Band drops ‘British’ from its name over nationalism fears
AN INDIE band has dropped “British” from its name after 20 years, blaming a rise in “antagonistic nationalism”.
British Sea Power formed in Reading in 2000 and have since enjoyed two decades of albums and tours under the name, which was a wry reference to an already vanished naval supremacy.
Now the indie band has decided to drop the term “British” over fears the ensemble could be associated with “nationalism”.
An online statement from the sixpiece group announced that: “The band formerly known as British Sea Power have modified their name to simply Sea Power.
“The name British Sea Power had come to feel constricting, like an ancient legacy we were carrying with us.”
They added: “In recent times there’s been a rise in a certain kind of nationalism in this world – an isolationist, antagonistic nationalism that we don’t want to run any risk of being confused with.
“It’s become apparent that it’s possible to misapprehend the name British Sea Power.
“We always wanted to be an internationalist band, but maybe having a specific nation state in our name wasn’t the cleverest way to demonstrate that.”
The band, who began as British Air Power before moving to the coast at Brighton, hope fans will accept the name change. Its members, which include founding brothers Yan and Neil Wilkinson, have said that the name change does not reflect their views on Britain as a whole. The band’s statement said: “We all feel immensely fortunate to have grown up in these islands.
“Several of our songs are filled with love and awe for this place. We do love these lands. We all still live within the British Isles, but we are now just Sea Power.”