DISTRO berasal dari singkatan distribution store. Berfungsi menerima titipan dari berbagai merek dari clothing company lokal yang memproduksi sendiri produknya.
Dikarenakan belum mempunyai tempat pemasaran sendiri atau ingin memperluas pemasarannya, clothing company ini akrab disebut dengan distro. Bila ditanya siapa pelopor berdirinya clothing company dan distro di Bandung? Pasti sulit mencari jawaban yang pasti karena semua berawal dari usaha kecil dengan gaya promosi dari mulut ke mulut.
Adapun clothing company adalah produsen yang memproduksi sendiri semua produk mereka dengan label sendiri pula. Sebuah clothing bisa memiliki toko sendiri atau hanya sekadar menitipkan produk mereka ke distro. Kehadiran sejumlah distro dapat dibilang sudah menjadi sebuah fenomena. Hal ini membuat para pelaku distro tidak lagi dipandang sebelah mata, dan juga sudah menjadi sebuah industri, bukan lagi sebuah usaha kecil-kecilan.
Salah satu penyebab kehadiran distro adalah krisis moneter yang melanda Indonesia pada beberapa waktu lalu. Kondisi tersebut mengakibatkan harga produk sandang, pangan, dan papan melangit. Khusus untuk produk sandang atau pakaian, memicu banyak anak muda untuk menyediakan produk ready to wear dengan harga yang terjangkau dan kualitas yang cukup baik.
Selain itu, distro menawarkan desain baru dan umumnya tidak memproduksi dalam jumlah massal. Karena itu, konsumen tidak perlu khawatir produk distro yang dibelinya pasaran. Hal pertama yang harus dimiliki ketika hendak membuat sebuah distro adalah semangat dan idealisme yang tinggi untuk menjalankan bisnis independen ini.
Karena berbeda dengan bisnis umum lainnya, bisnis clothing/distro membutuhkan idealisme tersendiri agar clothing/distro tersebut bisa memiliki visi dan karakter yang jelas. Selain itu usaha ini memiliki semangat kemandirian dan militansi yang tinggi untuk menjalankan bisnis independen ini.
21 February 2009
20 February 2009
wine
wine
Penghasil wine tidak hanya monopoli Prancis, Australia kini konon menajdi produsen wine terbesar di dunia saat ini. Bahkan, setiap bulan berbagai merek baru hadir ke pasaran. Bagaimana cara menikmati Australian wine?
Minuman anggur atau wine selama ini dikenal dari Prancis. Paling tidak, di negeri Menara Eiffel itulah yang mempunyai tradisi pembuatan wine yang lama, meski secara tradisional sudah dimulai di Romawi sejak 6000 sebelum Masehi.
Padahal di luar Prancis banyak negara pendatang yang juga menghasilkan wine, yang kadang kualitasnya tidak kalah baiknya. Sebut saja Australia, Afrika Selatan, Amerika Latin bahkan Aljajair. Australia adalah salah satunya, bahkan konon volumenya saat ini terbesar di dunia. Produksi wine Australia saat ini mencapai 806 juta liter per tahun.
Di beberapa dataran tinggi yang berudara dingin di Australia tidak terhitung lagi jumlah vineyard (perkebunan anggur) dan winery (industri wine) saat ini. Mulai dari wilayah Queensland, Victoria, hingga Australian Capital Territory (ACT Canberra). Data terakhir mencatat 1.197 winery yang ada di Australia.
Seperti pada umumnya wine terbagi menjadi tiga jenis, merah, putih dan rose. Ada juga sparkling wine yang masih termasuk varian wine atau yang di Perancis dikenal sebagai Champagne, sesuai dengan nama daerah penghasilnya, yang mengalami proses fermentasi dua kali. Rasaanya lebih ringan, biasa dipakai untuk pesta, termasuk di arena F1, yang bunyinya "pop" kalau botolnya dibuka.
