Love in Vain- The Story of The Ruts Roland Link

The Ruts, and in recent times Ruts DC, have always been one of my favourite bands. In the late 70’s I can remember arguing with various friends as we tried to decipher their lyrics and understand their meaning. I still go to see them now at every opportunity. Born out of the first throes of punk, The Ruts were unique in that they had plenty of attitude and swagger, but never felt the need to start wearing the punk uniform of bondage trousers, ripped t shirts and dyed hair. They didn’t really need to - their music did the talking for them, with tracks that highlighted a different kind of experience. Plenty of fight in their songs, but also a far more thoughtful and considered awareness of what was going on around them than many of their contemporaries. In particular, The Ruts from the outset had a strong connection to Anti -Racism, forged to a large extent by their connections to reggae band Misty in Roots and the People Unite record label. Many of the punk bands at the time were desperate to play reggae but The Ruts were well ahead and found a way of blending punk and reggae in a far more successful way than, for instance, Joe Strummer’s embarrassing rendition of Pressure Drop. The Ruts (all excellent musicians) somehow found the sweet spot where they could combine the 2 genres and come up with a unique, and perhaps very London, mix of the two with Jah War being the best example. The other notable song from the period, again aligning themselves against the racism they saw on the streets in London at the time was SUS a masterful reflection on the Police’s use of Stop and Search powers to bully and intimidate black communities and those who might side with them. Another Ruts classic Babylon’s Burning was a reflection of the inner city riots happening at the time. The Ruts could have very easily challenged the pre-eminence of The Clash as a more authentic voice of the disaffected, especially when their London neighbours started quietly slipping from ‘Garageband” to stadium rockers. It was not to be however. As with so many creative people - Malcolm Owen - the charismatic frontman and driving force of the band allowed heroin to become part of his, and ultimately The Ruts, story. Just when all the hard work had been done and the next really exciting and potentially rewarding bit was about to happen Malcolm’s habit overcame him. Despite the usual attempts at getting clean, and spells in rehab - like so many whose circle of friends and acquaintances inevitably includes those who have a vested interest in you continuing to use smack, Malcolm Owen could not find a way out. He died of a heroin overdose in 1980. The song Love in Vain, from which this book takes its name, written about his battle with drugs, remains a poignant reminder of how good he really was. The rest of the book follows the remaining band members as they attempt to keep the band going - an uphill struggle without their charismatic singer and main songwriter. The new incarnation Ruts DC always being unsure how much to look forward or backward whilst still trying to earn a living. In particular they began to take a keen interest in Dub Reggae working with a number of notable producers such as Mad Professor and Prince Fatty. All the band members also worked as musicians with other bands whilst still trying to keep the flame of the Ruts DC alive. The death of their renowned guitar player Paul Fox in 2008 was a further devastating blow to the band. This “Story of The Ruts” is a a long book and doesn’t need to be. For some reason author Roland Link includes the track list for virtually every gig they played. There are a few other places where some judicious editing might have made it a shorter but just as interesting read. One for real fans of the band only then. But a good reminder of how good The Ruts really are…….. Are because they are still playing - Ruffy and Segs along with old friend Leigh Hegarty tour regularly and also pop up at various one offs and festivals. They are still great and brilliant to see live. Check them out if ever you get the chance you can also follow Segs on Instagram segsruts_rutsdc