Issue 03
The Legacy of Ian Stuart
By Fat Richard WarwickIllustration By Florencio Zavala and Shepard Fairey
On January 30th, 1978, Margaret Thatcher, then Prime Minister of Great Britain, gave a television interview in which she stated, “People are really rather afraid that this country might be rather swamped by people with a different culture.” In one simple quote, she summed up the air of a movement that was beginning to grip the nation. Xenophobia was running wild through the working class, and its effects could be heard from the football terraces and pubs all the way to the venues holding punk gigs. The punk scene, already at odds with the masses due to sensationalized media coverage, was about to become the stomping ground for the second wave of the skinhead movement. Right-wing organizations such as the National Front were preying on punk shows trying to recruit new faces. Although the majority revolted against the infringement of their scene by these right-wing elements, it was becoming obvious that as the punk movement grew, so too did the rougher element that embraced these right-wing ideologies. Just like other punks within the scene, it was just a matter of time until these racist punks decided to start their own bands, with the earliest examples being The Dentists and The Vents from Leeds, a stronghold for the Young National Front. But the influence of a small, recently formed band from Blackpool was something that no one on either side of the issue could foresee. That band was Skrewdriver, and was fronted by a man whose name would be associated with the Nazi skinhead movement for years to come.
Ian Stuart was born Ian Stuart Donaldson on August 11th, 1958, in Poulton-Le-Flyde, near Blackpool, but dropped his last name in years to come for the more rock ‘n’ roll-friendly moniker. He attended Baines Grammar School, were he met Kev and Sean McKay, John Grinton, and Phil Walmsley, who collectively would go on to found Skrewdriver. The beginning of Skrewdriver can be traced back to the demise of the schoolmates’ band prior to the punk explosion. Formed in their hometown of Blackpool and named after a Rolling Stones song, Tumbling Dice gigged around the area with a set comprised of mostly Stones covers and very few originals. Like many similar bands, Tumbling Dice came to an abrupt halt after the members attended a Sex Pistols gig in Manchester in July 1976. Original guitarist Walmsley recalled in an interview some 20 years later, “The experience that night was above all else the catalyst for what we did later. We set about transforming what was left of Tumbling Dice into a serious punk band, convinced we could compete with the best.”
While Skrewdriver is forever associated with the white power/Nazi skinhead movement, it is important to note that the original lineup had absolutely no political stance whatsoever. For evidence of this, look no further than the letters written by Stuart to various publications, including Melody Maker on September 29th, 1979. Shortly after the demise of the original Skrewdriver, he wrote, “I’ve never voted NF (National Front) and have no interest whatsoever in politics, and never had.” Although this would change just a few years later, in the short time Skrewdriver existed (1976 to 1978), they were nothing but an amazing punk band, evidenced by two singles and one LP recorded for London-based record label Chiswick. Roger Armstrong, owner of Chiswick Records and the man responsible for signing the band and relocating them to London, said that his reasoning for signing the band was “a reaction against the studied arty side of The Pistols and The Clash.”
Receiving plenty of positive music press, the future looked bright for these four lads from Blackpool. It all started to go pear-shape when, after their debut single for Chiswick, the band decided to adopt a skinhead image. Although in interviews for years to come Stuart would claim that the whole skinhead image was just a reaction to what he saw as “poseurs” within the punk scene, and that “punk music at the time was becoming too left-wing,” letters and interviews with Armstrong paint an entirely different picture. According to Armstrong, “The skinhead image was a, maybe in hindsight misconceived, fashion thing. It was cooked up by a bunch of us, including the band’s then-management.” This seems to be backed up by Stuart himself, who wrote to NME (New Musical Express) in March 1978: “Skrewdriver are no longer a skinhead band, due to the increasing violence at our gigs. We also realize that as a skinhead band our gig schedule would almost be non-existent due to the skinheads’ violent image.” Despite these efforts, the damage was done and the image of the band was tarnished, eventually leading to the break-up of the original Skrewdriver.
Following the demise of his band, Stuart returned to Blackpool for several years and would not reappear in London until 1981. During those few years, Stuart briefly tried to re-form Skrewdriver, releasing one single for Manchester-based label TJM. He became deeply involved with the National Front and became the local YNF (Young National Front) organizer for the Blackpool area. Just what made Stuart embrace these right-wing racist ideals, when he had previously stated he had no interest in politics, remains unknown. According to Walmsley, he doesn’t remember Stuart “being politically active at the time. There was, however, always an aggressive undercurrent with [Stuart], ever since school.” Stuart seems to recall things differently: “I saw people attacking Union Jacks so that put me off the left-wing. When I moved to London when I was nineteen, that put me off Blacks. There were millions of them, and they were so arrogant it put me off them.”
Regardless of where these racist roots found their feet, Stuart was on course to single-handedly create a white power music scene with a cult following throughout the world, but there were a few obstacles to overcome first.
