Attacco Decente were a musical group from

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, England, active from 1984 to 1996. The band was notable for using unusual

acoustic instrument Acoustic music is music that solely or primarily uses instruments that produce sound through acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means. While all music was once acoustic, the retronym "acoustic music" appeared after the adven ...

s such as

hammered dulcimer The hammered dulcimer (also called the hammer dulcimer) is a percussion-stringed instrument which consists of strings typically stretched over a trapezoidal resonant sound board. The hammered dulcimer is set before the musician, who in more trad ...

Appalachian dulcimer The Appalachian dulcimer (many variant names; see below) is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings, originally played in the Appalachian region of the United States. The body extends the length of ...

s, and

tongue drum A slit drum or slit gong is a hollow percussion instrument. In spite of the name, it is not a true drum but an idiophone, usually carved or constructed from bamboo or wood into a box with one or more slits in the top. Most slit drums have one slit ...

s alongside more conventional instruments such as

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

and

acoustic bass guitar The acoustic bass guitar (sometimes shortened to acoustic bass or initialized ABG) is a bass instrument with a hollow wooden body similar to, though usually larger than a steel-string acoustic guitar. Like the traditional electric bass guitar a ...

. Their founder member and sole constant was Geoff Smith. Their lyrics, written by Smith, reflected a strong

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

political stance, especially on the early singles and the first album. Although the band were active at the height of

Thatcherism Thatcherism is a form of British conservative ideology named after Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher that relates to not just her political platform and particular policies but also her personal character and general style of manag ...

, they did not participate in the more moderate

Red Wedge Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...

collective. The band's first single, "Trojan Horse", featured Smith and Graham Barlow. Acoustic guitarist and backing vocalist Mark Allen joined and they released a 12" EP, "U.K.A. (United Kingdom of America)", the sleeve of which featured an endorsement from

Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer-songwriter and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic themes. His music is ...

. The band released their debut album, ''The Baby Within Us Marches On'', in 1988. Barlow left after the release of the "I Don't Care How Long It Takes" single. Smith and Allen recorded the band's second and last album, ''Crystal Night'', as a duo. The band's sound changed somewhat in this incarnation, with the heavily percussive sound of the trio line-up replaced by a mellower, folky feel. There was less emphasis on the tongue drums and more on the hammered dulcimer and Allen's guitar, which took on a markedly

flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

aspect. Smith's lyrics became less overtly political, and more concerned with love and personal relationships. The band split after the ''Crystal Night'' album. Smith continued as a solo performer and composer, creating music for film and dance. Allen is now a teacher, but has also continued to work as a singer and guitarist in a number of groups.

Discography

Singles and EPs

*"Trojan Horse"/"Storms Clear the Air" (Timber, 1984) *"U.K.A. (United Kingdom of America)" (All or Nothing, 1986) – tracks: "The Law Above The Law", "U.K.A.", "Dad Hits Mum", "Touch Yourself", "All Or Nothing") *"The Will of One" (All or Nothing; 7", 12", CD, 1988) – tracks on 7": "The Will of One" (short version), "One Mountain, One Checkpoint, One Chance"; tracks on 12" and CD: "The Will of One" (short version), "The Will of One" (long version), "One Mountain, One Checkpoint, One Chance", "Together in a Bed of Blossom") *"I Don't Care How Long It Takes" (All or Nothing; 7", 12", CD, 1988) – tracks on 12" and CD: "I Don't Care How Long It Takes" (7" version), "I Don't Care How Long It Takes" (Hammer House Mix), "Tears of Blood", "Don't Join Their Army")

Albums

*''The Baby Within Us Marches On'' (All or Nothing; LP, CD, 1988) *''Crystal Night'' (All or Nothing; cassette, CD, 1996) Musical groups from Brighton and Hove English folk musical groups Hammered dulcimer players