Tony Wakeford

Wakeford was the bassist for the English punk rock band Crisis. An openly left-wing and anti-fascist band,[1] Crisis performed at events organized by Rock Against Racism and the Anti-Nazi League.[1] Crisis disbanded in 1980, but Wakeford later began touring with a new line-up of the band in 2017.[1] Wakeford, Crisis guitarist Douglas Pearce and Patrick Leagas co-founded the band Death in June.[1] In early 1984, Wakeford was fired from Death in June for "bringing his 'right-wing leanings into the group'"; at the time he had been a member of the National Front (UK).[2] In 2007, Wakeford described his National Front membership as "probably the worst decision of my life".[3] Wakeford had also been a member of the Odinic Rite, a neopagan organization.[4] After being fired from Death in June, Wakeford formed the post-punk band Above the Ruins, and in October 1984, they released a nine song demo album on cassette, Songs of the Wolf, which was distributed through the London-based P.O. box BCM Grimnir, and from the National Front bookshop in Croydon.[2] The band's lyrics denounced communism, capitalism and liberalism.[2] The demo received a favorable review from Nationalism Today, the journal of the National Front.[2] The following year, Above the Ruins contributed the song "The Killing Zone" to No Surrender, a compilation of recordings by white nationalist bands,[5] and in late 1985, announced that their demo would be "soon to be available on record".[2] In 1987, Wakeford distanced himself from right-wing views, and formed Sol Invictus.[6] Years afterward, Wakeford denied ever having been a member of the National Front or Above the Ruins, but later admitted to having been a member of both.[2]

In 1987, Wakeford formed the neofolk band Sol Invictus, adapting the band's name from a cult that predated Christianity.[7] The band's music combines acoustic guitar playing and "neo-classical instrumentation" with elements of industrial music.[6] Due to Wakeford's past political associations, Sol Invictus has been accused of neo-fascism.[8] In 1990, Wakeford formed his own record label, Tursa. With distribution by World Serpent Distribution, Tursa released numerous albums by Sol Invictus, starting with Trees in Winter.[6] After World Serpent dissolved in the 2000s, Cold Spring began distributing the band's albums.[6]