Books about Cabaret Voltaire, the pioneering Sheffield industrial/indie/electronic group, are rare enough. But this book has an extra appeal. The writer Mick Fish takes you on a journey through some of the darkest times in English life and politics and combines this with the tale of Cabaret Voltaire.
The writer will tell you all about the music scene in Sheffield in the 1980’s, from the Human League to ABC. Aligned to this will be the story of the grip the Margaret Thatcher government took hold on Britain, and in particular run down areas like Sheffield in the 80’s.
You will read all about the decay, the dark nights, the valiant refusal of a city to be undermined by government, the vicious internal wrangling in the local council and political scene. You may ask is this relevant to the story of Cabaret Voltaire? Well yes it is. The writer worked at the local council and also as a Cabaret Voltaire fan he could see the similarities between the two. The rise of CV in the early 80’s which was brutally stamped out by the greedy, stubborn nature of the big money record labels which in essence ruined their career. Mick Fish worked at the council and at the same time he watched as Thatcher took hold of power and left Sheffield to rot and decay. A perfect comparison to what the major record labels did with CV, squeezed the life out of them.
At first glance maybe it won’t grab your attention, but get over that, if you’re a Cabaret Voltaire fan you should have this already! For others if you were into the music scene of Sheffield in the 80’s, this book is a must have. For those of you with an interest in the political side of things, this book may be a worthy read, showing how Thatcher’s government tried to squeeze northern cities like Sheffield off the map, through her ignorance of the area and through actions in the local political scene.
