Oi! STORY - THE 80s.
March 1981, Russel (DUCKY) Payne is released from Borstal and I get released from Prison. At the time we didn't know each other and it's just coincidence that we were both banged up for violence. Anyway, Ducky (GUITAR), his brother Ronnie (BASS) and Gary Tier (DRUMS), all Cardiff Skins, along with Martin Brennan (VOCALS) a valley Skin, form an Oi! band.
After tossing a few names around, including FORCED OPPRESSION, they decide that THE OPPRESSED fits the bill. So it was that with not much ability and a ton of enthusiasm the boys set out to have a ball.
While all this was going on I was forming INSANITY SQUAD with me on guitar, my brother Dom on bass, his mate Vince King on vocals, and a nutter called Ed Flemming on drums. Me and Vince was Skins and Dom and Ed was Punks so that made us Cardiffs first Skunk band. We played a few local gigs, recorded nothing and fell apart after trying play a gig so pissed we couldn't see straight.
Back at Duckys house Ronnie had left the band. No big story, he just wasn't into it. Looking for a new bass player they ask my mate, Paddy (SUEDEHEAD) Murphy if he wanted to join. Suede couldn't play a triangle so he suggested me. Me and him had seen their first gig and I remember telling Jayne ( ' ER INDOORS ) how "I should be in that band".
So Ducky, Gary and Brennan eventually turn up on my doorstep and make me an offer I couldn't refuse. I suggested Dom on Bass with me as second Guitarist and the boys were all happy. This was around Xmas 1981 and this line up lasted about a year. Brennan and Gary had decided to leave so I took over vocals and we found the Kid, Lee Jenkins, to take care of drumming. Lee was from Risca, about 20 miles out of Cardiff, a 16 year old Skin who told me "I'm fucking brilliant" when I asked him if he was any good, and "course I have, that's why I'm fucking brilliant" to "got a kit?" This line up lasted about 2 years and recorded nearly everything issued in the eighties.
Almost all our gigs ended in a ruck (boys will be boys) and eventually we just got pissed off with whole thing. We did get together in the studio with Juan Garcia, a punk from near Cardiff on drums. We recorded 3 cover versions but played no gigs. So that was it for the eighties. Less than 4 years but it seemed like a lifetime......
Oi! STORY - THE 90s.
After the split in '84, I spent the next 6 years setting up and running my Oi! Records and Ska Records labels, helped to establish S.H.A.R.P and in 1987/8 I put together The Rude Boys with my brothers Dom and Adrian (R.I.P), and 3 sax players. By the end of the eighties the Rude Boys had fallen apart and the labels were struggling. There was a baby (THE Oi! BOY) on the way so I give up on music and got a job.I put The Oppressed back together in 1994 after some Fascist shite had been putting up C'18 (Niggers Out) stickers in my area. I tore off the stickers and thought "fuck this" and set out to use the bands profile to Fight Fascism again. For the next 2 years me, Dom and Adrian recorded some Anti-Fascist records including the benefit E-P "FUCK FASCISM".
We played a few local "Shows for the Boys" including our farewell gig with the Warriors which was filmed for the THEY THINK IT'S ALL OVER - IT IS NOW video. Although this was our farewell gig we received an offer we couldn't refuse, to play the Camden Irish Center for ANTI-FASCIST ACTION (Oct' 5th 1996).The Business had a gig wrecked by C'18 because they wouldn't have C'18 provide security. The Fascists then announced that no Oi! bands could play London without C'18 security. The lads from A-F-A said "FUCK THAT" and arranged a concert for us. Floyd was now in the band on guitar and this was his one and only gig with us. The Stage Bottles had come from Germany to support us. It was a top night. Just like back in '81,no trouble at all. It was one of our best gigs and, not surprisingly, C'18 became invisible men. 1998 saw us back together with a new drummer (YAN) to do some more recording and we've done nothing since. Now it's 2004 and we're back in rehearsals. The latest line up is still me, Dom and Floyd,with Tony Kizmus (ex-Societys Rejects) on drums.. If it all goes well we'll be back for the odd festival later in the year.
November 1988. Me an Paddy Suede jump on a plane and head off to New York City. I'd arranged for us to crash at Rob Hingleys (The Toasters) place. After one night at his place he unloaded us on Andre (The Press). He sorted us out and we stayed with N Y Citizens the 2nd night and The Radicts on the third. By the fourth day I was homesick so we fucked off home. Anyway while there I came across the first flyers put out by the N Y SHARP crew.
