The Asylum Kids
Black Poem Jugglers

Tracks:

1. Schoolboy
2. Fight It With Your Mind
3. I See Them Laughing
4. Feeling The Spaces
5. Shore's End (Chapter One)
6. No, No, No, No
7. Girl Gone Solo
8. Upside Down
9. Jah Make Up
10. Middle Of The Night
11. Johnny
12. Youth Of Delight
13. Shore's End (Chapter Two)
14. Egotrippers Overload
15. The Gamblers
16. Time Will Show
17. Children Of The Aethyr
18. Policeman

Musicians:

• Robbi Robb: Vocals, guitar
• Steve Howells: Drums
• Dino Archon: Bass guitar, vocals

Release information:

1994, Tusk WOND 123,
replaced by The Complete Asylum Kids in October 2005.

Sleeve Notes:

Wild Youth - And to all our fans who raged, raved and rocked the boat of South Africa mediocrity.

There is no sin but restriction. Restriction is the enemy of freedom. The Asylum Kids were the enemies of restriction. Freedom is the right of every man and woman. Freedom to wear what you want, to play the music you want, to write what you want, to paint what you want, to say whatever you want, to take your fill of love, to work, to learn, to live wherever you want, to worship whoever you want, and whom ever you want, to grow and to be joyous. No person has the right to restrict another. To restrict another is crime, to restrict yourself by fear and stupidity is a crime committed against the whole of society. To restrict natures perfections is a crime, censorship is a restriction of information therefore is a crime against society, Judeo Christian sex repression is a crime. To restrict another persons education is a crime against all of humanity, to murder someone is to cause a restriction to that persons will to live and is a crime. There is no other sin but restriction. Anyone who says this is not true is a liar. The war on restriction was the passion that drove the Asylum Kids, our weapon was music, our goal was freedom for all, and courage was our armour. There is no law higher than love ... so let the music play and may Light, Life, Liberty and Love Blaze within you.

Review:

"Fight it with Your Mind" was one of those songs that sort of lodged itself into ones brain and never left. With it's sinister guitar and vocals it spirals around, dragging you into itself, at odds with the words as it's difficult to fight the song.

This is just one of the classic punk gems found on "Black Poem Jugglers" a compilation put together by the Asylum Kids and Benjy Mudie (practice for Retro Fresh perhaps?) Here are 18 hard hitting, hard rocking tracks. But despite the harshness of the record, this is never done to the detriment of tune. This is cleverly crafted punk music.

Listen to the quirky ska tinged "Girl Gone Solo" or the anthemic "Schoolboy" and you soon realise that you are listening to The Clash of the S.A. punk scene. Not just rowdy in your face noise that some punk bands tended to make, but it's an intelligent, politcally and socially driven compilation of tunes.

Robbi Robb's voice is angry but never out of control. It compliments his edgy guitar work and is ably backed up Dino Archon's rhythmic bass which add body to the songs. Drumming courtesy of Steve Howells completes the accomplished sound.

There is a dark side to some of the songs. "Johnny" is a particular example along with "Children of the Aethyr" (a previously unreleased track). The music on these tracks is haunting and foreboding. Not the kind of music you want to bump into in a dark alley. There are shades of early Cure and Bauhaus in these songs, but they never sound derived. As with other S.A. punk albums (especially Peach's "On Loan for Evolution"), there is a sound to it that distinguishes it from it's international counterparts. Lyrically it's the different social issues being protested against, but musically I think there are hints of township jive guitar that give the album it's different sound.

If you like raw, edgy rocky punk that maintains a high degree of tunefulness, then I suggest you seek out this album.
-- John Samson, December 2000

Webpage:

• The Asylum Kids