Experiments in Living --

* a defeat for a generation lost in a world with no taste

(We Are) Performance

If you got into the Manics because of their lyrics, if you loved Miss Black America and Hope of the States because of everything they stood for then read on. (We are) Performance are about to become your new favourite band.

Just look at the bands that currently take up space in the music press and on “alternative” playlists. Doesn’t it depress you that bands such as the Pigeon Detectives and the Fratellis could just as easily be on the front cover of FHM as the NME? Admit it, you’re angry and pissed off. I know I am: Alternative culture has been hijacked by bands who say nothing and stand for nothing – but get away with it because no one seems to care anymore. Well I care and the reason why I am introducing you to (We are) Performance is because I know they do to. They may sound electro, but rest assured they are for real, and their ethic is punk rock. They represent us. The outsiders. Those of us who never quite fitted in: “ We wont be found on dancefloors we cant dance on / We wont be found on pavements we cant stand on ” They share your sense of alienation; and demand that you join them as they rail against popular culture.

How many times have you found yourself sitting in the common room or watching TV simply unable to understand the appeal of “ Idle lives of laughter and magazines.” Sound familiar? Are you as fed up as I am of a world that constantly tries to turn you into someone you are not? Then now is the time to “ Surrender / There is no time to lose. ”

(We are) Performance, believe that the only way out is to start all over again “ Lets set sail for nowhere. ” Performance are that moment of realisation “ I get up / I go out / and everything is changing ” …but more than that, they offer hope: “ The sky looks like a futuristic metal / It makes the world look rather dated ” in circumstances where no one else seems to care.

They demand that your life consists of more then consumption and pseudo choice. “ Plan your life and then die in advance / Take a glance around your death bed / Confess / Confess / You want more ” and they aren’t afraid to point out the monotony of those around you: “ That’s gunfire! / Who's bleeding? / It's just this walking wounded life we're leading ” They make you see things differently: “ This aint a club it’s an abattoir. ” By believing in the transformation of everyday life they make us feel less alone.

(We are) Performance believe in creativity, detailed thoughts, and fucking fun and increasingly you find yourself agreeing with them: “ I could have tried to live for longer / I want more ”

Let (We are) Performance “ twist into your fate… ”

As Vaniegem said: “ The only thing that is of practical importance is the resolution of our fundamental problem: our own self realisation, our escape from the system of isolation. This is the only thing that’s necessary. Nothing else ”

(We are) Performance are too important a band to be indifferent towards. Don’t be afraid! It’s OK! Things have started to change already! Hear that? It’s the sound of Lost youth fading into the distance… the sound of a million brain dead indie records being shattered as people start to re-examine what alternative culture can be.

(We are) Performance may be aiming high, but as Kafka wrote, it’s only by believing passionately in something that still does not exist that we create it.

Rules are Rules. Our Rules are Rules.

Some say the world will end in Performance…….

Don’t forget to choose.

www.weareperformance.co.uk

Article by Sheraz Qureshi