As I wasn’t alive in the 70s/80s, I needed some insight into what the  relationship between music and politics was really like. I spoke to Crass’  Steve Ignorant about his band, what they did for politics, and how the  climate back then compares to now. 

Crass formed in 1977, when the Punk movement had taken off, and people  decided that Anarchism (not supporting any political party) was a better offer than not just the Conservatives, but every other party around at the time. Bands like Crass, the Sex pistols, and The Clash saw something wrong with the world and tried to change it, like Grime artists in the 2017 snap election. 

As well as encouraging fans to boycot political parties, a lot of bands (not just Punk bands) campaigned for nuclear disarmament. This led to Glastonbury getting involved in 1981, 'the year of the CND support' - and this is a relationship that still exists today. The CND charity runs a stall at the festival, and will have speeches and debates organised.

Crass' gigs immersed you with information, from leaflets with political  information, recipies, legal advice, and more; to TV screens behind them  showing the news while they played; to inspiring artwork. It was an  impressive amount of information, adorning their fans with everything they could, as the internet wasn't around, so you couldn't just Google things to get informed.

Nowadays if something happens, it'll be on social media soon after, but before the internet, these bands had to use shock tactics to get heard, and get the coverage they needed to spread their message. The Sex Pistols' famously sailed past the Houses of Parliament giving the building the finger - and it helped to raise anger in the youth at the time, and made them aware of what was going on in politics, forging a better future, and encourtaging people to protest injustices - making a difference.