While the whole world argues about whether music can change reality, Internationalist band Alternative Influence doesn’t bother with empty talk, the guys prefer to act and release a new album that’s impossible to ignore. ALTERNATIVE INFLUENCE champion Greta Thunberg’s role in the Revolution to save INTERNATIONAL LAW for Palestine, Congo and Sudan and in addressing the climate change catastrophe and other marginalised sections of society are too also covered- LGBTQ and Polyamory, Human Rights and Animal Rights, Women’s Sports and inclusivity feature heavily as there’s a celebratory rallying call for solidarity with frontman ,conceptual artist and lyricist LEE DAVENPORT reaching new heights with his message of hope. “Love & Let Live” – the release united eleven tracks about equality, climate and women’s football, packed into catchy melodies, and I assure you you’ll start singing along, even if you’re fundamentally against any politics in music. A quarter million views in a couple of weeks, radio stations from Manchester to god knows where. 

Hello, Lee! We’re glad you’re with us. Let’s start from the very beginning – Alternative Influence, you must agree sounds like a manifesto. Tell us, how was the idea to create the group born? 

ALTERNATIVE INFLUENCE first came to be formed back in 1998. I think its unique in that no band has in that time continued to exist and create without a record deal or some kind of management or financial input from a management company or the like . ITS refused to compromise and just continues delivering. This Album is all about representing marginalised sections of society and is a great journey for the listener from start to finish. It doesn’t have a weak track on the Album and every single track is strong enough to be released as a single- so go to YouTube and listen and watch and I guarantee you will enjoy at least one of the tracks-and probably most of them.

In one review I read that you call yourself conceptual. Tell me, what appeared earlier: music as a way of self-expression or the desire to change the world around through it? 

I am a conceptual artist –that means I have the vision to create whatever I feel will garner attention and deliver a message or provoke thoughts in regard to what’s created. Art Direction is essentially what I do –usually through collaboration with others- be they musicians, videographers or photographers or digital creators. I’ve always been involved in campaigning for justice through activism –since my teen years at school. Music has always been an obvious platform to do that. Punk and two-tone showed that to be a great way of addressing social issues. 4 of the artistes which had the biggest impact on me- John Lennon, Sex Pistols, Clash and The Smiths- all used their platform to address massively important issues though with Pistols- it was more that they were spearheading the Punk movement and through Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood-they really showed how important a D.I.Y. ethic and self-empowerment through collectivism or challenging the system was. I had the privilege of speaking with Malcolm Mclaren back in 2002 when we were trying to launch Class System got to hold on you song from our first Album to coincide with the Queens golden jubilee.. Malcolm gave me some great advice and encouragement on that and pointed me in the direction of one or two useful people. Music and a message go hand in hand 

Not many artists decide to speak out on political topics, but you go in the opposite direction. Why is it important for you to openly raise these questions in your music? 

If people choose to ignore what’s happening in the world at the moment as things get to some of the most important points in modern history-they basically show how they are part of the problem and f*ck all to do with the solution. Its easy to take an attitude of hoping things aren’t happening as they are. But the reality is we have the most polarized times that are being brought about by a clearly designed LEFT V RIGHT dialectic. The Green

Party are offering people hope and have grown massively since appointing leader Zack Polanski and he seems to articulate so concisely what so many people feel in a backlash against hate and prejudice and bigotry –that is all Reform and the far-right deal in- they want to attack immigrants, human rights, freedom of movement, they are determined to attack women’s rights, equality, LGBTIQQ community. This is about being a decent person with decent values. That’s what THE left v right Dialectic IS – IF people don’t stand up to be counted and use their vote at the next election to oppose what Reform are doing –then just like Brexit- idiots with nothing more than prejudices ,hatred and backward thinking that applied in the 1950s will continue to drag down everyone’s lives to their level-and millionaires like Farage ,Rupert Lowe and the rest of the Landowning murder-class will continue to exploit those that they see as below them 

After the success of the single with international support “Time 4 Her To Shine” – an inspiring anthem to women’s football, Alternative Influence returns with a second album “LOVE & LET LIVE”, released on November 30, 2025. The album, as specialists claim, is full of revolutionary energy. How did it happen that love and revolution get along in one release? 

LOVE is the only way for Revolution to succeed and stay in place. Any system that needs violence and hate and implied or explicit threats of violence to be kept in place is a system not worth having. That’s what we have now.. we don’t have civilization when 22,000 people die daily from hunger through poverty. Capitalism is a theft and ransom system and its absolutely ridiculous that peoples living conditions are decided by how intelligent society deems they are. Why should people receive less than others and is life only meant to be about wage –slavery and oppression. Advancements in technology should be used to re-address the work/leisure balance and see it become about people having 5 days leisure and only 2 days working –as an example- the opposite of what it has been for too long now. Profits of individuals and shareholders shouldn’t take priority over human liberation.

