Catalogue Number
NMLH.2024.48.2
Object Name
leaflet
Title
'Red Wedge. A State of Independence. A Fact Not Fiction Series. No. 1.'
Place
UK
People
Labour Party, Red Wedge, Billy Bragg
Description
A black leaflet with red text at the top and bottom, and the title 'Red Wedge' in white, inside a white box. The central image is a red inverted triangle wedged between two black squares. The right hand side has a series of white illustrations - buildings, tools, the globe, a person holding their head, and a pair of hands linking.
Red Wedge was a musicians collective established in 1985 by Billy Bragg, Paul Weller and Jimmy Somerville which attempted to spread the message about the Labour Party's policies to young people using music and pop culture, ahead of the 1987 General Election. Red Wedge produced a magazine, 'Well Red', and an election pamphlet, 'Move On Up'. The core group was supplimented on tours around the UK by other popular musicians of the era including Madness, Tom Robinson, Sade, and Bananarama. They also organised a comedy tour with the same concept. The 1987 election produced a third successive Conservative party victory, and the Red Wedge faded out, eventually formally disbanding in 1990.
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