Photo: Press
There's no doubt about it, we do live in 'Troubled Times' and Green Day have done their best to make it bleedingly obvious in their video to their protest song for 2017. Check it out on Gigwise below.
Green Day use Trump's image in this cleverly put together animation which sees his wig flickering like a roaring hellish fire under his red cap as the band address what they undoubtedly see as a political nightmare occurring with Trump coming into power.
Images of KKK, animated black tears spilling from a picture of Martin Luther King Jr's eyes, footage of the civil rights movement protests are other powerful images used in this inspired video clip.
Green Day's focus lyrically seems to hone in on one of the key fears lots of that have cropped up time and time again; that's of history repeating itself. The band are expressing fears of a return to the 1930s with the rise of the far-right in mainstream politics not something to take lightly.
Musically, Bilie Joe Armstrong does deliver the tune as if something has truly riled him. But they also seem to not give in, there's a flicker of hope for people to come together. It's almost a rallying cry to try and resurrect something and save the "paradise burning". The press release substantiates this aspect of the song as Armstrong tells us, "Today we celebrate love and compassion more than ever."
It's no surprise to see Green Day speak out against the President-elect with this lyric . To quote Jason Williamson of Sleaford Mods, "Trump's is a much more obvious personification of a villain than any president before," and is someone who'll attract many more protest music from bands as big as Green Day.
Fans of Green Day have taken to the video in large way but those who empathise with Trump have taken to the YouTube comments section to spark debate. "I use to like green day until they went way to far left." or "Ridiculous... Green Day is my favorite band but that... Are they too naive or just dumb? I don't know wich one is worse that the other, " are among the quotes from users.
Elsewhere, the pop-punk heroes have been outspoken throughout the election. They took to the stage after picking up the Global Icon award, and gave new meaning to their politically-charged anthem 'American Idiot' - switching the lyrics from 'the subliminal mind fuck America” to “The subliminal mind Trump America”.
That night Armstrong was happy to be out of their home country and away from the chaotic Presidential campaigning, he said: "It's nice to be out of America just for a second because of this horrendous election that is going on right now, the entire country is about to have one big collective heart attack."
Green Day are on tour. Check here for ticket information
February
5 – Leeds, First Direct Arena
6 – Manchester, Arena
8 – London, The O2
June
28 – Belfast, Ormeau Park
July
1 – London, Hyde Park
4 – Glasgow, Bellahouston Park