Dari tiga jenis di atas wine masih terbagi lagi, berdasarkan tahun panen, jenis varietas, bahkan mereknya yang mencapai ribuan. Prancis sering mengklaim diri sebagai penghasil wine terbaik di dunia. Hal itu didasarkan pada tanah dan iklim yang spesifik di negara itu. Bahkan yang disebut terroir, yang merupakan gabungan antara struktur dan kandungan tanah tempat tumbuhnya pohon anggur, serta cuaca yang mempengaruhi wilayah tersebut sangat unik, yang tidak bisa didapat di negara lain.
Mitos ataukah fakta memang masih terjadi perdebatan. Tapi yang jelas, wine dari berbagai jenis varietas anggur apa saja tidak melulu adanya di Perancis saja. Di Australia, misalnya, kita dengan mudaah mendapatkan berbagai jenis wine, mulai dari Chardonnay, Semillon, Shiraz, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Sauvignon, hingga Merlot.
Pada industri tradisional, proses pembuatan wine masih dilakukan secara manual dan tradisional. Resep pembuatannya pun diwariskan secara turun temurun. Kini, ketika industtri wine sudah modern, peranan teknologi sangat penting, tapi tetap saja peranan Cellar Master (ahli awine) sangat menentukan bagi taster minuman yang diproduksi. Menjadi satu kesatuan yang tidak bisa dipisah-pisahkan antara jenis anggur, proses fermentasi, pencampuran, penyimpanan, hingga pengemasannya. "Seni membuat wine adalah menyatukan antara art dan science," kata Stuart Gregor, pengarang buku 'Don't Buy Wine Without Me, terbitan Australia tahun 2002.
Wine, bagi orang Australia sama dengan orang Eropa, agaknya sudah menjadi minuman sehari-hari. Paling tidak setiap makan malam tersedia segelas wine di meja, belum termasuk jika ada pesta yang pasti tersedia lebih banyak wine. Harganya pun relatif murah jika dibandingkan dengan harga makanan, meski tidak jarang untuk merek wine tertentu yang usianya tua dijual super mahal. Charles Heidsieck 1970 Royal, misalnya harganya mencapai 800 dolar Australia (1 dolar sekitar Rp 5.500).
Data menunjukkan konsumsi wine orang Australia mencapai 389 juta liter per tahun. Tidak semuanya bisa dipenuhi dari produksi dalam negeri, karena data perdagangan menunjukkan impor wine ke Australia mencapai 20 juta liter senilai 114 juta dolar Australia per tahun. Kendati demikian, negara ini juga mengekspor wine ke negara lain dengan volume yang tidak kecil, sekitar 288 juta liter atau setara 1.352 juta dolar Australia.
Para penggemar wine biasanya membentuk society tersendiri. Bahkan ada klub-klub yang mempunyai jadwaal tertentu menikmati wine. Termasuk secara berkala ke beberapa winery membuat acara wine testing, salah satu klub yang terkenal adalah Cool Climate Wine Club (situsnya enquires@coolclimatewine.com).
Dari pergaulan itulah anggota mendapat pengetahuan lebih banyak tentang wine. Misalnya, bagaimana menikmati wine yang benar, serta membedakannya antara yang satu dengan yang lain.
Para pemula biasanya tidak bisa mengenali antara Sauvignon Blanc dengan Chardonnay. Meski sama-sama putih, masing-masing mempunyai aroma yang unik. Yang pertama lebih light dan fresh, dengan aroma buah tropis. Sementara Chardonnay meski ke freshly baked breaad. Memang agak subjektif, dan para sommelier (pemulia wine) mempunyai opini yang berbeda untuk setiap jenis untuk masing-masing merek wine.
Di Australia setiap minggu ada saja merek baru yang muncul di pasaran. Mirip dengan di Perancis, ada lembaga-lembaga tertentu yang memberi penilaian terhadap sejumlah merek wine yang ada di pasaran. Belum termasuk beberapa publikasi, diantaranya Winnestate, yang menjadi panduan untuk penggemar wine di Australia dan New Zealand.
