Miss Black America

My Miss Black America baptism was filled with both joy and sadness – here was a local band that had it all before them, but I was too old and cynical to enjoy it as I would’ve fifteen years ago. They’ve got tunes, emotion, attitude, and, most importantly of it all, they mean it.

And it’s not just me that thinks so. Like the Manics before them, Nirvana and the Smiths before them, and every other band that has connected with the disaffected youth of their generation, you’re either with them or against them. The faces of the converted throng hang on front man Seymour’s every word - they’d die for him there and then if the chance arose. What he’s offering is a large dose of self-confidence and support; “We’re all born with something that makes us special, but we learn to forsake our abilities in the name of compromise, conformity and consumerism – we say, there’s more to it than that, you’re worth more so NEVER give in.”

Having conquered Cambridgeshire, they’ve set about spreading the word to the nation via their first single, released through local label REPEAT. Containing three regular crowd pleasers, the ‘Adrenaline Junkie Class-A Mentalist EP’ has turned heads, including that of a certain Mr John Peel. Turned it to such a degree, in fact, that he invited them down to do a session for Radio 1. “We were working with the same producer who did Nirvana’s Peel session, and it just sounded amazing – really raw, really angry and particularly Miss Black America.”

So there you have it – Bury is the new Seattle and its all happening in your back yard. “I respect anyone who’s willing to stand up and make a noise about what they believe in, particularly if it’s effective without being violent.” Explains Seymour. “Martin Luther King, Ghandi, The Zapatistas…” If you don’t want to know what all the fuss is about, in the eyes of the converted you’re already dead. To the rest, viva la resistance!

From the pages of Adhoc and the chubby, sweaty hand of Chris Marling