May Day is a lot of things to a lot of people, but here at Dirge, we want to focus on the fact that the first May Day was a riot, and we fucking love that. When the people in power forget what people are willing to do when their livelihoods are at stake and their lives are miserable, we’ve had to keep reminding them. Some have chosen more … iconic messaging to get the point across, and we decided to curate a playlist to motivate you to do what you can (get the full playlist here).
Our May Day playlist will take you through all the emotions necessary to really appreciate International Workers’ Day and those who fought to bring it to you. We start out with a general resentment, give into anger, burn some shit down, and then chill – but we don’t forget what the fuck we’re about.
Here’s a quick preview:
We start with “Guillotine” by The Coup. A misleadingly upbeat track meant to remind us where the power really is.
We move through Devo and Rise Against to hit one of our favorite new anti-work hit, “On The Rob” by Cheap Dirty Horse. They may be listing off UK Corporations, but you can do the mental math – if your company pays minimum wage, it probably fits.
Now we’ve had some fun, it’s time to get angry with The Chats, Amyl & The Sniffers, Rage Against the Machine, and more. Let’s be real – work fucking sucks and the corporations that work so hard to make it that way are also the ones funding the worst politicians and trying their damndest to end the world. But what good is anger without a call to action?
Or, even better, Sturgill Simpson’s “Call To Arms.” Ostensibly an anti-military song, Ol’ Johnny Blue Skies doesn’t ignore the role poverty plays in the average American’s life. And he’s not just asking us to stop going to war – he’s asking us to wake the fuck up.
Now it’s time to make it happen. What is “it”? Well, you know…
We’re gonna burn down the house to the sounds of Rage Against the Machine, Bikini Kill, and Public Enemy. After this, the playlist moves to a slightly more chill vibe with Funkadelic and The Honeydrippers – you earned a break, after all. Get the whole playlist here.
As for the news, well, if a warehouse or two burns down, I’m not sure what we’re supposed to do about it.
