New British army rocks into Turkey

The finale of the third annual Rock’n Dark Express Rock Music competition, organized by Efes Dark Beer, was held at Garajistanbul hall this year. The finalists, eliminated in four acts, were from eight different regions of Turkey. The band Gizli Özne from Antalya came in first place. Last year’s winners, Batı Yakası, also took the stage as the warm-up act for the night’s special guests, New Model Army.

New Model Army, English independent rock legends named after the special military class formed in 1645 during the English Civil War, has a special place in the music world not only because of their combination of soul, folk, punk and rock but also as a result of their independent attitude and their total artistic control over their music, even when they were affiliated with giant record companies such as EMI and Epic.

These days, NMA has a "do it yourself" attitude, releasing records from their own label Attack Attack, and taking care of all their business without involving big business. Justin Sullivan, founding member and vocalist, talked to the Turkish press before the show. "Anybody on an independent label would tell you that you make a lot more money when you sell 10,000 records on your own," he said. "When we signed to EMI, it was because they wanted us, same with Epic, but we do not have music you can label. It is not metal, it is not folk. Nobody knows what it is."

Since 1984

NMA released their first album "Vengeance" in 1984, and ever since they have done whatever they liked. They have violent and angry material as well as peaceful and quiet music, but Sullivan always sings about humanitarian issues, whatever the sound. NMA has always been a political band and their recently completed, still untitled, new album will be no different. Sullivan said that because it was written last autumn, the global economic crisis played a role in its mood. There are two new songs on the album about the crisis: One is called "Today Is a Good Day," which the band played during the show, a surprisingly energetic and up-tempo piece.

Sullivan believes the reason behind their long-term career is that they have followed two rules: "No cocaine and no conservatives in the band." NMA is not a big act, but they have a dedicated following around the world, called "Family" after one of their songs, who have always respected the band’s honesty and integrity. The simplest example of that may be Sullivan’s answer to a question of whether they had entered any music competitions when they were an unknown act: "No, we have never entered a competition. We do not think music is something to be competed in. We hate them actually, but it gives younger bands a chance to play, so É"

This was their fifth visit to Turkey, and Sullivan said he also came to Turkey on his own and had a wonderful time. "I had a book that said in summer, mountains are cool in Turkey and nobody speaks English. Perfect! Then I went to Erzurum to a place called Ani. If it would be in northern Europe, there would be thousands of people there with buses, but I stayed there all day and I saw 20 people," he said.

The show itself was remarkable in every way it counted. The audience was fans; they knew the songs and contributed in each. "Here Comes the War," "Vagabonds," "Green and Grey," "Get Me Out" and "No Rest" were among the highlights of the set, which was celebrated with singing along, slam dancing and drinking by a really happy crowd of which I was glad to be a part. Sullivan said earlier that evening: "We are an interesting band, and we have an interesting audience. In a metal gig, it is like a ritual. Everybody knows what will happen and what to do. With us, it is always the unexpected." You know all of this if you were there, and if you were not, do not despair because NMA is a regular in Turkey. We will see them again this summer when the new album comes out.