I know that the album touches on themes of climate change, women’s rights and the Palestinian question. And is there any internal filter when you decide what to write about, when there are so many problems in the world? 

Not really. When I hear a piece of music it usually evokes some emotional response from me as to how I feel- and the things at the forefront of my mind on an everyday basis are the class struggle and many campaigns I’m involved in that are based around that. And just to quantify that- Theres only 2 classes –the Ruling Class and the rest of us enslaved under their system. 

Lee, you wrote all the lyrics of the album. Which song was hardest for you – emotionally or conceptually? 

None of them were hard- My lyrics just flow. I say what i feel. I have a very clear vision and clarity in what i choose to write about. Less I sit down and put words to constructed formats. I am continually writing down words and turns of phrase that I scribble on pieces of paper and chuck in a draw and then come back to when I’m shaping that into a song. You cant buy experience for yourself when doing something yourself. You can only gain it through spending time doing it. I’m at the top of my game and lyrically I’ve reached new heights on this Album. If people go the YouTube channel AlternativeINFTV3 and listed from beginning to end –there’s 11 tracks that take you on a journey. Theres not a weak track and there’s some superb videos too. We invested a lot of time into creating these to show very specifically what I was trying to articulate 

It seems to me that “She Is the Revolution (We Are the Revolution)” – is one of the most powerful tracks of the album. It contains fragments of Greta Thunberg’s speeches and footage from marches. Share, how was the work on creating this collage conducted?

I was very familiar with Gretas speeches and really that made it very easy for me to write the lyrics that I did- it was then a case of going through the hours of footage from her speeches and formatting them into some kind of timeline And we used a considerable amount of footage from the recent 

flotilla aid voyage that sailed to Palestine. I think one of the most important parts of the video and the speeches that Greta makes is when she talks about the importance campaigning to stop all forms of oppression and putting human and planetary well-being over short-term financial gain and the interests of a small group who want geo-political control. And also the fact that people- yes, YOU reading this as much as anyone else have a vital role to play in joining the up-rising . Do not feel as if you cant make a difference. BECAUSE YOU CAN. Join the Green Party. Subscribe to Fight Racism Fight Imperialism newspaper-also on-line- and watch Novara Media on YouTube 

All 11 tracks of the new album have videos on YouTube. Also, a 32-page art booklet for the CD edition is prepared. This is enormous work. Who stands behind all this and how do you manage to preserve unity of style with such volume of material? 

I just do what I do. We have no record deal . I have no management tie ins. Most of the people in the Industry are only interested in money from my experience and how they could get a return on their investment. I collab with talented people. I collab with people on the same page either creatively or politically if we feel we can create something worthy of representing us and our objectives to its best. Ive spent all my life seeking justice and campaigning for it. 

You mentioned that the album “first of all sounds excellent” and is “damn catchy”. Does this mean that melody for you is more important than the message?

its VERY SIMPLE-if people don’t like the song and it doesn’t grab their interest-any message you are trying to deliver wont hit home. You either like a song or you don’t. It either gets your attention or it doesn’t. I can deliver the best lyrics, biggest philosophical observations or the most profound perspectives ever.. fact is -people either like the song or not-usually based on the melodies or the overall tune and vocals. I think most people will like several songs on this Album-there really isnt a weak track on it. So its far more likely to help put the message across. People should just listen and make up their own minds. Musically this delivers great songs. That simple. 

This is your second album, and the project clearly already has its own formed identity – do you feel that Alternative Influence have finally found their voice, or is this still a process of searching, and how do you yourself see the further development of the group’s sound? 

That’s a good question. I’ve already got a couple more songs up my sleeve- one which I thought I would ‘hold back’-and felt didn’t need to go the Album- took things in a more confrontational direction. Musically I think things may go in the direction of She IS The Revolution WE ARE THE Revolution- i.e. instead of it just being about guitar, bass, drums and one vocal. As we did on all the other tracks. Incorporating keys and other vocalists-and Live using more visuals and film. Maybe as per Dakota Skye, Woke & Proud and Cognitive Dissonance-also sampling others speeches/spoken word and my spoken word as well-but combined with ‘traditional’ use of vocals and melodies. At the moment my main focus is on securing Live dates for next year-so I’m more in ‘business head’ mode than per ‘creative thought contemplation.. So I would say- subscribe to our You Tube channel at AlternativeINFTV3 or drop us a email to 

info@Ldev-art2.co.uk And we can then inform you about our Gigs next year – We will be pushing for Leeds/Reading and Kendall Calling and any others that look like they match our ambition..