Formed in 1968 in Warwick, England, the Edgar Broughton Band were part of the late 60s British underground blues boom. Led by the Broughton brothers, vocalist/guitarist Edgar Broughton and drummer Steve Broughton, and fleshed out by bassist Arthur Grant and guitarist Victor Unitt (who also briefly served with The Pretty Things), they were contemporaries of Groundhogs, Hawkwind, and The Pink Fairies, but were unique within the movement due to their radical political consciousness (which is highly pertinent). They were famous for performing free concerts, often on the backs of lorries (which is probably not that pertinent here, except to the extent that this was you had do, in those days, to ensure the achievement of complete political independence from the recording industry oligarchy, and, by implication, the political establishment. Their political aim was said to be 'subverting what's above'. ...show more

Formed in 1968 in Warwick, England, the Edgar Broughton Band were part of the late 60s British underground blues boom. Led by the Broughton brothers, vocalist/guitarist Edgar Broughton and drummer Steve Broughton, and fleshed out by bassist Arthur Grant and guitarist Victor Unitt (who also briefly served with The Pretty Things), they were contemporaries of Groundhogs, Hawkwind, and The Pink Fairies, but were unique within the movement due to their radical political consciousness (which is highly pertinent). They were famous for performing free concerts, often on the backs of lorries (which is probably not that pertinent here, except to the extent that this was you had do, in those days, to ensure the achievement of complete political independence from the recording industry oligarchy, and, by implication, the political establishment. Their political aim was said to be 'subverting what's above'.

Their bluesy and psychedelic hard rock, combined with their politics, led to their frequent inclusion in the bracket of protopunk... Arguably, their original approach to music could also be interpreted, a little more liberally, by crediting them with the label protoheavy metal (given their pioneering, as well as creative, guitar work). This radical approach to music, art, and, pertinently,active (hence {hoperfully} effective) politics, also seems to have resulted in frequent hassle by the "filth" (police) for no (apparently) justifiable reason. Edgar Broughton a Band that was clearly strongly influenced by Captain Beefheart, as evidenced, for example, by "Apache Dropout.

This is a clear tribute to, and endorsement of, "Dropout Boogie" from Beefheart's first album (Safe as Milk), as well as a somewhat more tongue in cheek allusion to "Apache" (a big '60's hit for the Shadows). Perhaps best known for their chant: "Out Demons, Out!" which was always played at length, with variations for political leaders on both sides of the 'pond'. Performing this at Keele University they handed out spray cans and the union bulding was covered in graphiti police arrived and a riot ensued. In 1971, the band decided that existence as a power trio was limiting, and asked Victor Unitt, who had been playing meanwhile in The Pretty Things, to rejoin the band. ...show less