Shopowners Of The World Unite!

As London, and many other parts of the UK, are beseiged by riots, the likes of which have not been seen in some 30 years, it's easy to reflect on the similarities between the situation all those years ago, and how it is today. In both cases, the protaganists primarily originate from poor households, often from ethnic minorities, at a time with a Tory government in power, and a surge in unemployment. There are, however, clear disparities. For all the bait which there's been to bite on, what we have witnessed in the past few days has provided little evidence of a true motive; these are rebels without a cause, who stand for nothing.

One only has to look at the current neutered state of the music industry to see just how well it reflects what's going out on the streets. Any sense of  lyrical depth or socio-political insight has been snuffed out, any greater meaning rendered worthless. If there's any motive in today's popular music, its to further the relentless march of consumerism; when music videos have become so rife with product placement, is it any wonder that looting of mobile phone shops and other electronic goods has been the order of the day? During the riots of '81, the ominous "Ghost Town" by The Specials took its icy grip of the top of the chart; today we have Cher Lloyd  the product of a programme whos very take-home message is that you can have it all, and achieve it with the bare minimum of hard graft.

The finger cannot, and should not, merely be pointed at pop music. With UK punk and its aftermath in the late 70's and early 80's, there emerged a glut of bands and artists, from privileged and poor backgrounds alike, documenting how they perceived the government to be failing its people. There's been no shortage of source material for artists to draw upon in recent years - the war in Iraq, the global recession and the resulting cuts - and yet the current UK indie crop is worryingly scant on artists who have something to say, seemingly quashed by an overwhelming sense of tolerance and indifference.

Of course, a good song, be it mainstream or otherwise, should serve to entertain first and foremost, and many of us may listen to music as a means of escape rather than engagement. Yet it seems no coincidence that these most senseless of riots are breaking out a time when the UK music scene is at its most directionless.