A SCOTTISH rock band is to have one of its songs showcased in a museum dedicated to the Spanish Civil War.
The Tenementals, a group of academics, artists, and musicians, will have their track A Passion Flower’s Lament featured in The Virtual Museum of the Spanish Civil War – a first-of-its-kind digital platform exploring the 1936-1939 conflict.
We told how the group, who explore the idea of telling Glasgow’s radical history and untold stories through song, began its tour “outwith” the city last month, bringing their music to venues across Scotland and to Belfast for the first time.
Now the group’s anthem will feature on an international stage as told from the perspective of the statue of Dolores Ibárruri, La Pasionaria, which commemorates the men from Glasgow who died fighting with the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War.
Singer and founder of The Tenementals, David Archibald, said the band is not interested in “black-and-white histories” and, rather, is more interested in the complexity of Glasgow’s past.
Archibald, who is also a professor of political cinema at the University of Glasgow, said the statue, which is located on the banks of the River Clyde, holds a special place in the memory of the city.
“The statue rightly celebrates the courageous men who travelled to Spain to fight fascism with the International Brigades,” he said.
“The city is right to hold a special place in its heart for the memory of these men.
Dolores Ibárruri is regarded as an iconic part of Glasgow’s cityscape and a common gathering point for activists and radical groups.
Ibárruri is credited with coining the classic anti-fascist phrase "No pasarán!" (They Shall Not Pass) during the Siege of Madrid when right-wing military forces were attempting to overthrow the democratically elected leftist Republican government.
The Tenementals song explores Ibárruri legacy with the opening words, sung by Jen Cunnion, describing the statue, “I stand here eternal, bronze arms outstretched.
“As reaching for green leaves, red brick, red heavens.”
Archibald said the song also explores the “thornier side of the conflict” and how you combat fascism.
He said: “It is not well known, but some members of the International Brigades, dissidents and deserters, were held in a make-shift prison in the town of Castelldefels, near Barcelona by their own side. There were also wider conflicts on the Republican left.
“The song asks us to consider what we might do with these troubling aspects of the Spanish Civil War at a time when fascism once more rears its head.
“It is not well known, but some members of the International Brigades, dissidents and deserters, were held in a make-shift prison in the town of Castelldefels, near Barcelona by their own side. There were also wider conflicts on the Republican left.
“The song asks us to consider what we might do with these troubling aspects of the Spanish Civil War at a time when fascism once more rears its head.”
The Tenementals dedicated their song to Bob Smillie, a University of Glasgow student who left behind his studies in chemistry and travelled to Spain to fight in the war.
Smillie fought alongside 1984 and Animal Farm author George Orwell (above) on the Aragon Front and was involved in an internal conflict which led to him being imprisoned by his own forces and according to the band even to his death.
“We are not focused on this period as one of defeat. We focus on a moment of revolutionary possibility when, as Orwell put it, ‘the working class was in the saddle.’ If it happened once, it can happen again,” Archibald warned.
“Every band hopes that their music finds a wide public, so we are delighted that it will be accessed in The Virtual Museum of the Spanish Civil War.”
Professor Adrian Shubert from the Virtual Museum said he is “proud” A Passion Flower’s Lament will feature in the museum.
He said: “The Virtual Museum of the Spanish Civil War is the first museum in the world devoted to this central event of 20th century history.
“Its mission is to make the history and legacies of the Spanish Civil War, both as an internal conflict and its international repercussions, available to the general public.
“It also aims to preserve the memory of those who experienced the war or suffered its consequences, and to promote reflection about and understanding of this crucial period.
“The Tenementals' ‘A Passion Flower's Lament’ speaks to the complexities of the conflict and the ways it remains a living reality more than eighty years after its conclusion. We are proud to include the song in our museum.”
