The story of Oi!
Oi! was the biggest thing that ever happened to the hundreds of Punks and Skins all over the country. Oi! was their way of life and produced some of the best Punk Rock bands ever.
The biggest of these bands was Sham 69. While not strictly Oi!, their brand of street punk held a special place in many a young punk's heart. They sang about the unfairness of life, boozing, fighting and the pursuit of the fair sex. Belting out classics such as "Angels with Dirty Faces", "Borstal Breakout", "If the Kids are united" and "Tell us the Truth" was the enigmatic Jimmy Pursey. Look on the links page for their site.

The Cockney Rejects were yer original Eastenders. Their songs were on the subject of Football (they were West Ham fans), fighting and general life on the streets. It is said that their lead shouter, Stinky Turner, coined the phrase Oi! as a name for their music by his repeated Oi! Oi! whenever he wanted someone's attention. The song Oi!Oi!Oi! started the Oi! movement properly, and it was on Stinky's insistence that songs should be counted in using the "Oi!" words to replace "One Two Three". Some of their sounds to go down as classics were "War on the Terraces", "Urban Guerilla", "Oi Oi Oi", "We are the Firm" and "Hate of the City", as well as "I'm forever blowing bubbles", still played at the Hammer's stadium.

Cock Sparrer were amongst the first bands to emerge in the London punk scene, playing once or twice with the Pistols. They were stabbed in the back by a trendy music industry, who didn't like the way they told the truth in songs such as "Argy Bargy", "Riot Squad", "England belongs to me" and countless other street anthems which told the truth a little bit too much. Today the band still play and their following is as loyal as it ever was.

The Business are one of the best punk bands ever to exist. They sang their songs about the finer things in life, namely beer and birds, but also about deeper subjects work (signing your life away to a job you hate) and justice in this country. Their shouting was done by Mickey Fitz, whose voice graced classic songs like "Drinkin and Drivin", "Welcome to the real world", "Harry May", "National Insurance blacklist" and my own personal favourite, "Get out of my house". They started in October 79, playing at small pubs and clubs, but then moving into the big time, playing with bands like the 4Skins, Cock Sparrer and Last Resort. The infamous gig in Southall did the whole Oi! movement harm, but despite it all, the Business and Oi! movement still live on in the hearts of Skins, Punks and 'erberts everywhere.

Others
There's also loads of new bands up and coming,so look out for reports on them on the WHAT'S NEW page!!!!!!

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