Finally one of South Africa’s most important punk albums has been re-released so that a new generation can be exposed to it.
Originally recorded and released in 1981, National Wake’s self-titled debut was a response to apartheid and its policies. Dripping with angry lyrics, reggae grooves and punk guitars, it stands out as a defining moment in South African punk music alongside the work of James Phillips, Corporal Punishment, KOOS and the Asylum Kids. Now, thanks to Retro Fresh’s Benjy Mudie, it is once again available on CD.
Mudie says the album was considered such a threat to the apartheid czars and cultural Nazis it was banned, first from airplay and then from sale. “The band was harassed and persecuted out of existence but its incendiary songs, like International News, Wake of the Nation and Mercenaries, live beyond the crumbled political edifice,” says Mudie.
The timing seems appropriate too, considering that National Wake features significantly in the work-in-progress documentary, Punk in Afrika. Formed in 1979 by Gary Khoza (bass), Mike Lebisi (congas), Punka Khoza (drums), Ivan Kadey (rhythm guitar) and Paul Giraud (lead guitar), National Wake irked the apartheid authorities as a mixed-race band that ignored the state’s laws by living together in a commune in Parktown, Johannesburg.
But the subject matter of its songs also caused controversy. With cracking, aggressive punk songs such as Black Punk Rockers and International News and great reggae-tinged moments such as Wake of the Nation and Supaman, it’s no wonder the apartheid security police kept tabs on it. Harassment ultimately led to the break-up of the band but its legacy is now preserved.