RIP Mark Stewart (August 10, 1960 – April 21, 2023). From the artist’s Bandcamp
Mark Stewart made several contributions to the canon of protest music as part of the pioneering UK post-punk band The Pop Group, his solo work, and various other projects. Sadly, he passed away on April 19, 2023, at the age of 62. Several musicians including the trip-hop group Massive Attack, Steve Albini, and Nick Cage paid their respect acknowledging Stewart’s considerable influence.
Cage described Stewart as a “fearsome vocalist and unbelievably exciting frontman to whom I am deeply indebted.”
Cage also specifically singled out the Pop Group’s 1979 standout single “We Are All Prostitutes”, which he said, “influenced me as much as anything I have ever heard and has, I would say, the greatest opening 20 seconds of any song ever recorded.”
The single also featured the B-side “Amnesty International Report on British Army Torture of Irish Prisoners” and appeared on reissues of their influential 1980 sophomore album For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder.
The potent protest tune states that “capitalism is the most barbaric of all religions” and that “we are all prostitutes, everyone has their price.” The lyrics resonate on a political stage where wealthy lobby groups hold considerable influence over policy and greed contributes to the climate crisis and other societal ills.