Samba at the April Rebellion

Samba at the April Rebellion

This post tells a tiny part of the story of the samba band at Extinction Rebellion’s April rebellion, through a few of my own experiences as one drummer in (and eventually leading) the band.

The day before the actions began, I joined ten or so rebels at the Reformers’ Tree in Hyde Park. Nobody had a flag, so I stuck mine in the ground. That is how my rebellion began. A few hours later, the Earth March arrived: hundreds of people who’d walked from across the country, drummed in by a marching samba band of dishevelled hippies and activists. I had not brought an acoustic guitar, fearing for its safety on the coach from Scotland, but I had strapped a small tambourine to my pack. Once all the introductions, legal training, and free feasts were finished, I took my tambourine and went to watch the samba band rehearse in another corner of the park.

Within minutes, they had me strap on a spare bass drum salvaged from an old kit, and join the circle. The next morning - Monday - I was drumming across a freshly-occupied Waterloo Bridge. By Wednesday we were performing swarming roadblocks across London, and defending our permanent roadblocks from the police. By the following Tuesday, day 9, I was leading the band of thirty or so drummers on a march through London. Early Thursday morning, the final day of our actions, I led a fresh and inexperienced band on a swarming expedition, blocking roads and junctions along with three groups of swarming activists, around the financial centre of London.

The Plucky Underdog Rebel Band’s Kamikaze March to Save Parliament Square

The following is a post I published on Facebook, the morning of Thursday 18th April, day 4:

Marching into Parliament Square last night, playing a bass drum almost as hard as my heart was pounding, in defiance of lines of police like I’ve never even seen in fiction before, was the most incredible, meaningful thing I’ve done in my life.

We’re not holding these four sites (Marble Arch, Waterloo Bridge, Oxford Circus) for fun. It’s not a big party. The samba band I’ve joined is not a celebration, it’s an effective tool for nonviolent direct action through swarm moving roadblocks and huge defiant vibes! The media, after seeming to go dark on us, are now all over us. We’ve had incredible support from the public of London, and people are signing up to help out in massive numbers. The negative reaction to this huge disruption, as far as I’ve seen in person, has been amazingly small. The world cares about the climate, and we are rising up! For how much longer can the government ignore us?

[Quote from the XR daily newsletter:]

“By 6:30, the roadblocks were stretched thin – and it was then that a concentration of police unlike any this week arrived, marching in a seemingly unending column and circling into the square. Word was instantly sent out to the other sites, but it looked like the back-up so urgently dispatched would arrive to find a square emptied of rebels. The massive police-force began removing rebels from three of five roadblocks, arresting an estimated 50; the displaced blockers regrouped for a final stand, lying down close together – and it was then the XR Samba Band arrived.
Rallying and reinvigorating with the rhythm of their drums, the band led the remaining rebels in a circle of the Square, growing in size as they went before slingshotting onto the bridge. For all the police’s numbers, comparatively few arrests were made; whether this was due to the newfound size, mobility and dynamic of the crowd, or due to nearly 400 prior arrests flooding police capacity, remains unclear.”

A Broadcast Appeal for Musicians

I posted this appeal later on day 4 of the action:

Shout-out to climate-conscious musicians who are down with the Extinction Rebellion movement.

The samba band has been hugely effective at furthering the cause. We have been swarming, blocking roads, gathering public support, distracting police attention, boosting morale at the roadblocks, chanting, dancing, singing, marching.

It’s amazing fun. It’s also easy. We have strength in numbers and coordination, not necessarily skill. I myself am a skilled and experienced bass drummer, having been playing since Sunday night.

What we really need is more leaders. Anyone with any band leading experience, willing to blow a whistle and wave their hands. We can use as many musicians as we get, experienced or not. We can also use any unwanted drums: any parts of kits, cheap shitty ones, samba drums, snares, basses, toms, cowbells, shakers. We can also use brass players (but don’t risk your valuable instruments unless you are keen to).

The movement is growing. We’re getting attention. We’re getting unparalleled support from the public. I genuinely feel we are making a difference already, and that we can drastically improve the course of the planet’s future, with a little luck and continued support. Love!

In which I lead another march to Parliament Square

By day nine, many good leaders had gone home, and few experienced drummers remained. Having been there since day zero, I was amongst the most seasoned. We’d been asked to march to Parliament Square, leading a big crowd of rebels who were attempting to deliver a stack of letters to the parliament, but by then, there were no leaders left. I volunteered late the night before, and in the morning, somebody found me a whistle. We gathered at Marble Arch, and under the suspicious eyes of the police, I did my best to teach the new drummers. We rehearsed the tunes and signals, and were swept away marching with the crowd.

Oh shit it’s me! Got to admit, I’m a little proud of myself. Even prouder of the absolutely fantastic band who smashed it with me. Prouder still of the rebellion as a whole and every single rebel involved. We’re already making the world an immeasurably better place, and we’re far from done here.

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Arthur Start

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