I thought it was a sound idea and when I got back I started to spread the word. Soon after there was a big 2 day SKA festival in London with an appearance from Prince Buster as was as Laurel Aitken and tons of other bands. I got a load of badges, flyers and contact cards with the SHARP design I stole from Trojan on, and me and Suede handed them out at the concerts. From there Skinheads from around the country would write for stuff to set up local chapters and within a year it had all gone global and the rest is history.
SHARP - A PERSONAL VIEW
"SkinHeads Against Racial Prejudice". It's all so fucking simple!
If you're a Skinhead and you're against Racism, then by definition you're SHARP. Whether you wear a patch or not don't matter. Whether you make a stand against racism or not, the fact remains you're still a SHARP skinhead if you're against racism.
"Why should I apologise for what Racist Skinheads do and say?"
Fucking simple again, DON'T. But don't complain when there's no gigs and the only other Skinheads in your town are all wanking for Hitler. SHARP ain't an apology, it's openly declaring where you stand. We
stand tall and proud. Where do you stand?
"Keep Politics out of it"
I couldn't agree more. Let's face it, the only politics in Skinhead culture was brought in by Boneheads. So if you want politics out then fight the boneheads. They've been pissing on Skinhead culture for years and it's groups like SHARP that's kept things true to the original meaning of what it is to be Skinhead.
"You're causing a split"
When SHARP first kicked off I was expecting Flack from Boneheads. What I didn't expect was flack from 'Non Political' Skins. The way I see it a lot of people use 'Non Politics' as an excuse. If you don't want to get active then fair enough, but don't slag us for fighting back.
As for causing a split then FUCKING RIGHT! The split is between Skinheads and Boneheads.
Thankfully, now everyone knows Skinhead History. From the late sixties right up to today.
From the Jamaican Rudies and British Mods we evolved into a working class culture that's gone around the world.
STAY TRUE TO YOUR CULTURE, REMEMBER YOUR ROOTS
IF YOU AIN'T GOT THE BOTTLE, JUST HANG UP YOUR BOOTS
FUCK FASCISM BEFORE IT FUCKS YOU
Oi! STORY Pt 4. OI! / SKA RECORDS.
After the band had split in '84 I decided to set up an Oi! Record label. At the time you couldn't touch Oi! with a bargepole, the media and music press had written us all off as racists. Skrewdrivel and the rest of the White noise wankers had done their worst. So I set out to show that Oi! was fuck all to do with the Fascists. I could've called the label Streetpunk and life would have been easier, but like I said I was out to prove a point.I placed an ad' in Sounds music mag' for a few weeks saying "Oi! bands wanted. Neither Red nor Racist" and the demo's started dropping through the letterbox. The first release was "Bricks, Blood'n'Guts (In 1985)" by Complete Control. This was Matty Blaggs (R.I.P) first band who went on to form The Blaggers/ Blaggers I.T.A. Later I released The Blaggers debut L-P "On Yer Toez". Some of the other bands on the label were: Oi! Polloi, Vicious Rumours, The Magnificent, Barbed Wire Last Rough Cause, Societys Rejects, The Press, The Radicts, Abnormal, Last Stand, The Glory, Winstone and the Churchills and The Oppressed. The Feckin' Ejits appeared on the This Is Oi! comp'.
There were a few mistakes along the way and I put out one or two bands I wish I hadn't. What you got to remember is all the bands I put out were new, with no track record, so when a band tells me their against racism and the songs they record for the label have nothing dodgy in them, I accept their word. Looking back I'm Proud of some of the bands that passed through my label. Especially Matty and the rest of The Blagg Brigade. Anti Fascist to the core.
Ska Records was just a sideline dealing with U-S Ska bands like The Toasters and Bim Skala Bim. Ska ran to 10 L-Ps and 2 E-Ps, one being the RUDE BOY SHUFFLE E-P by my Ska band The Rude Boys. By the end of the Eighties Business was going downhill and Jayne was pregnant with my little Oi! Boi (Paul), so I folded the labels and settled down.
Mark Brennan then picked up the Oi! batton with his Captain Oi! Label and he
ain't stopped running since.