Philadelphia punk outfit the Dead Milkmen's cover of Heaven 17’s 1981 song, “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang, via the Giving Groove. The Dead Milkmen’s take on “Fascist Groove Thang” finds them expertly channeling the slick post-punk beat and percolating bass of Heaven 17’s original while swapping the synths out for steady guitars and electric keys. Most important though, the Dead Milkmen keep the chorus a communal rallying cry, bellowing together, “Brothers, sisters, we don’t need no fascist groove thang!”
The Dead Milkmen have been covering “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang” live since the 2016 election, and recorded their version with producer Joe Nicolo. While vocalist and keyboardist Rodney Anonymous had been slightly tweaking Heaven 17’s original lyrics about Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan to fit the current political moment, Heaven 17 requested the Dead Milkmen stick to the original lyrics on the recorded version. The Dead Milkmen’s cover of “Fascist Groove Thang” appears on the A-side of the single, with a new original, “A Complicated Faith” on the B-side.
