Anti-Establishment

Reading the Skinhead Bible and the bands mentioned here i got flashbacks of some old memories and the music I loved. As i was oppsessed with british Oi! i got a pretty good background of the "old" bands, the first one to describe the sound of the streets and the rebirth of the skinhead youth. Aggro, football and being raised on the streets is what Oi! was about. Anti-Establishment was one of those Oi! breed bands. They were formed in 1978 under the influence od The Damned, Pistols, the Ruts. Played about 20-25 gigs with bands like Infa Riot, Last Resort and were never interested in politics. Shame that the cult went down like that being associated with right wing politics. Anyway they faded away in the early 80's like some other Oi! bands did. The band made a cover of Animals The House of rising sun. I'm bringin' you their Oi! collection which sums up their discography. Enjoy pure Oi! as it was once upon a time.

http://www.myspace.com/antiestablishmentuk

Video:
Anti Establishment - Future Girl

Discography:
Oi! Collection

Anti-Establishment

Menace

Time to get back in the past, the punk past and my past when things were much simple and music was more sincere. I think don't need to introduce this band, their legacy is enough but let's make a short story about their music. The Menace are a punk\Oi! band straight out of London, England. They were formed in 1976 when 4 school friends decided to make their way in punk history. Their music was a refreshing punch in the face for punk, it was not a project for music industries like The Sex Pistols, or Clash big concerts, so they never were signed in a big label company. They were pure working class kids growing up, so the record compaines weren't interested in their music. The band splited in 1979 but they still made a huge impact on other punk bands. Playing Roxy's a, then they made a lot of singles in that period, and reformed again in 1997 and still playing bigger shows. They even made an album covering some of their old stuff and some new songs in 2001. but that's not near the old Menace. Anyway they are also know as one of the forefathers of Oi! music along with Cock Sparrer, Sham 69, Slaughter and the Dogs, as their concerts were a real mixture of skinheads and punks. Lyricly they are dealing with more punk than Oi! messages, against the society, rebellion and growing up. One more thing, they covered the classic Ruts song "Babylons Burning". Enjoy the singles and i will put the new album for the curious ones.

http://www.myspace.com/menacelondon

Video:
Menace - Insane Society

Discography:
Punk Singles Collection
Crisis [2001]

100 Men

One hundred men is a skinhead reggae band from northern UK. Formed in 1989. by ex members of Skin Deep. Don't know much about the band only that they faded away after 1993 and were more a live band than a studio recording one. They were one of the first revival skinhead reggae bands from the late 80's that dragged the sound from trojan reggae in the 60's ska sound. The band vocal later went to Babyshambles which covered the 100 Men song "I Wish". Too underrated and really a gem from those times, enjoy.

http://www.myspace.com/uk100men

Video:
One Hundred Men - Yeah Yeah Girl

Discography:
Released & Unreleased [1990]

Redskins

The Redskins. Well this band for sure isn't a typical ska band. I tagged them that way beacause the best way to describe them is soul (soul music more specificly northern soul mixed with ska in Britain 60's skinhead youth and they have some similar elements) with rockabilly influence and punk rock, also with their skinhead image and music played known as Oi!. The band was formed in York, England in 1980 from the ashes of their former group No Swastikas. Their songs are catchy and very danceable with marxist and left wing politics lyrics. Their first began recording under the name The Redskins in 1982 with lots od singles and EP's that i have no intention to write them all down. So their first compilation LP record was in 1986 when they disbanded under the name "Neither Washington nor Moscow". After that the band as i said fell apart going their own separate ways, but they still made some reunion concert in 1988 Paris ( not full lineup) and in uk 1995 (which i will upload for you). In 2010 was issued the "Epilogue" from their CNT singles and No Swastikas songs. The Redskins also made some trubutes to the Clash and 16 Tons (the coal workers song) of a country singer Merle Travis. The band made a huge impact on the redskin movement, as they were probably (not sure if my sources are correct) the first band under that kind of provocative name in those years when the AFA wasn't big. Their lyrics also made a huge impact because it introduced the working class leftist\socialist ideals to the skinheads. The songs dealt revolution, anti-capitalism and the emancipation of the working class masses themes. Bands all over the world not only Oi! but rockabilly and punk made a Tribute album "Reds Strike The Blues" for all the legacy that the Redskins made.
And this is also my little tribute i could give to their name. Redskins will kick those fuckin' statues and yes It can be done you just gotta keep on keepin' on.

