skully and terry H
badoes@eastendbadoes.co.uk THE NEW WEBSITE!! Click to Enter
The Band Would Like To Thank Everyone Who Turned Up At The Wasted Festival In Blackpool, It Was Brilliant Night Had By All, And Thanks To The Cockney Rejects Who Played A Blinder,Thanks Again Everyone Who Turned Up.E.E.B TEAM.
Oi!
I expect you have all had a read of
Story Of Oi!
That’s
Following on after the infamous Southall riot Oi in its common form was not to put too fine a point on it…Slaughtered.
Slaughtered by absolutely everyone; no one wanted to touch it or, have anything to do with it
What we have to remember is that at that time in
For whatever reason certain politics just seemed to land on Britain at the very moment in time that Skinheads re-emerged on the streets…those that ruled/lorded over these politics saw the Skinheads perhaps as storm troopers and being young and naïve a lot of Skins got swept along with everything that was going on at the time.Rightly or, wrongly it was just a fashion thing for most.
I don’t think that I need to point out the connection between Skinheads and the Oi movement but, it was this connection that was used by those that slaughtered Oi and,it was this connection that was used as an excuse for dropping Oi like a ton of bricks.
Personally I have always believed that it went a lot higher…who knows perhaps right into the office of one of these mega rich music tycoons. Perhaps they weren’t prepared to have some spotty Herbert make it big. Of course it wouldn’t be cricket for any of the bands at the time to sing about life on the streets….How would any of us know eh?I mean what would the Cockney Rejects know about life in the East End of London ? What would the Angelic Upstarts know about life around the mines of the North East ? What would any of us know about two Million people on the dole ? Its goes without saying that only those Middle classes that lived out in the sticks had the right to speak for us ? ? ?
Enter the "Suburban Rebels" as written about by The Business...but thats another story yet to be told.
Who knows, maybe it went right into the seat of parliament; face it, Nothing had made a challenge against authority like the Oi movement had. Some say Punk did but that soon turned out to be fake, run by fakes….puppets that were having their strings pulled by a power unseen.Again...enter the "Suburban Rebels"
No, Oi was far more threatening and dangerous and I would have to say that the more coverage Oi received and the more it grew into a movement the more the powers that watched from a safe distance began to gather against it. The fuse was already well alight before Southall came along; what happened there just tipped it over the edge.
Southall flung the door wide open and in flooded the extremists. This just backed up the twisted theories of the powers that be and Oi was, by the end of 1983 dead in the water.
During this period the Right wing fought the left wing for control and labeled their music as Oi BUT...NEITHER WERE OI.
I’m not going to talk about this period because they were dark days that are best forgotten and left where they belong…. in the past.Some might argue that those times are relevent but i think (along with others that come onto this forum) that i have earnt the right to say.....Fuck off the lot of you and take your twisted mumbo jumbo with you.
Out of all the bands from the original era only The Business with Micky Fitz firmly at the helm continued flying the flag in more ways than one. What is now Captain Oi! (Run by Mark Brennan former Bass player with The Business), has its roots in something that was set up during the mid to late 80s…Link Music without a doubt began to breathe life into the Oi scene until it could stand again. The early 90s saw more people begin to show an interest in the movement.
Just as a side point…the mid to late 80s also saw a decline in Football Hooliganism as so many drifted off into the world of rave music and culture. So many of those that were part of the original Oi scene went onto become Football Hooligans and, so many drifted into the rave scene.
Right back to Oi.
Those bands that came out of the second wave of Oi; bands such as Section 5 were still going on and off and, along with newer bands like Argy bargy Oi grew until we see the healthy scene we have today.
This may be a big thing to say but I firmly believe that without the Likes of section 5 and Argy bargy; I don’t think The Cockney Rejects would have made a come back simply because there wouldn’t have been a scene or, market for them to come back to.
So, today we have the Rejects Reformed and fighting fit, Cock Sparrer the super group of Oi, The Gonads still taking the piss and still on the piss, and The Last resort who have just released the album of the decade…even Sham 69 are still ..errr poncing about.Now we’ve got the
The Business are still out there doing it and sounding better than ever.
Whose next? Come on now it’s got to be the original 4 Skins with Gal Hodges on Vocals and Hoxton on Bass.
For me, ive waited 20 odd years to stick my fingers up at those on top and say “Oi! Were still here, were still doing it and you didn’t win”
Thatcher’s gone, Kinnocks gone, Scargill, Tebbit and all the old slosh pots that ruled the waves or should I say, waived the rules but, were still here.
And long may that be the case.
As it turned out Oi music is the real Punk.
Johnny Rotten…do fuck off please;go and bash Jimmy P with your handbag ha ha.
So, if you do hear of an Oi gig then why not attend it and support those that support you because who knows…THEY, the corrupt politicians might just be on our case again and you might not get another chance in your lifetime.Remember this,they never forget and they never forive.Why should they,the Oi movement for a few breif months back in the early 80s scared the shit out of the mighty British Establishment after all.I like to think of a qoute that is wrote inside the album cover of "OI! OI! Thats Yer' Lot" when im reminded of that time;the qoute simply says this...."When the Oi! firm hit the slump".If you lived those times then,think about that qoute and you will realise just how true those words are.
However,lets never forget the pressure that was heaped upon those that stood as spokesman for us.The Likes of Gary Bushell who was knocked by the Right,the left and the Centre;how refreshing it is to know that despite it all he made good and beat the bastards at their own game.
Not bad for a bunch of old fellas...Still running down the backstreets...well maybe not running..perhaps more of a brisk walk but none the less still here.
Anyway, last thing…you know who we are and what were about. Its not Politics, Right, Left or Centre. It’s not about what clothes you wear or how Short or, Long your hair is (If you’ve any left LOL)
It’s about having a good time and a laugh with ‘Yer mates’
It’s about winding people up but still getting the message across.
Its about West Ham supporters going to gigs and getting along with Millwall supporters (Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!),with Chelsea,Tott...no strike that one.Arsen...and that one...oh alright it aint about that but the rests true.
Ive rattled on for a bit too long now so i will close this by repeating a few words from a Business song; This is for those that stand on the fringes of the Oi! Movement ready to cause trouble, ready to go on the internet and spread lies about People, Bands and, Venues.
"We know your name and we know your Game"
See Ya’
Cockney Express 2005
| Please Enjoy Your Stay. OI OI OI |
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