The Christian Underground Encyclopedia

This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong.
====== Dissident Prophet ======

| **Band:** | Dissident Prophet |
| **Origin:** | Birmingham, England, United Kingdom |
| **Genres:** | Alternative Rock |
| **Years Active:** | 1994-current |
| **Labels:** | [[MGL Granite Records]] |
| **Members:** | (1995-1996) Andy Jennings, Tom Livemore, Simon Jason Smith, John Large |
| ::: | (2001-) Andy Jennings, Tom Livemore, Melanie J, Collin Burton, Dave Odart |
| ::: | (2005-) Andy Jennings, Tom Livemore, Collin Burton, Melanie J, Robbie Maxwell |
| ::: | (2012) Andy Jennings, Tom Livemore |
| ::: | (2015) Andy Jennings, Tom Livemore, Melanie J, Robbie Maxwell |
| **Associated Acts:** | Maccabees |

===== History =====

"Dissident Prophet is an apocalyptic indie rock band from Birmingham, England.

The band were signed by MGL Granite records after their second gig. Their sound is rooted in indie rock, and they have built a strong following through their live performances. Their debut single, "Generation X", was released on MGL records in 2004. They received widespread acclaim with single "Generation X", and multiple plays from the likes of BBC Radio 1's Mark Radcliffe and Johnnie Walker, Virgin, GLR, as well as MTV video coverage. The band toured nationally and supported numerous bands such as Babylon Zoo, Stiff Little Fingers, Ocean Colour Scene, and Fish and received rave reviews in the likes of Melody Maker and Kerrang! ("Best Newcomers"). The band followed with "Unconditional Love" and "Hang Him Round Your Neck" before the release of their first album //We're Not Grasshoppers//. MGL Granite records went bust soon after //We're Not Grasshoppers// was released, so the band didn't receive the support it needed to gain mainstream success.

In 2001, the band regrouped, with Collin Burton replacing Simon Jason Smith on bass, Dave Odart replacing John Large on drums, and Melanie J. (Andy's wife) joining them on keyboards/vocals. A friend, Mike Doughty made an animated music video for their song "Man From The Sky". In 2002, with the band line-up change, they decided to take on the name Maccabees with the release of //21st Century Spin//, which did well in the United States. "With //21st Century Spin//, the unbashful Maccabees don't just remind us of Britain's immense musical talents, they prove that they're among them…with a head high above ground, profoundly aware of what's going on." In 2005, due to family commitments, Dave Odart was replaced by Robbie Maxwell on drums. //Modern Man// was released. The band name Maccabees caused confusion with The Maccabees (an indie rock band from Brighton), who went on to achieve mainstream success around the same time. That same year, most of the original band line-up were head-hunted (Simon Jason Smith, John Large, Tom Livemore) to play for Carina Round, as she toured America following her record deal with Interscope. With Tom Livemore's departure to Hollywood, Andy's friend Tom Rankin took over lead guitar duties for a few shows. At the end of the year the band took a hiatus.

In 2012, Dissident Prophet returned to the music scene. Andy & Melanie’s kids had now finished school; Tom was back from Hollywood; and Robbie had bought a new drum kit. Due to the confusion with mainstream band The Maccabees, Dissident Prophet reverted to their original name, and released a free download album //Weapons of Mass Deception//, available from their Bandcamp page. Andy says: "WMD reflects an urgent call to awaken our minds and see through the veneer of falseness proclaimed as truth everywhere in society. There is a spiritual war, and we refuse to keep quiet about it." In 2013, tracks from //Weapons of Mass Deception// appeared with Andrew Marston on BBC Hereford & Worcester; received airplay on various Cross Rhythms Radio stations; major rotation on WeAre1Radio an online radio rock station, serving Latin America based in Bogotá, Colombia. Tracks were also played on "Tommy's Rock And Metal Mayhem" show on Ipswich Community Radio (ICR) in the UK, and get continued airplay on the show. The band also took part in the WeAre1 Radio’s online ‘War Of The Bands II’ contest. The band were also welcomed into the Great Malvern gig scene; Played alongside Andy Wickett World Service; and ended the year with the Paul Poulton Project supported them at The Kitchen Garden in Kings Heath, Birmingham, UK. In 2015 //Red Moon Rising// was released on June 29. Age of Deceit series documentary filmmaker and FaceLikeTheSun YouTube vlogger, Gonzo Shimura produced a music video for the song "Human 2.0", which received over 16,000 views in its first week of upload. Andy put together a song-by-song look at Red Moon Rising. The band performed twice at Creation Fest a free Christian music festival, which took place on the first weekend of August in the Royal Cornwall Showground, Cornwall, England. And performed at KingsStock, Moggerhanger Park, which took place on the last weekend of August."

(From [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissident_Prophet]])

John Large and Simon Jason Smith formerly were in [[The Pink Dandelions]].

