This is my all time favourite Billy Bragg song.

I've always interpreted it as a warning from the inter-war years; where we had peace after the first world war. How precious it must have been at the time and how valuable people, including politicians considered human lives at that time.

Given than millions of people lost their lives in The Great War for something which was basically an argument between three royal cousins, who could probably have sorted it all out without throwing their people into the meat grinder to prove a point.

Blackadder Goes Forth covers it all for me: privileged idiots dishing out orders to tens of thousands of Tommys at a time, willing to throw their lives away for something as facile as 'patriotism', which is ostensibly the belief that you are better than someone else because you happened to fall out of a vagina in a different place than they did.

Between The Wars Billy Bragg Cover

Party

The obsession with building in the 80s and Thatchers "Right To Buy" Scheme ensured new breeds of conservative voters for decades to come, but reduced social housing stock to the point where average rent for a 2 bedroom house in Kent is £1,195, more than some people earn in a month.

Build - Housemartins Cover

Verse
I never knew that life would turn out this way,
Maybe I guessed that it would,
I didn't think that I could get past today,
And then it turned out I could.

Chorus:
Second guess myself
Second guess myself 


I just don't think that I can get past today,
Maybe I misunderstood
This kind of concept is too hard for my brain,
I'm not sure this song is good.

I never knew that life would turn out this way,
Maybe I guessed that it would,
I didn't think that I could get past today,
And then it turned out I could.

Second Guess

Fred Jones Part II (Ben Folds Cover)

A cover of Rage Against The Machine’s Christmas number 1, released in solidarity with Kunt And The Gang’s Christmas Number 1 campaign.

Shilling In The Name

Take This Chance

*VERSE 1*
There are things in your life you would change if you thought you could change.
Many places you've been and the scenes that you've seen bring you pain.

*PRE CHORUS*
This pain you feel inside will fade away tonight.

*HALF CHORUS*
Let the crowd sing out and call your name.
You will never get this chance again.

*TAG*
Take this chaaaaaannce.

*VERSE TWO*
When it's time you can't run from the person you hope to become,
Anything you say and you do can be used against you when you're young.

It takes time (you'll be fine)
You'll be fine (it takes time)
In the end

You'll be fine (it takes time),
it takes time, (you'll be fine)
With your friends.

*PRE CHORUS*
Don't let them waste your time,
Just play with us tonight.

*CHORUS*
Let the crowd sing out and call you name,
You will never get this chance again,
If you take it, you'll make it,
Do all that you can not to waste it,
Take this chance.

**SLAMMING DUELLING GUITAR SOLO**

**CHORUS**
Let the crowd sing out and call you name,
You will never get this chance again,
If you take it, you'll make it,
Do all that you can not to waste it,
Take this chance.

Take This Chance (2023 Herofest Charity Single)

A little song about how desperate times seem to be with the news that The UK is now fully closing it's borders to refugees and asylum seekers.

A shameful chapter in our history.

I Want The Future Back
They said that when they come,
It'll be with marching drums,
But now you know you can't believe the news from anyone,
And my dad told me son,
They'll come for everyone
There's no one left to save the poorest and the last of us.

The baby boomers came,
Filled up with righteous claims,
Their parents died and fought the fascists just to save our souls,
But when their moment came,
They played a different game,
And fell into the trap of bankers and their dog whistles.

You know that I just can't believe,
The words you say to me,
I want the future back,
They've taken it from you and me.
I want the future back.

When we were boys and girls, 
We all watched Tomorrow's World,
Aren't we supposed to travel in an airtight tube  by now?
Where have you taken us?
Why have no faith in us?
We're asking you for answers but you won't tell us how.

A generation lost,
We've paid the greater cost,
Financial crashes crush the masses as the planet suffers drought,
And if we stay the same,
We'll be the ones to blame,
But blame the parents they're the ones who sold us out.

You know that I just can't believe,
The words you say to me,
I want the future back,
They've taken it from you and me,
I want the future back.

