Tag: Nabat

The Price of Integrity, or: Rip Off’s Road from Bologna to Certaldo, 1980–83

Rip Off from Bologna are mainly known for one fateful event today: their performance at the Certaldo Oi festival in 1983, which became notorious as the ‘Italian Southall’. Vocalist Rozzi delivered a speech threatening to “hang the punks and the communists”, while two members of Rip Off’s crew stood on stage giving fascist salutes. All hell broke loose in the crowd. The whole night turned into one continuous mass brawl, and in the aftermath, Oi bands in Italy struggled to get gigs for years.

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Decibelios in the Re(a)d Zone

There’s a French zine called The Re(a)d Zone that has been specialising in the legendary Spanish Oi band Decibelios for four issues now, and its editor, Saul Essame from Tours, says he wants to to continue the theme for at least another two or three. He originally tried to contact the band in 2007 but, due to their unresponsiveness, it took another 13 years until he finally got to interview them in 2020, on the 40th birthday of the band. Once he had that under his belt, he decided he wouldn’t leave it at that.

The Re(a)d Zone has been going since 2008. In the past, special issues have included one about Paris skinhead rock ‘n’ roll legends La Souris Déglinguée, but the zine has also dealt with rap, funk, reggae, movies, history and politics. It’s also linked to the Saul’s radio show, Maggot Brain.

For the latest issue, number 43, he approached the legendary Bologna Oi band Nabat, NYC Oi band 45 Adapters as well as us, asking everyone questions about Decibelios.

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CROPHEAD RECORD ROUNDUP #8

Various: Zombie Rock – A Worldwide Tribute to Nabat LP
(Timebomb)

This slab of wax came out in the middle of the lockdown. Things weren’t looking good for Vecchio Son, the rehearsal space and music venue in Bologna run by none less than Steno, the Italian granddaddy of Oi who’s been singing in Nabat since 1979. It seemed that the rent could no longer be paid and Steno & Co. would be forced out. But Steno isn’t one to die on his knees, so he organised all kinds of fundraising campaigns to keep this important venue open. I’m not actually sure right now if part of the proceeds of this compilation were going to said cause, but I seem to remember so.

In any case, it’s only appropriate that this is an international tribute. Nabat are not just a local band, after all – their incredibly powerful Oi and borderline-hardcore punk was internationally influential and continues to be so today: in the 80s, you were as likely to see their name printed in British skinzines (which were notoriously insular) as on homemade patches worn by skins in Poland. Behold, for example, this picture sent to me by an old skinhead from the southern Polish industrial town of Sosnowiec. “A friend made this patch for me”, he tells me, “and I wore it on my camouflage army jacket. That was before I started wearing a denim jacket, so definitely before 1987”.

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Italia Skins! An interview with Flavio Frezza

There are so many Italian skinheads living in London today, one wonders when they’ll start running out of them back home. Younger on average than the indigenous skinhead population, they infuse our scene with the kind of energy only a country shaped like a steel-capped boot could produce.

True enough, the relationship between the local tribes and new arrivals has sometimes been a bit… tense. To contribute to a better understanding between the two, we thought we’d find out more about Italian skinheads and their specific history. Who better to ask than Flavio Frezza, who has written a book titled Italia Skins?

Matt Crombieboy spoke to him about Italian skins past and present, and we’re proud to present the resulting interview:

PART 1 – From ‘nihilist punk’ to skinhead

PART 2 – Bands, politics & trouble

PART 3 – Today and tomorrow

Many thanks to Valentina G of Italian Skinheads for kindly letting us use her pictures.

Italia Skins is out on Hellnation Libri/Red Star Press now.

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