===== Discography =====

| 1995 | EP | MGL Granite Records |
| 1996 | We're Not Grasshoppers | MGL Granite Records |
| 1996 | Hang Him Round Your Neck (EP) |  MGL Granite Records |
| 1996 | Unconditional Love (EP) | MGL Granite Records |
| 2002 | 21st Century Spin | TAX Records | Originally released as "Maccabees" |
| 2005 | Modern Man | TAX Records | Originally released as "Maccabees" |
| 2012 | Weapons of Mass Deception | TAX Records |
| 2015 | Red Moon Rising | TAX Records |
| 2017 | Strange Days | TAX Records |
| 2019 | Just Five More Songs - EP | 

------

==== EP ====

1995 MGL Granite Records

Simon "Smudge" Smith - Bass, vocals\\
John Large - Drums, vocals\\
Tom Livemore - Guitar\\
Andy Jennings - Vocals, guitar

  - Generation X (3:46)
  - Parachute (3:53)
  - Be Set Free (3:44)
  - Watching All Alone (2:23)

------

==== We're Not Grasshoppers ====

1996 MGL Granite Records (MGGRCD15)

Andy Jennings - Vocals\\
Tom Livemore - Guitar\\
Simon Jason Smith - Bass\\
John Large - Drums

  - Real Love (3:42)
  - Brand New Rose (2:30)
  - Parachute (3:51)
  - Let It Go (3:51)
  - Tower of Babel (2:51)
  - Unconditional Love (4:51)
  - Close to the Truth (5:46)
  - Watching All Alone (2:24)
  - Be Set Free (3:42)
  - Generation X (3:33)
  - Selfish Git (2:09)
  - Hang Him Round Your Neck (3:57)
  - Little Light (5:30)
  - Where You Gonna Run To? (5:04)

------

==== Hang Him Round Your Neck (EP) ====

1996 MGL Granite Records (MGGRCD 17)

Andy Jennings - Vocals\\
Tom Livemore - Guitar\\
Simon Jason Smith - Bass\\
John Large - Drums

  - Hang Him Round Your Neck
  - Let It Go
  - My Friend

------

==== Unconditional Love (EP) ====

1996 MGL Granite Records (MGGRCD6)

Andy Jennings - Vocals\\
Tom Livemore - Guitar\\
Simon Jason Smith - Bass\\
John Large - Drums

  - Unconditional Love
  - Sham
  - Selfish Git

------

==== Maccabees - 21st Century Spin ====

2002 TAX Records

Andy Jennings - Vocals\\
Tom Livemore - Guitar\\
Melanie J - Keyboards, vocals\\
Collin Burton - Bass\\
Dave Odart - Drums

  - What Would It Take? (3:38)
  - Dr. Feelgood (2:16)
  - Run For Your Life (2:52)
  - The Most Unwanted Man (4:42)
  - Hold On (3:56)
  - Dirty Water (3:59)
  - Rev 13:16 (3:20)
  - Keep My Lamp Burning (3:22)
  - Do You Know Love At All? (4:19)
  - Thief In The Night" (2:56)
  - Change You Ticket (3:25)
  - 21st Century Spin (3:56)
  - Over and On (5:21)

------

==== Maccabees - Modern Man ====

2005 TAX Records (TaxCD003x)

Andy Jennings - Vocals\\
Tom Livemore - Guitar\\
Melanie J - Keyboards, vocals\\
Collin Burton - Bass\\
Robbie Maxwell - Drums

  - Same Way (3:05)
  - Modern Man (2:27)
  - Death by Entertainment (4:02)
  - Best Laid Plans (4:35)
  - Woe (To the Generation) (3:21)
  - Fire, Fire (5:45)
  - Rome (2:38)
  - Company Store (3:18)
  - Wolves (5:21)
  - Soon (6:04)
  - Television (3:09)
  - 5 Minutes to Midnight (5:08)
  - Where are You Going? (2:38)

------

==== Weapons of Mass Deception ====

2012 TAX Records

Andy Jennings - Vocals\\
Tom Livemore - Guitar

Like Lightning (3:48)
Fire, Fire (5:20)
Running on the Wheel (3:43)
Get Up (3:37)
There's a Party Going on Somewhere (2:33)
No Time for Foolin' Around (2:30)
Weapons of Mass Deception (2:27)
Time o' the Signs (2:15)
Be Serious (4:22)
The Man Behind the Curtain (4:09)
Walk Away (4:18)

------

==== Red Moon Rising ====

2015 TAX Records

Andy Jennings - Vocals\\
Tom Livemore - Guitar\\
Melanie J - Keyboards, vocals\\
Robbie Maxwell - Drums

  - Human 2.0 (3:33)
  - Comfortable in Babylon (3:42)
  - Writing on the Wall (4:07)
  - Jerusalem Descending (4:06)
  - Fly Away (3:30)
  - Dig (3:30)
  - All Coming Down (4:02)
  - The Word (2:34)
  - Broken (3:59)
  - How Long? (4:31)
  - He Sat Down (3:09)

------

==== Strange Days ====

2017 TAX Records

Andy Jennings\\
Tom Livemore\\
Melanie J\\
Robbie Maxwell

  - Strange Days (3:24)
  - Shadowlands (3:30)
  - Wait for the City (4:17)
  - Matador (3:37)
  - Everybody Knows (5:14)
  - Good Men Gone (5:22)
  - Only One Name (4:26)
  - Major Pepper (4:55)
  - Small Dash (3:54)
  - Run to the Mountains (3:29)
  - Where are You Going? (3:23)

------

==== Just Five More Songs - EP ====

2019 Independent

  - Maybe Just a Broken Heart (3:11)
  - Solid Gone (3:45)
  - Company Store (2:45)
  - It Was A Quiet Night (3:50)
  - Outcome Based Education (OBE) (3:58)

------

===== Links =====

  * [[https://dissidentprophet.bandcamp.com/|Dissident Prophet BandCamp]]