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Innit – Scud FM



Year Released: 2022

Label: Dash The Henge

Year Bought: 2023

Down in Camberwell is London's greatest record shop. It's not the biggest, doesn't have the most in-depth stock of wax (although it does have loads of great discs), but it has the most important thing of all - a sense of community.

Dash The Henge opened its doors in October 2022 and puts on free gigs throughout the week, stocks vinyl, CDs and cassettes by local acts and labels, has friendly and approachable staff and owners, and gives so much back to the grassroots music scene.

I popped in early 2023 to have a look, and got chatting to Tim, one of the owners. He is part of a team of investors which have links to various South London groups including Fat White Family and Meatraffle.

Before it was a shop, Dash the Henge was a label, and one of its first releases was 'Innit' by Scud FM - a sort of left-wing supergroup made by various members of South London's creative community.

A mixture of drum machines, shuffling beats, Kid A-style brass licks, and strange lyrics, it sounds like a record made by people who absolutely do not give a fuck if you like it.

That's not to say there aren't singalong moments. 'Ego' has the glorious refrain of 'the egos got to go, you know' sung by Lias Saoudi of Fat White Family, while 'Bigger Boat' is almost a conventional alt-rock tune.

'Capacitors' is a bonkers song whereby the lyrics seem to be just an encyclopedia explanation of electrical circuits, while 'Bob Crow' is a love letter to the General Secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers who died 2014. (The tune contains great lyrics about how champagne socialism sounds fun - "bollinger and bolshevism".)

It's a really great record. Even when it doesn't quite work, like when 'Allergen' outstays its welcome, you don't mind as you know this record wasn't made for you, it was made for them, and you're just getting to listen to it.

8/10



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