http://www.redskins.co.uk/

Video:
Redskins - Keep On Keepin' On

Discography:
Neither Washington nor Moscow [1986]
Singles 1
Singles 2
Rarities
Epilogue [2010]
The Redskins (uk) 1995 Live

Crux

Crux is an Oi! band from England. Formed back in the 1978, but didn't began serious work until the 80's and their EP "Keep on Running". They also appeared on the compilation "Oi Oi That's Yer Lot". Their songs were dealing the working class, sick and tired of listening to "disco shit", wanted to bring all their fury and passion of the streets to the frustrated working class youth of the British 80's. I'm bringin' you their collection of songs made after the band splited. The band actually did a few shows in the late 00's, don't know if their back for serious, we'll see. Enjoy this classic band.

Video:
Crux - C.L.A

Discography:
The Oi! Collection

The Burial

The Burial were an Oi! band from Yorkshire, England. Their sound was a mixture of Oi! incorporated with ska, northern soul and folk music. They were one of the first skinhead bands playing ska music, formed in 1981, in the skinhead revival years with the birth of the punk movement. They wanted to express the true nature of skinheads the apolitical one, strongly supported by their working class roots. Although they were apolitical by their music, their personal feelings were always with the working class, always supporting the Unions, Strikes and revloutionary socialist groups like Red Action in Britain. I would like to express their words with few quotations rather than blabing.

"I come from an iron ore mining village near Middlesbrough and a strong trade union background. A lot of my family were original skins and to us Skinhead was a working class movement and fascism is totally opposed to that. The strong grounding in working class politics has given Northern Skins an abhorrence of the National Front that London skins never had."
-Barnes, the brains of the band

Their first sound was more light with major ska influences, while after the years passed by, they were sounding more streetlike Oi!. They released only one album done in 1988, "A Day on the Town" and appeard on various compilations like Oi! the Demos, The Sound of Oi!, Oi! the Sex and Oi! Glorious Oi!. They also assisted the anarchist rant-poet Nick Toczek on various projects under the name Britanarchists. The band splited in 1988. The Burial were one of those groups that showed and kept the true core\spirit of skinhead (sub)culture alive. The skinhead movement has nothing to do with fascism.

"I’ve got short hair doesn’t mean I’m a frigging Nazi. Don’t mean I’m a Commie either."
-Guitarist Chris

Video:
The Burial tribute

Discography:
A Day on the Town [1988]
Other recordings

Boisterous

Boisterous is an Oi! band from England, Newcastle. I don't wanna clasify oi! music into stages, but this is definetly a band from the emerged second wave of oi! bands formed in the 1990., if we can take the beginnings\first wave the late 70's, early and mid  80's and the second with bands like Boisterous, Argy Bargy, Crashed Out, Pressure 28, Another Man's Poison. as the second wave the late 80's, early and mid 90's when street music and the punk image was slowly fading away from the media and popular culture and heading back to the real street life kids. They made their first demo "Boots Bairns" in 1992, came out on several compilations, did a EP "Harry Was A Hooli" in 1993 and finally a LP released in 1995 "Skip Raiders" (with the EP songs inside). Their music was about havin' a laugh, Oi!, birds 'n' beer, football and ofcouse the working class and street life situations and problems. As fas as i know the band isn't active anymore. Enjoy.