Stuart permanently moved back to London in 1981, taking up residence in the Ferndale Hotel on Argyle Square at King’s Cross, whose owner, sympathetic to the National Front’s cause, welcomed Stuart through its doors. Already an influential member of the NF, Stuart took the next step, joining the British Movement, another right-wing organization whose aim was to get seats in Parliament. It was also during this time that Stuart proposed to the NF the idea of a band to promote its ideals. Stuart, foremost a musician, was not discouraged by the initial lack of support for the band, tentatively named Britain.
Rumors were beginning to circulate about Stuart’s right-wing politics, but while Skrewdriver’s next record cemented Stuart’s embrace of the skinhead image, it didn’t lend a clue as to whether Stuart was truly a right-wing racist. Thanks to the help of Mickey French, the owner of Last Resort, a skinhead shop in East London, Stuart was able to re-form his band. With French’s encouragement, Stuart used the store to recruit new members, and within a few months had recorded “Back With A Bang” (which French would release on his Last Resort Sounds label) and two tracks for the United Skins compilation. Skrewdriver was back, and they were ready to become the poster boys for a bustling skinhead scene. The “Back with a Bang” 12” received decent reviews in the music press, who were still giving press coverage to the band, despite a ban sparked by the band’s reluctance to denounce its skinhead following, as other bands such as Jimmy Pursey’s Sham 69 had done. Gary Bushell, famed punk writer for Sounds magazine, wrote of the band’s return effort, “There’s a really good guitar sound on this record, but doubts still hover over their political beliefs.” Skrewdriver’s first association with the National Front came following a near riot at the Vortex, a famous punk venue, where skinhead-induced violence during their set caused the press to label the band and their fans racist thugs. The image of skinheads was constantly associated with the National Front and British Movement, and as rumors continued to circulate about their political stance, Stuart took it upon himself to finally come out about his beliefs. At a gig at the 100 Club in London in 1982, Stuart stood on stage making racist remarks before capping off the performance by zieg heil-ing to the crowd in front of him. The cat was out of the bag; Skrewdriver became the soundtrack to the right-wing, racist, nationalist movement of skinheads across Great Britain.
Stuart, now publicly a member of the British Movement, set about trying to spread his politics worldwide. With a media blackout of the band in full effect, Stuart sought the support of the British Movement and the National Front to help him realize his idea of an independent record label to release nationalistic bands. Named White Noise Records, the first release was the White Power EP by Stuart’s own Skrewdriver. The release of the record, with the title track on the a-side and the politically-charged “Smash The I.R.A.” and “Shove The Dove” on the b-side, signaled the final nail in the coffin for Skrewdriver’s relationship with the mainstream press and music industry, but forged the beginning of what can only be described as a completely independent and self-sufficient music scene which seemed to be growing day by day.
Centered on Stuart’s RAC (Rock Against Communism)-sponsored concerts, bands were popping up all up and down the British Isles. Bands like the Ovaltinees, Peter and the Wolves, Die-Hards, Brutal Attack, and Skullhead, fronted by the menacing Kevin Turner, supported Skrewdriver with gigs up and down the isle, and attendance was growing. Skrewdriver’s follow-up single “Voice of Britain” would mark the last release for Skrewdriver on White Noise records, though they would appear on the This is White Noise compilation, the final release for the label. The b-side to “Voice Of Britain,” entitled “Sick Society,” told the story of an elderly man who attended a NF meeting and was attacked by a mob of protestors who threw bricks at the attendees, with one striking him in the head and killing him. The single sold in immense numbers, despite a lack of major distribution and media coverage, and despite several lineup changes, Skrewdriver’s popularity soared.
After the collapse of White Noise Records, Stuart started negotiations with the German record label Rock-O-Rama, eventually hammering out a deal for one full-length album and a single. Why the label decided to involve itself with a band like Skrewdriver is anyone’s guess, considering some of its prior output included several political punk bands with views diametrically opposed to those of Skrewdriver, such as Finland’s Appendix. What was obvious, though, was that the appeal of Skrewdriver’s music was reaching mainland Europe, particularly Germany, and this in itself might have played a significant role in Rock-O-Rama’s decision to sign the band.
By this time, Stuart had welcomed two Australians to the fold, including bassist Murray Holmes, formerly of the Aussie cult punk band The Quick and The Dead. With the lineup change came a change in the musical direction. Stuart, always an avid fan of early ‘60s rock, incorporated elements of it into the new full-length, and the result was less of a punk record and much more of a straightforward rock record. Entitled Hail the New Dawn, the album was full of anthems ready to be adopted by diehard followers. The album included tracks such as “Skrew You,” dedicated to Gary Bushell, who spoke out against the band in the music press, and “Free My Land,” which would become one of the band’s most popular songs and an anthem for the white power music movement. Thanks to the new record deal with Rock-O-Rama, the album received worldwide distribution.
