1979: the year Babylon was burning with anxiety and the croptop revival exploded. No longer confined to small pockets of ex-punks, the skinhead style once again became a nationwide working class youth fashion, if not yet a ‘way of life’. This time around, it was helped along by 2 Tone and a street-smart second wave of punk bands. Continue reading
“I love betrayal, but I hate the traitor” – these words are attributed to Julius Caesar. Whether he really uttered them or not, who could disagree? Nobody respects a traitor, even if the information they provide is useful, thank you very much. Continue reading
Attentive readers would undoubtedly notice my appreciation for the vitality of the current Catalan skinhead scene. Even those who visit casually would not mistake it for a mere historical re-enactment society. While the scene embraces styles ranging from the 60s, 70s, and 80s to contemporary variations, it seamlessly melds tradition with a resolute sense of purpose and relevance in the present moment. Catalan nationalism has become a major international news item since last year, and although some Catalan skins I spoke to are more critical of it than others, it’s fair to say that, for the most part, they are among its most fervent supporters.
Much like Reconquesta, Rebelion, and earlier groups such as Pilseners, Codi de Silenci is an Oi band that proudly wears its Catalan patriotism as a badge of honour. This sentiment isn’t confined to their lyrics alone; it informs the overall tone and atmosphere of their music. Codi de Silenci aren’t a band that repetitively churn out songs about boots, booze and brawls, nor do they bore you are interview partners. While bassist and primary lyricist Lluís Lacruz stresses that Codi de Silenci identifies primarily as an Oi band rather than a political one, he’ll give you candid opinions that you’re free to embrace or challenge. Continue reading
On this day 41 years ago, Menace released their debut single, ‘Screwed Up’ b/w ‘Insane Society’.
Menace formed at North London’s Hope & Anchor in 1976, emerging from the ashes of a pub rock band with the Spinal Tapesque name Stonehenge. They were a bunch of Irish kids who’d grown up in the seedy area around Kings Cross decades before it became gentrified. Like Sham, Sparrer and to some extent Chelsea, they were one of those transitional punk bands whose grittier ‘street’ stance pointed towards Oi. Continue reading
On this day 40 years ago, Siouxsie and the Banshees released their debut single, ‘Hong Kong Garden’. In a 2005 interview with Uncut magazine, Siouxsie had this to say about the song::
“I’ll never forget, there was a Chinese restaurant in Chislehurst called the ‘Hong Kong Garden’. Me and my friend were really upset that we used to go there and like, occasionally when the skinheads would turn up it would really turn really ugly. These gits would just go in en masse and just terrorise these Chinese people who were working there. We’d try and say ‘Leave them alone’, you know. It was a kind of tribute”. Continue reading
Remember hearing Rixe for the first time? It felt like a lightning bolt instantly pulverising a world of facile pop-punk ‘Oi’ bands – within seconds, any notion that they had a ‘right’ to exist was put to rest.
The debut EP by IENA hit us in a very similar vein. Although not actually a skinhead band, IENA certainly sound like one. That’s partly down to Marco’s vocal delivery, which one may describe as more domineering than punk singing – more “one step closer and you’re dead” than “fuck you, I won’t do my homework”. Continue reading
First things first: Stevo originally did this interview in 2010 for another website, but he figured there’s no harm in reprinting it (with permission) here, as the book and author haven’t really been heard of since.
Children of the Sun was the debut novel of Max Schaefer, acclaimed when it was published in 2010 for its methodically well-researched tackling of 80s South London nazi skins, Nicky Crane, and the bizarre dabblings of the more well-heeled members of the far right. Continue reading
Reconquesta & Codi de Silenci: La força de la raó Split EP (Disco Nightmare)
Codi de Silenci and Reconquesta hail from the Lleida and Barcelona regions of Catalonia respectively. Both are skinhead bands of a Catalan separatist persuasion, and just as Catalan separatism has reached boiling point, these bands are on top of their game with their new split-EP, La força de la raó. Continue reading
Nowadays it’s all prawn sandwiches and latte, but there were times when people went to football carrying meathooks… Interview with ‘Peter’, a 17 years old Park Lane boy from a “housing estate in the heart of the East End”.
From the Sunday Times, 21 September 1969. Continue reading
It wasn’t so long ago – five years perhaps – that I stumbled upon the name Paris Violence in a blog about the classic French Oi band Komintern Sect: “Paris Violence should be right up your alley”, was a commenter’s advice to frog-Oi loving Anglo-Saxons.
But then, the sounds I found on YouTube weren’t quite what I had expected. Although the Fred Perry-clad lead singer’s vocal style clearly placed the band in the skinhead camp and the melancholic overtones evoked Chaos en France-era memories, there was something else going on too. Continue reading
Creases Like Knives 