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Sep 01, 2020 By Dom Gourlay Photography by Steve Gullick Web Exclusive

As a founder member of Brighton punks The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, Symren Gharial can already lay claim to being one of the most pivotal musicians of the 21st century. His driving bass augmented the band’s signature sound across three albums over the course of a decade up to TEMBLD finally calling it a day in 2011.

Since then, Gharial has played in Piano Wire alongside fellow ex-TEMBLD guitarist Andy Huxley before launching his latest project, PRIMITIVE IGNORANT. Essentially a solo vehicle for Gharial, Primitive Ignorant is an autobiographical exercise in bass heavy industrial pop and next month sees the release of debut album Sikh Punk.

Out on 23rd October via the Something In Construction label, Sikh Punk deals with lyrical themes ranging from Gharial’s time growing up as a Sikh in Ladbroke Grove then finding escape and identity in punk rock, bands and drugs to racism both before and after Brexit.

Featuring contributions from a host of collaborators including Idles’ Joe Talbot, Leonore Wheatley from International Teachers Of Pop, War On Drugs’ keyboard and saxophone player Jon Natchez, Mick Jones from The Clash and many, many more. Sikh Punk bares all the hallmarks for being one of 2020’s finest debuts. A twenty-first century twist on Sandinista, which heralded The Clash’s development into new musical and lyrical territories.

Before the album drops, Primitive Ignorant released a single over the August Bank Holiday weekend entitled “Ballad Of Markland Estate” and we have the video in all it’s glory below.