Almost 40 years later, it’s difficult to contextualise the shock waves generated by the emergence of Living Colour. The four-piece group were articulate, exceptionally proficient musicians with a fresh sound that struck like a lightning bolt. Avowed to protest the political injustices of the New York City locale in which they’d grown up there was another significant reason why Living Colour challenged the status quo of hard rock music: they were black.
While musicians like Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris, Lemmy and Anthrax all stood in Living Colour’s corner, others were intimidated. In such less enlightened days, the only way the band could disarm the situation was by sending it up. From the stage at London’s Astoria in 1988, frontman Corey Glover announced: “Hi there. I’s your new neighbour.”