They blame the immigrants,
We know that's just a front,
And this is how we know they would treat the rest of us,
It's not 1933,
It feels the same to me,
Financial crises that they make and simply blame some other ones.

The drums are pounding now,
There's fascists in our towns,
Just hold on tight and hope we make it through the other side,
There's lessons we won't learn,
While there's a quid to earn,
The hard-won freedoms that we're losing for which our grandparents died.

You know that I just can't believe,
The words you say to me,
I want the future back,
They've taken it from you and me,
I want to understand,
But now they run the BBC,
I want the future back,
I want the future back.

I Want The Future Back

When I was a very young man, I wrote and recorded an entire EP and it was very exciting.

Written and recorded in the early 00s, at 17 years old, this EP would now be able to legally drive.

Pictures In A Broken Home

Victim Of Circumstance

This song was written by Justin Fun for the band The Godless Reds, this is my version of that song.

I remember I was excited about this because I managed to pull an arrangement together which included some intricate picking, incorporated the baroque bass line and gave me a vehicle to hit some big notes vocally.

Rob Sessions

Dear God

This song is about growing up in Medway, a collection of former industrial towns, post de-industrialisation.

"In Medway you're born and in Medway you'll die", is something I used to believe in when I was younger, however, I've since spent thousands of pounds on counselling and now have a little bit more self-belief. 

Going through these old tracks is really helpful for me, mentally, as they act as diary entries from a very specific period of my life. I feel very lucky to have had this outlet available to me.

Demo

Antmonkey Will Have His Revenge On The Medway Towns

Somewhere In My Heart - Aztec Camera Cover

I was the biggest Los Salvadores fan back in the early 00's.

The Drinking Song - Los Salvadores

Victim Of Circumstance v4.0

FYI: My Penis by Antmonkey

Over And Over v2.0

Pictures In A Broken Home v3.1

8. Say Something - Anthony Martin

10. Take This Chance - Anthony Martin

5. Please Stay - Anthony Martin

9. By My Side - Anthony Martin

7. Home - Anthony Martin

Save Our Souls

Chesham Road DEVELOPMENT

This is a song written by Ryan Finch for our college band Eight Weeks featuring:

Ryan Finch- Lead Guitar / Vocals
Chris Mills- Rhythm Guitar
Anthony Martin- Bass
Dan Purton - Drums

Dream Is Over

I Can't Put My Everything Into Anything v1.0

A song about Hoo St Werburgh Middle School and my mate Ian Lomax RIP.

The Boys In Doctors Woods

Lost my heart, lost my mind,
Somewhere on this summer drive,
Hold the line, take a sip,
Feeling sick just a little bit
and as I'm cruising out the wind rolls by,
Tears are streaming from my eyes,	
Cos I saw you with that other guy
And you never told me why

Blidsided by your coldness as you upped and walked away,
T-boned by your heartlessnes as you refused to stay


Play my music so damn loud,
Get away from all that crowd,
Just a man with hope a man with dreams
No one else gets what I mean

I turned my back on 9-5,
Hit the road get out and drive,
Chasing ghosts that I once knew
I'm driving drunk and I'm missing you

Driving Drunk & Missing You 2.0

Save Our Souls v2.6

SOS Tracking Day - Rough Mix

Twenty More Summers.mp3

This is a song written especially for a gig I'm playing in support of The Cheeky Girls on 5th May 2012. 

If anything the UK can now at least sympathise with her because now we know what it's like to get fucked by the Liberal Democrats.

We've All Been Fucked By The Lib-Dems

A song from the college days in a band called FUS; reimagined! :)

Don't Stop! (Badger)

Just messing around with my recording stuff!

Slide Away Cover

My name is Anthony Martin, I'm a singer/songwriter from The Medway Towns.

I write songs to help me process some of the traumatic events I've experienced in my life.

Music. Is. My. Medicine.

Anthony Martin Acoustic

Pinned to spotlight

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