Back in 2014 we released the History Lessons 7″ EP … two songs each from Action Sedition and Spanner.
Note: it’s now available as a free / pay-what-you-like download at the Rebel Time Records bandcamp page … check it out right here !
Spanner’s contributions to this platter were the songs “Always Antifascist” and “Impossible” … both instant classics and smash hits …
Now, in 2019, Spanner have resurrected, revisited and remade these two top-notch tunes and included them on their brand new full-length We Won’t Be Stopped. Rebel Time Records will have copies of the album (vinyl and cd) in hand shortly. Stay tuned.
In 2014 we asked Spanner to give us the run-down on these two ditties; a bit of commentary on what inspired these songs. What the band said remains timely, topical, pertinent and to the point.
Thusly, and without further ado, here are the brand new versions of “Always Antifascist” and “Impossible” along with lyrics and Spanner’s remarks … dig it … pics are from the We Won’t Be Stopped recording sessions …
It’s a tired old story when times are harsh
The racists and fascists go on the march
With twisted faces and ideas
Misplaced anger, ignorance and fear
They go for easy targets and never aim high
Believing all the bullshit and swallowing all the lies
Yeah they can shout loud but they’ve nothing to say
Just the same old bigotry that never goes away
Repackaged as radical, new and improved
But so many times it’s been proved
They’ve got nothing to offer but division and hate
And power and strength to the nation state
Raised fists antifascists help the fightback spread
And the only good fascist is one that is dead
Militants in resistance we know our enemies
And we know that our best weapon is solidarity
Police and fascists march side by side
It’s always been the way, it can’t be denied
Waving batons or St George crosses
They’re working for the rich and the same bosses
So there’s plenty of violence to protect “Free speech”
For the fascist scum and the filth they preach
Their “right to protest” is always ensured
While antifascists feel the force of the law
Liberals without a clue
Trying to tell “the movement” what to do
Follow the leaders from a to b
And let’s pretend we got unity
Stirring speeches keep people still
As designated protest pens get filled
Miles from the fascists behind police rails
Playing it safe and doomed to fail
We know that fighting fascism means sometimes we have to fight
Not pacified, dead end demos where everything is so polite
It’s not about being macho, elite or super tough
But a look at the history of fascism should tell us enough
It’s confidence and strength will grow if it is unopposed
So with barricades and whatever it takes we’ll make sure their road is closed
Wherever they start we have to stop them to make sure they have no chance
There’s many ways to beat the fascists and push back their advance
We’ll never accept the rise of the right or fascists on our streets
And we won’t follow leaders on the long road to defeat
In memory of fallen comrades we will never forget
Nor do we forgive so our rage is fuelled to destroy the fascist threat
Spanner says:
“These lyrics were written in the context of a resurgent far right worldwide and we feel everyone should be aware of the true character of right wing 
movements however much they attempt to re-brand themselves in current times.
In the UK we have many outspoken fascists and they are regularly in the mainstream media gaining confidence and trying to recruit new members from mass and social media hysteria targeting immigrants. They will use any opportunity and tragedy to exploit community tensions and people’s shitty living and working conditions shifting the blame from the ruling elite to working class immigrant communities. This works quite nicely for bosses and politicians who in times of crisis always fall back on using fascists to do their dirty work, attacking social movements, trade unionists and instigating terrorism and mass murder. Fascism and Racism cannot be separated from the normal requirements and workings of capitalism. Changing all this is not going to be easy! Witness in Greece the huge upsurge of openly fascist Golden Dawn in the face of austerity measures, in Ukraine the right wing take over of the government with brutal murders of political opponents on the streets. They have gained strength with well documented police collusion whilst violently attacking enemies and minorities. Fascists have created an atmosphere of fear and suspicion, blaming working class immigrants for the greed and excesses of the rich. We hate what capitalists and fascists have done to this world.
While our preferred way would be to encourage people to change their views, most fascists don’t and they need to be targeted and stopped from spreading race hate and violence as a matter of urgency. We honour the history of antifascist fighters from the partisans fighting Mussolini, the Spanish Civil War and the Nazis to the street fighters of today. We also understand that history has shown that physical confrontation is an effective way to stop fascism in its tracks, however we do also support a diversity of tactics and different ways of confronting fascism as we talk about in the song. Whatever your preferred way to fight fascism, if it is not stopped it starts with racist attacks and can escalate further, ending in concentration camps and genocide.
The police have a long history of routine protection of free speech for fascists whilst denying it to and physically attacking those who oppose them. Free 
speech under capitalism is a farce and an illusion and we certainly don’t think it should be applied to those who exploit it to further race hate. If you think the law is going to protect your free speech, think again – neither the law nor free speech will defeat fascism. In the face of overwhelming repression and criminalisation of social movements as we have seen worldwide it is clear that we cannot rely on our basic “civil liberties”. Liberal antifascism with it’s flawed analysis and tactics, misguided faith in mainstream politics and reliance on government to solve these problems is dangerous in the extreme and has contributed to the growth of fascism.
If we’re serious about defeating Capitalism and Fascism we have to use all tools at our disposal, whether its guitars or iron bars”
The world we want to live in is too far away
The bad times are here to stay
All hope is gone and there’s nothing we can do
Apathy is everywhere the rebels are too few
No one is listening to the screams and shouts
We’re powerless and we can’t break out
Revolution was just a futile dream
The struggle’s been lost or so it seems
But the only struggle that is lost is the one that’s never fought
So hold your head up high and fight to win
Demand the impossible with a new world in our hearts
Stay solid never give in
Everything has a price and it’s all doomed
to be used, exploited and consumed
A devastated planet pushed over the brink
Millions of species made extinct
So much life annihilated by politics
Toxic air and chemicals keep us sick
Desperate people, ruined lives everywhere
Suffering’s so normal that no one cares
Children learn early on that life is cruel
Violence and domination are what rules
We’ll never know peace or freedom or a life not sold
We’re defeated, beaten, numb and so controlled
But there’s many of us having a go
And living our lives against the flow
Remember that you are not alone
And nothing here is set in stone
Recognise our struggles are all linked
And things can change faster than you think
Victories and struggle can be won
The impossible can be done
Spanner says:
“Surrounded everyday by bleak news, relentless consumerism, routine 
abuses, daily poverty and violence and “business as usual” ecocide it is easy to see how comrades can loose hope in the modern world. The grip of the state seems ever stronger with social movements enduring surveillance, infiltration, out-right repression and a lack of people getting involved in the fight. Whether it’s apathy, fear or cynicism or just a life of daily struggles to survive there are so many obstacles for people joining the struggle.
So much is designed to keep us apart, isolated as individuals whether it is shitty new contracts where you don’t know your co-workers or when you will work, the rise of social media and its associated online activism and simply the cost of living increasing not matched by wages brings us all down. The concerted effort by the state to prevent us working together, whether that is through legal avenues such as anti protest laws, or social control is not an accident.
However. There is much we can do to break out of our little boxes, and learning from the lessons of the past we can find ways to work together, and fight to win. We can gain so much inspiration from other struggles and victories, both at home and away. We get strength and inspiration from hearing about the countless ways people find to resist. In the face of so much intended to break our spirits, hope and solidarity their creativity, determination and ingenuity help us carry on. Never give up!”
