Southern Trains

Album: Pinewood Smile (2017)
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Songfacts®:

  • In 2016, UK rail franchise Southern Trains introduced a new method of door operation, with control of the doors moving from the conductor to the driver. The RMT and Aslef unions felt the change was unsafe and went on strike, causing major delays to commuters using Southern services. The strikes continued into 2017.

    This expletive-strewn howl of frustration finds The Darkness' Justin and Dan Hawkins venting their anger at the strife-torn Southern Trains. Justin Hawkins accuses the privately owned public transport company of causing "major delays, cancellations, tedious conversations" with "heaving carriages of indignation".

    Justin Hawkins said: "Dan and I had to endure the Southern Trains 'services' during the making of this album. The only difference between a normal day on Southern Trains and a day when they're all on strike, is that on strike day the ArseClownery is deliberate. They are utterly incapable of running a reliable service. Fact. The rest of the world is laughing at us. I hope this song goes some way towards facilitating change."

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