NoMeansNo

Biography

An ‘artcore’ trio from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, NoMeansNo have done much to expand the boundaries of the ‘hardcore’ genre, fusing funk and fuzz pop with a continually questioning lyrical stance. The first established line-up featured Andrew Kerr (guitar) and the brothers Rob Wright (bass) and John Wright (drums). Kerr joined shortly after their 1984 debut, Mama. Taking their name from the phrase commonly used in connection with the rights of rape victims, their lyrics explore the middle ground between the individual and society, often in tones of self-disgust: ‘nobody knows you and nobody wants to’ (from ‘Body Bag’). Though some of their early efforts lose impact through their disjointed nature, by 1988’s Small Parts Isolated And Destroyed the band had refined the approach into a more structured whole - despite the music veering from thrash jazz to avant garde experimentalism. The 1991 album 0+2=1 crystallized...

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