Video:
Boisterous - Working Class Man

Discography:
Boots Bairns Demo [1992]
Skip Riders [1995]

Dandy Livingstone

Here is a treat for all you trojan 69'ers. Dandy Livingstone is a a skinhead reggae musician originally from Jamaica but came to UK (like the majority of early reggae, ska, rocksteady musicians) at the age of 15 and grew up there. Exactly that mixture od Jamaican Rude Boys and their music in Britian made a fertile ground where later on black and white skinheads were brewed. His first record in Uk was "Rocksteady with Dandy" in 1967, but Dandy is maybe best known for his hit single, later covered by the Specials "A message to you Rudy". This is not the only hit from Dandy, songs like "Suzanne Beware of the Devil", "Reggae in Your Jeggae", "Trouble in the Town", "Big  City" and "(People get ready) Let's do Rocksteady" are just some hits played in the dancehalls of UK. He has a vast discography, so no point of listing all albums along with the singles. I'm giving you his greatest hits compilation album released in 2002 by the Trojan records under the name "Suzanne Beware of The Devil: The Best of Dandy Livingstone". This is one of my favourite skinhead reggae musicians so i hope you'll enjoy it too, and never forget your roots


Video:
Dandy Livingstone - Reggae In Your Jeggae

Discography:
Suzanne Beware Of The Devil: The Best of Dandy Livingstone

The Strike

The Strike is a British Oi! band. Formed in the first wave of oi! music, early 80's.Their songs were on some compilations like 'Strength Thru Oi!'' and ''Back On The Streets'', and made some split with the Antisocial. I'm giving you their classic collection of songs they made in those days. Lyricly this band is dealing with social problems of the 80's working class and confused angry youth on the streets (classic). Enjoy.

Video:
The Strike - Gang Warfare

Discography:
The Oi! Collection

Hard Skin

Didn't mean to put Hard Skin, certainly not that fast on the blog. But i came across one interesting video, which made me do it, and the band rose in my eyes even more than it was. Hard Skin is an Oi! band from London, UK. These Millwall boys are playing a special kind of oi named "comedy". But these aren't just some comedians singing about jokes\pranks, they called their oi that way because their lyrics are for "havin' a laugh and havin' a say". It's all about football, beer and birds and havin a good time, as Hard Skin would say. The band was formed sometime in the late 90's still doing shows with their releases that i will put ( "Hard nuts and hard cunts" in 1998, "Same meat different Gravy" in 2005, "Make my Tea" EP in 2006,  "Fucking skins, fucking punks" in 2008 and one more split) . Their music is is most similar to their influences Sham 69, Cock Sparrer, Cockney Rejects Blitz (new age cover). They don't have a website, for some reason they don't like to be contacted. The video that i was talking about is in the section below, i think you'll get the picture when you see the first 30 sec.. Maximum respect for the Hard Skin.

Video:
Hard Skin - Oi not jobs

Discography:
Hard Nuts And Hard Cunts [1998]
Same Meat Different Gravy [2005]
Make My Tea [2006]
Fucking Skins Fucking Punks [2008]
Hardskin & Fucked up - split EP [2007]

Rudy Mills

Rudy Mills is a (skinhead) reggae songwriter and vocalist. He is also linked with rocksteady, trojan ska and that generation in 69' which musicly created the new roots music for the original (traditional) skinheads to listen to. He did his work in UK, and i don't know very much about him, because there are little sources for him on the internet. I'll give you only one release, done in 69', his "Reggae hits". Be sure to listen to John Jones, it's was a fuckin' classic in those days, and still is for people who appreciate skinhead reggae music. 

Video:
Rudy Mills - John Jones

Discography:
Reggae Hits [1969]

Antisocial

"Back in the past". Antisocial is an Oi! punk band from Livingston, Scotland. They were formed in 1979 and produced their music through the "golden ages" of oi! music along with the names like the Business, Last Resort and the 4 Skins, until they disbaneded in 1982. During that time, the band released 3 EPs, and after that their entire "discography" was relesead on Captain Oi! records in 1995 "Battle Scared Skinheads". Lyrics are typical for that time, dealing mostly with social problems, rebellion, punk\oi scene and surviving every day life in England for the working class. After the split some members continued to work with music, in scottish bands like Exploited and  contemporary oi! band Bakers Dozen. The band has nothing to do with politics either left or right. I'll put only the Battle Scared Skinheads, because it contains all the EP songs. Enjoy.

http://www.myspace.com/oiantisocialoi

Video:
Antisocial - "Made in England" EP

Discography:
Battle Scarred Skinheads [1979-1982]