British Sea Power rebrand to Sea Power due to rise of nationalism

The rock band British Sea Power have renamed themselves Sea Power, saying the original name had become “constricting” due to the rise of “antagonistic nationalism” in recent years.

The group, who have been active for 20 years, say the previous name was “intended with a kind of wry humour” because Britain, once a naval superpower, no longer ruled the seas.

They announced the change as they unveiled the title of their first studio album in five years, Everything Was Forever, which is out in February.

Sea Power wrote in a post on their website: “After much reflection and soul-searching, the band formerly known as British Sea Power have modified their name to simply Sea Power.

“We’ve been British Sea Power for 20 years – an amazing 20 years, when we’ve been able to continually traverse the British Isles, to travel the world, encountering many friendly faces, not least in the band’s remarkable audience.

“But the name British Sea Power had come to feel constricting, like an ancient legacy we were carrying with us.”

They said the name’s origin was derived from the literal power of the oceans and was also a tongue-in-cheek echo of the historical past of “Britannia ruling the waves”.

“The idea of British sea power in the historical sense was an obsolete thing," they wrote. “It was now just the name of a rock band.

"Now, 20 years later, we’re recasting the name.

"In recent times there’s been a rise in a certain kind of nationalism in this world – an isolationist, antagonistic nationalism that we don’t want to run any risk of being confused with.

“It’s become apparent that it’s possible to misapprehend the name British Sea Power, particularly if someone isn’t familiar with the band or their recordings.

“We’ve always been internationalist in our mindset, something made clear in songs like Waving Flags, an anthem to pan-European idealism.

“We always wanted to be an internationalist band but maybe having a specific nation state in our name wasn’t the cleverest way to demonstrate that.”

The band clarified later in the post that they have no aversion to the British Isles and feel “immensely fortunate” to have grown up there, and said several of their songs are “filled with love and awe for this place”.

The rock band consist of brothers Scott Wilkinson and Neil Hamilton Wilkinson, guitarist Martin Noble and drummer Matthew Wood, with Phil Sumner on the keyboard and cornet and Abi Fry on the viola.

They played Glastonbury Festival in 2008 and 2017 and have played Reading and Leeds festivals numerous times, including headlining the Festival Republic Stage in 2010.

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