Ever wonder what happened to MC Hammer, the famous hip-hop artist ranked #15 ‘Best Rapper Ever’ by Vibe? Well, after a spell as a preacher in a Christian ministry programme, he suffered a serious spiritual crisis. In the end, he thought ‘fuck that’ and went on a crazy drinking binge. It was in an Irish pub in Boston, Massachusetts, that he met a bar-room folk combo named The Nails (actually called The Snails at the time, but the lads were too drunk to pronounce that). They discovered a shared love of Guinness and traditional British Oi music. Many pints later, Hammer and the Nails were formed, and the rest is history…
We sent Girth to interview Matt, drummer and backing vocalist for Hammer and the Nails. Continue reading
The punk rock firmament glowed brighter on Wearside than most other English conurbations during the 1980s, with Red Alert, Red London and the Toy Dolls all sharing beers, band members and basslines on Oi compilations during its heyday. Sharpened by the experience of growing up amid the closure (or “managed decline”) of its shipyards during the Thatcher era, Red Alert saw themselves as Sunderland’s answer to the deserted Docklands’ Cockney Rejects and released a steady stream of EPs on No Future Records, calling it quits after their standout 1983 album We’ve Got The Power. By 1989 the band had reunited, though line-up changes inevitably followed over the years (bringing in the likes of Lainey from Sunderland punks Leatherface), as did a split LP with The Templars following a New York tour.
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.
Creases Like Knives 