Tributes paid to The Pop Group leader singer Mark Stewart

Mark Stewart, the lead singer of The Pop Group, has died at the age of 62.

A statement posted on his Twitter account said that the Bristol Grammar School-educated musician had passed away in early hours of Friday: “As Sufis say; there is no such thing as death, no one is going to die, but since death is so valuable, it has been hidden in the safe of fears.”

As well as fronting The Pop Group and The Maffia, Stewart also worked with artists including Massive Attack and Primal Scream.

The Quietus called Stewart “one of the key countercultural figures of European post punk, industrial funk and electronic dub”.

BBC Radio 6 Music’s Mark Riley said that Stewart was “one of the cleverest funniest most mischievous people I’ve ever met. Easily. Thoughts are with his family friends and fans… and anyone who ever met him… all of whom will know exactly what I mean.”

Speaking to The Arts Desk in 2015, Stewart ruminated about class and racial divisions in Bristol when he was growing up.

He said: “There was no fence. The fence was Rovers and City. A large amount of nutters came to the first punk gigs in Bristol. We set up this thing in the Barton Hill Youth Centre in Bristol. It was one of the roughest places.

“An interesting thing about Bristol is it’s small. When the hip hop thing kicked off there was only one club. We’d all go to the Dugout. There’s none of this class divide, we don’t see colour down there.

“My uncles were merchant sailors. My mum came in from the country, from this little town just outside Bristol. She moved into the city for the cheap housing. A few years later Bristol Omnibus set up a recruiting station in Jamaica because they were short of labour.

“My granddad loved all the Jamaican guys because they had nice suits on and they bothered to polish their shoes. The local navvies didn’t. He called them gentlemen.

“Journalists see the influence of reggae on Bristol from an American or London viewpoint, a whole anthropological perspective, whereas my mum lived in the street where the blues dances were. It’s not some intellectual thing.”

Mute Records’ Daniel Miller said: “I’ve known Mark as a friend and a fellow traveller for over 40 years, since he was the lead singer of The Pop Group. I have so many wonderful memories of him – some bizarre, some outrageous, but always inspiring and somehow for a reason.

“His musical influence has been much greater than is often acknowledged. He was always encouraging young artists, especially those local to him in Bristol – many have gone on to become global stars.

“His warmth and kindness as a friend has always been something very important to me. We had so many laughs together, and he had so much creative energy. The last time I saw Mark was a few months ago in Bristol, performing an improvised set with Lee Ranaldo.

“He was nothing but hilarious, his piece was basically a stand-up routine, and after the show we spent many hours putting the world to rights, it’s a wonderful memory, I will miss him greatly.

“Mark, I can’t imagine you being anything other than restless but I hope you find your very special peace.”

Gareth Sager of The Pop Group said: “Mark was the most amazing mind of my generation, RIP”

Music producer Adrian Sherwood added: “Thank you my brother. You were the biggest musical influence in my life and our extended family will miss you so so much. Love forever.”

Main photos: Mark Stewart / Twitter

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