On Saturday, November 19th Steve Ignorant will take to the stage at Shepherd’s Bush Empire to sing the songs of Crass for the very last time. We spoke to Steve about his feelings about this last gig, and got a characteristically honest response. "I get highs and lows," he told us. "I know exactly what I’m doing, but then all of a sudden I get a really dry mouth thinking that’s the last time I’m going to do it. Then I go ‘yeah but Steve, you’ve not go to go to a rehearsal studio and do ‘Do They Owe Us A Living?’ again’. I think I know how that song goes! I’ve not got to do it any more."
You couldn’t get much more emphatic than Steve Ignorants refusal to countenance further outings singing Crass: "I’ve said it, and there’s no going back from it. I’m no Jimmy Pursey, doing another tour after it, I’m never, ever going to play Crass songs live onstage again. I’ve got to stick to that. There’s 15 people around this village alone who’ve got their shotguns ready if I ever do it again. And I’m not going to do it. That’s it for me, close the door now, otherwise it’s going to start getting embarrassing – ‘go to Rebellion, Steve, do this, do that, do the Crass thing’." I can’t no more. I want to do something else now.
Still, Steve says the gig will be a celebratory affair. "For me it’s a really nice way of… I’m starting to get emotional," he says. "It’s just a way of saying thank you to everybody who supported Crass or was into it or touched them or something like that. It’s really special to me. I tell you, if anybody out there was going to go this gig, bring tissues because it’s going to be emotional."
Not only this, but we’re hearing rumours from sources close to the group that former Crass members Penny Rimbaud and Eve Libertine have been rehearsing with Steve for a guest appearance at The Last Supper. Pack your tissues and buy tickets here. Visit the Quietus next week for an interview with Steve about his work as a volunteer on the Sea Palling lifeboat.
