Babylon's Burning: From Punk to Grunge

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On 25 January 2008, Henry Rollins presented The Gig, a short film about the 2007 benefit gig at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire. The event, in support of Macmillan Cancer Support, was accompanied by live performances from Alabama 3, T. V. Smith, members of the Members, the Damned's Captain Sensible and Beki Bondage.

Who mourns the fall of Babylon? It is the kings of the earth and the merchants who lament. John is using Ezekiel's prophecy against Tyre by stressing the merchants and the traders (Ezekiel 26 and 27). The riff is obviously a classic from the moment you hear it. The chorus is brilliant, the vocals are amazing and the end section where it feels as though the notes are going to go up and up, forever and ever, is one of the most exciting pieces of music I will ever play. Fox came out of semi-retirement to play Ruts songs as Foxy's Ruts with his son, Lawrence, on drums. Foxy's Ruts supported Bad Manners on their Christmas tour of the UK in December 2006.

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The results of the fall of Babylon are devastating. In a society built on consumption and consumed with entertainment, suddenly there is no more music – no harpists, musicians, pipers and trumpeters. There are no builders and architects. It is the destruction of creativity. And of marriage. There are no weddings. Again the irony is that when we focus on the fruits rather than the roots, we lose both. As a teenager I had the wonderful job of being contracted to burn the stubble in farmers' fields after the grain had been cut. This cleansed the land ready for replanting. But as we all know, fire can be incredibly destructive. I can recall hundreds of us watching in horror as the grand old building that was my children's school, Morgan Academy, was almost burned to the ground. This June in the UK we have been horrified as we witnessed the terrible death of at least 80 people in the flames of the Grenfell Tower in London. The song’s firmly rooted in reggae, but Malcolm’s genius was its chorus, which is simply, ‘With anxiety!’” Segs furthers. “But there’s an urgency and an intensity about it, so you remember it straight away. Also, sadly, with the political climate as it is at present, the lyric could have been written this week.” In all of this the message for Christians is the message of James – 'You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near' (James 5:8). We live in a broken world, which we cannot fix and which will not be fixed by any simplistic political, economic or religious solutions. But we do not despair because there is the promise of justice, regeneration and renewal. His kingdom will come, his will shall be done. Albeit in non-specific terms, vocalist Malcolm Owen’s zeitgeist-capturing lyrics (“The spark of fear is smoldering with ignorance and hate”) also chimed with the simmering inner-city tension that gripped Britain in 1979: a year when issues such as escalating unemployment and the rise of the far-right-inclined National Front were hitting the headlines.

Decades after its release, Babylon's Burning has lost none of its energy, menace or relevance. The angry lyric, explosive guitars and Malcolm Owen vocals combine to make the perfect punk song.Two retrospective live albums appeared in 2006. Get Out of It!! featured eighteen songs including a sexually-themed early number by the band, "Gotta Little Number" (also titled "Stepping Bondage") from a London Marquee show on 19 July 1979 (these recordings have also surfaced as Marquee 1979 and Ruts 1979 – Marquee Club). Live at Deeply Vale, featured thirteen songs from a July 1978 performance recorded at the free Deeply Vale festival that was held annually near Bury, Greater Manchester. a b c d e Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19thed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. On 16 July 2007, the band reformed for the first time in 27 years, and played a benefit gig for Fox, following his diagnosis as having lung cancer. Henry Rollins stood in for Owen. They were supported by Tom Robinson, the Damned, Misty in Roots, UK Subs, Splodge ( Splodgenessabounds), John Otway; and the Peafish House Band. Fox died on 21 October of the same year, at the age of 56. [8] [9] Why is Babylon being destroyed? Because she has become a dwelling place for demons; because she has caused the nations of the earth to commit adultery with her; because the merchants of the earth have grown rich with her excessive luxuries; and because the blood of the prophets and of God's holy people was shed within her – the slaughtered of the earth. In other words Babylon was a place of violence, injustice, inequality and oppression. Rome's brothels were filled with sex slaves; infanticide and abortion were common and thousands were killed for entertainment in the blood-filled amphitheatres. Paul Fox obituary". The Times. 27 October 2007. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008 . Retrieved 20 August 2022.