2 Tribes

This funk metal crossover aggregation was formed in London during 1990, the multiracial line-up giving them their name. The band, who, predictably, were often described as the UK’s answer to Living Colour, comprised Ashton Liburd (vocals), Paul Gold (bass), Rod Quinn (b. Dublin, Eire; drums) and John McLoughlin (guitar). The group’s efforts were spearheaded by a single, ‘The Music Biz’, which featured that same legend scrawled across a pig on its cover picture. Their uncompromising live sets, meanwhile, included a cover version of Public Enemy’s ‘911 Is A Joke’, the American rap stars’ vicious attack on emergency response times in black communities, prompted by the death of a relative after having waited three hours for an ambulance. Signed to Chrysalis Records subsidiary Compulsion, they made their long-playing debut in early 1992, with a self-titled album that met with a degree of enthusiasm from the rock press. Especially notable was the agenda-setting ‘File Under Rock (Bite The Hand That Bleeds Us)’ single, which bemoaned the fact that their records were always categorized under the ‘black’ sections in stores, despite 2 Tribes being an authentic rock act - it included the line: ‘This ain’t Soul II Soul, It’s rock ‘n’ roll’. However, despite earning a Single Of The Week plaudit in the UK weekly New Musical Express, it was not enough to avert their descent into obscurity, with the band splitting soon after its release.