands leading this hate-core trend have included Angry Aryans, Blue Eyed Devils and H8Machine. Also popular among white racists is national socialist black metal (NSBM), a racist form of black metal. The lyrics often focus on Norse mythology and a desire to return to a romanticized pre-Christian Europe. Bands in this genre include Absurd and Nokturnal Mortum.
[edit] Notable RAC acts
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
|
Skinhead |
|
Related subcultures
& groups |
|
|
| Music |
|
|
| Clothing & accessories |
|
|
| Other topics |
|
|
