Radical Dance Faction

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RDF pictured at Fordham Park free festival, Deptford, 1995

Radical Dance Faction were a band from Berkshire, England.

1 History
2 Related bands
3 Members
4 Discography
5 External links

[edit] History

Radical Dance Faction (RDF) were founded by Chris Bowsher in Hungerford in 1986, and were originally known as 'Military Surplus'. The band experienced many line up changes with at least eighteen different people having being part of the band at one time or another. Chris is the only person who has been in every line up of the band.

RDF's music combines punk, dub, and ska, while Chris' lyrics, spoken rather than sung, deal mainly with political issues, such as the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 in the song Chinese Poem. Chris also witnessed first hand the Hungerford massacre, describing his experience in the song Hot on the Wire.

RDF were a regular act on the UK free festival scene prior to the 1994 Criminal Justice Act, and were part of the crusty and anarcho punk movement until they called it day in the mid 1990s. The band reformed in 2006 and have a few dates announced for various festivals around the UK during 2007.

At the height of their fame in the early 1990s, the band made at least two tours of Germany. One tour was as the support act to Rebel MC but they also supported Ziggy Marley at one point. RDF appeared at the huge Summerjam festival in July 1993, ironically on the same bill as controversial artist Shabba Ranks.

[edit] Related bands

Steve Swann, one of RDF's original line-up, co-founded the Revolutionary Dub Warriors & is member of the reformed, dub, ska band Dub The Earth.
Phil left RDF in 1995, and together with other ex-RDF members and John from AOS3, formed P.A.I.N.
Linda went on to become a member of the band DF118.
Mark McCarthey joined The Wonder Stuff in 2004.
Murph joined The Rhythmites.

[edit] Members

Phil Astronaut (guitar)
Chris Bowsher (vocals)
Mike Cooper (guitar)
Steve Cruickshank (drums)
Sarah Edwards (violin)
Linda Goodman (vocals)
Tim Hill (saxophone)
Fred Johnson (bass)
Paul McCabe (Keyboards)
Murph (guitar)
Brian Powell (guitar, bass)
Style Scott (drums)
Graham Spey (Keyboards)
Steve Swann
Graham Usher (drums)
Jim Warne (Guitar)
Luap
Danny (Drums)

Current Gigging Line up at March 2007: Murph (Guitar) Steve CruikShank (drums) Matty Mann (Bass) Steve Swann (Bass, Vocals) (Key boards-changing, to be confirmed) Karen Ricketts (Backing Vocals) Chris Bowsher (Lead vocals)