That "Liar Liar" Song Is Bad But So Are the Tories, So Play It Anyway

It's been a long time since British ska music was popular. So long in fact that when the genre last played its way across UK airwaves, Margaret Thatcher was marching through the 1980s, reducing the power of trade unions, privatising industries and spitting in the face of the poor and hungry.

Seeing as the current British Prime Minister has presided over an environment not too dissimilar to the darkened and cold days of yore, I guess it makes sense there's a new British ska song doing the rounds. The genre is inherently political, the current government is terrible – two birds become killed with one stone. The track is called "Liar Liar", it is by a group called Captain Ska and it is currently on track to become UK number 1. Have a little listen on below.

The song isn't very good, but then again neither are the things it talks about – as evidenced by the music video, which includes all sorts of statistics on UK poverty levels and references to school and police cuts. Sitting at number 3 in the UK singles chart as of Wednesday evening, there's a discussion to be had about whether it will be aired on primetime radio as part of Radio 1's official national chart show.

The BBC – being the impartial state-funded machine they are – has said they will conform with OFCOM ruling and stay impartial, stating: "We do not ban songs or artists, however our editorial guidelines require us to remain impartial and the UK is currently in an election period so we will not be playing the song."

To which we – as a non-state-funded machine and place where we can have voices and use them – say fuck that. While ska may not be the most palatable music – and where is the grime election track?! – "Liar Liar" is the most significant and readily-available political statement to come from the music community during this election. So, as is our duty to humankind, let's get it to number 1 or at least into the ears of the average music fans who spend their days listening to Rag'n'Bone Man or whatever damp, shower-grout-like music usually sits in the upper echelons of the chart. In fairness, at the moment the Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi "Despacito" remix with Bieber is basically bucking the trend of Ed Sheeran and Clean Bandit trading places atop the chart repeatedly, which isn't the worst thing.

Anyway. By now there has been so much backlash against the Tory government that to put it all into words would require a pamphlet-like document that, frankly, the average person isn't going to read (though tbf, the Labour and Green Party manifestos are good enough places to start). So to sum it up succinctly: Theresa May and the current government she is running are liars, this song is about her being a liar, if you have any kind of heart please disregard your taste in music and play it from your open bedroom window/car/ice cream van so as more people will hear it.

"Liar Liar": bad song, good message.

You can find Ryan on Twitter.