Yes, if I am honest the progressive city of Bristol has always appealed to me and the city, like all cities with its own docks, is an amalgam of creativity feeding off a myriad imported and home-grown influences. And guess what, the city has provided yet another artist to take note of, “Though she be but little,” Billy Nomates. Oh, yes…
Like a length of barbed-wire the bass line drags itself across your consciousness…
The accompanying video for NO is shot in glorious “cinema verite” vision. The black and white images are stark and unembellished as light and dark is employed to create a grainy world of dirty realism. Throughout, there is no interaction between our pocket-Boudicca or anyone else. However, the feather-cut warrior queen is not in isolation the message is unambiguous: my video, my rules and my statement. Throughout the film, from the unflinching stares (and marvel at that scowl), which defies our expectations – staring down the male gaze? – to the disjointed dance routines that defy rhythm, from the notion that females don’t go out alone at night to the defiant act of sitting alone in the pub, from the flurry of insolent punches in the final scene, it is clear the video is merely on loan to the viewer. Yes, of course, the black and white lyrics are ours to take-away and digest as they are infused with progressive meaning…
The spoken word delivery contains barbed utterances that are loaded with incendiary words. Opening the opus with the phrase – “No, is the greatest resistance” – a slogan that would have Cummings reaching for his Dictaphone to record its directness, even if the sentiments will alarm his short-sighted politics. Politically, our heroine is all about reform – “no, I will not shave everything I am not twelve” – Billy Nomates is not going to be dictated to by society’s mores. Furthermore, our self-styled enfant-terrible insists that she is saying – “No, to pointless comparatives” – and this makes sense for Billy Nomates and for me because…NO, I can’t think of one artist to compare to Billy Nomates.
No, Billy Nomates will not remain friendless for long as the informed followers and fans will no doubt create a protective ring around this artist, as Bristol does a good job of looking after its own but don’t forget: “though she be but little, she is fierce!” Consequently, I know Ms Nomates can look after herself just as well…oh, yes!
By: The Swilgate Scuttler