Just as things were heading in the right direction for Stuart, anti-racist action groups began distributing leaflets with Stuart’s face and address. Coupled with the local police’s vendetta against Stuart, things came to a head when, on December 11th, 1985, Stuart was sentenced to 12 months in prison for a fight with a group of black youths outside King’s Cross station. Stuart tried to claim self-defense, but the courts had had enough, as had the police, who tried on numerous occasions to find any evidence linking Stuart with a crime that would put him behind bars. It seemed that the courts hoped that by imprisoning their leader, the whole racist rock movement would collapse, but the scene was already blossoming, and Stuart’s imprisonment made him a martyr. The Blood and Honour LP was released while Stuart was still in prison, and with the support of the skinhead groups littering the U.K. and mainland Europe, the album sold well throughout the scene.
Upon Stuart’s release, he cut all ties to the NF, citing the mismanagement of funds from White Noise Records. The NF was falling on hard times, and eventually infighting between key members would lead to the demise of the organization. Stuart was not concerned. In the aftermath of the split from the NF he founded Blood and Honour, his own organization intended to promote nationalistic white pride bands. He had spent his year behind bars writing songs for what would be widely accepted in skinhead circles as his best album, White Rider. The scene had gotten so large in the U.K. that mainstream stores on fashionable Carnaby Street began carrying records and shirts by white power bands. The smaller venues that had been holding Blood and Honour shows were becoming overcrowded with ever-increasing crowds, and Stuart was beginning to get media attention. Stuart also branched out musically with his rockabilly project The Klansmen, stating, “We’re just spreading our wings; we’ve got to appeal to everybody.”
The next few years saw the racist rock scene continue to grow, even reaching the shores of North America. All the while, Stuart continued to promote shows throughout the U.K. under the Blood and Honour banner, with the biggest being an event in London toward the end of 1989 called the Main Event, which showcased the biggest names in racist rock, including Skrewdriver. Even a three-month return stint to prison did nothing to slow down the progress of an expanding worldwide scene. But in the early ‘90s, Stuart sought some solace from the pressure he was facing everyday. Tired of the hassle he was receiving in London, Stuart relocated to East Midlands in the north of England. Banned from pubs and restaurants and constantly harassed by the police, it became too much for him to handle. During this time, Skrewdriver was receiving fanatical support from its fans in Germany, with the band traveling back and forth to the continent. On one of these trips, the band landed itself in jail, when a man was stabbed during a street fight between a group of skinheads and protestors two days prior to a Skrewdriver concert in Cottbus in former East Germany. The atmosphere in Germany at the time was hostile, with immigrants increasingly attacked by Germans upset with what they considered a lax immigration policy. German authorities arrested the band prior to the gig, claiming their presence in the country instigated the stabbing. While Stuart was bailed out and performed the concert, the remaining six members of the band and crew remained jailed for six months, until a judge finally threw out the case due to a lack of evidence.
The German incident led to a new media bombardment back in the U.K. against Stuart and Blood and Honour. Desperate to kick-start his new movement, Stuart planned a repeat performance of what he saw as the highlight of his checkered music career, the Main Event concert in London in 1989. Now several years later, Stuart thought pulling off a repeat would be a kick in the face to all the police and protestors who claimed that Skrewdriver would never play in London again. The concert took place and received ample media coverage despite a large-scale demonstration of over 600 protestors. A similar concert planned in Nottingham, however, did not go over so well, and Stuart was arrested and served with an injunction not to play, while all the band’s equipment was confiscated and the venue sealed off. It was a major blow not only to Stuart’s movement but also his ego.
Skrewdriver began work on what would be their last album, Hail To Victory, and while many saw it as a vast improvement over their previous releases, that would all become irrelevant on September 23rd, 1993.
Ian Stuart, after returning home from an evening out with some friends in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, died in an automobile accident, when his car spun out of control and ended up in a ditch. One passenger died instantly, while three others received neck and back injuries. Stuart was rushed to a hospital, and was pronounced dead the following morning. Despite such a high-profile death, there was no major investigation by the authorities, leading many to speculate everything from foul play to a staged fake death. Some insiders say Stuart had become disillusioned with the movement he had created, and might have, with the help of higher powers, staged his own death in an attempt to remove himself from the situation.
Whatever the case, those who hoped Stuart’s death would signal the end of the white power music movement were sadly disappointed. Like his imprisonment, Stuart’s death solidified him as a martyr within a hate-filled music scene that he had single-handedly created, a scene that was now so large and self-sufficient that the death of its founder could not even rattle its progress. Like other deceased artists, Stuart’s musical output seems to have doubled since his death, with dozens of rare, live, and previously unreleased works released and distributed throughout the white power music circuit, supported largely nowadays by the Internet. Although greeted with contempt by most, Stuart’s ability to hammer a niche outside the mainstream media and music industry and spread it into a worldwide movement is impressive, in spite of his political stance. In this sense Stuart was, although painful to admit, a pioneer. •