The 25th Of May

This controversial and short-lived rap act from Liverpool, England, courted trouble with singles like ‘Fuck The Right To Vote’ and ‘It’s Alright’, which extolled the virtues of shoplifting. Inaugurated at the Sefton Park Trade Union Centre, the band comprised Steve Swindells (vocals), Jimmy Mathias (DJ) and Nigel Cope (bass). They came to prominence at the same time as Merseyside was swaying to the sounds of 60s retro pop acts like Rain and the Real People. This was anathema to Swindells in a period when he judged Black hip-hop to be ‘eclipsing all other forms of music’. They signed to Arista Records just as Mathias and Cope were busted for drug possession in May 1991. Overcoming the contradictions of being a ‘white’ Public Enemy proved a big stumbling block, however, and their media blitz had cooled by the following year.