World Wide Message Tribe

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Manchester, United Kingdom10 reviews across 6 releases

World Wide Message Tribe was a Manchester band formed through a school-based evangelism project in the early 1990s. Its first records used techno and house rhythms as a base for direct Christian lyrics, with rap, samples and occasional ballad sections widening the format. The self-titled 1993 debut could become disjointed when its experiments interrupted the beat, while Dance Planet brought a brighter pop influence and a more even balance between slow grooves and driving dance tracks. The group worked in Manchester schools for much of the year, then built concerts around that activity. By Heatseeker, the music had moved toward harder breakbeats, club rap, trip hop and industrial textures, with gruff rapping and prominent female vocals. Its songs remained explicitly evangelistic, including admissions of personal failure alongside declarations of faith.

In 1998, founding member Andy Hawthorne left the performing line-up to concentrate on preaching and the wider ministry, while Mark Pennells also stepped back from the band's work. Cameron Dante became a full-time member after joining following his conversion at a Tribe event, and Doronda D. Lewis replaced Beth Vickers as lead vocalist. Heatseeker documented the change, with Dante's writing and Lewis's gospel-influenced singing helping move the group toward a tougher dance sound. The following year's Frantik returned to simpler pop-dance writing and received a cooler response, despite the continuing Manchester school work and live shows. The band later used the shorter name The Tribe and disbanded in 2004. Hawthorne continued leading The Message, whose school-based ministry carried on with new creative teams.

6 releases reviewed