Penghasil wine tidak hanya monopoli Prancis, Australia kini konon menajdi produsen wine terbesar di dunia saat ini. Bahkan, setiap bulan berbagai merek baru hadir ke pasaran. Bagaimana cara menikmati Australian wine?
Minuman anggur atau wine selama ini dikenal dari Prancis. Paling tidak, di negeri Menara Eiffel itulah yang mempunyai tradisi pembuatan wine yang lama, meski secara tradisional sudah dimulai di Romawi sejak 6000 sebelum Masehi.
Padahal di luar Prancis banyak negara pendatang yang juga menghasilkan wine, yang kadang kualitasnya tidak kalah baiknya. Sebut saja Australia, Afrika Selatan, Amerika Latin bahkan Aljajair. Australia adalah salah satunya, bahkan konon volumenya saat ini terbesar di dunia. Produksi wine Australia saat ini mencapai 806 juta liter per tahun.
Di beberapa dataran tinggi yang berudara dingin di Australia tidak terhitung lagi jumlah vineyard (perkebunan anggur) dan winery (industri wine) saat ini. Mulai dari wilayah Queensland, Victoria, hingga Australian Capital Territory (ACT Canberra). Data terakhir mencatat 1.197 winery yang ada di Australia.
Seperti pada umumnya wine terbagi menjadi tiga jenis, merah, putih dan rose. Ada juga sparkling wine yang masih termasuk varian wine atau yang di Perancis dikenal sebagai Champagne, sesuai dengan nama daerah penghasilnya, yang mengalami proses fermentasi dua kali. Rasaanya lebih ringan, biasa dipakai untuk pesta, termasuk di arena F1, yang bunyinya "pop" kalau botolnya dibuka.
Dari tiga jenis di atas wine masih terbagi lagi, berdasarkan tahun panen, jenis varietas, bahkan mereknya yang mencapai ribuan. Prancis sering mengklaim diri sebagai penghasil wine terbaik di dunia. Hal itu didasarkan pada tanah dan iklim yang spesifik di negara itu. Bahkan yang disebut terroir, yang merupakan gabungan antara struktur dan kandungan tanah tempat tumbuhnya pohon anggur, serta cuaca yang mempengaruhi wilayah tersebut sangat unik, yang tidak bisa didapat di negara lain.
Mitos ataukah fakta memang masih terjadi perdebatan. Tapi yang jelas, wine dari berbagai jenis varietas anggur apa saja tidak melulu adanya di Perancis saja. Di Australia, misalnya, kita dengan mudaah mendapatkan berbagai jenis wine, mulai dari Chardonnay, Semillon, Shiraz, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Sauvignon, hingga Merlot.
Pada industri tradisional, proses pembuatan wine masih dilakukan secara manual dan tradisional. Resep pembuatannya pun diwariskan secara turun temurun. Kini, ketika industtri wine sudah modern, peranan teknologi sangat penting, tapi tetap saja peranan Cellar Master (ahli awine) sangat menentukan bagi taster minuman yang diproduksi. Menjadi satu kesatuan yang tidak bisa dipisah-pisahkan antara jenis anggur, proses fermentasi, pencampuran, penyimpanan, hingga pengemasannya. "Seni membuat wine adalah menyatukan antara art dan science," kata Stuart Gregor, pengarang buku 'Don't Buy Wine Without Me, terbitan Australia tahun 2002.
Wine, bagi orang Australia sama dengan orang Eropa, agaknya sudah menjadi minuman sehari-hari. Paling tidak setiap makan malam tersedia segelas wine di meja, belum termasuk jika ada pesta yang pasti tersedia lebih banyak wine. Harganya pun relatif murah jika dibandingkan dengan harga makanan, meski tidak jarang untuk merek wine tertentu yang usianya tua dijual super mahal. Charles Heidsieck 1970 Royal, misalnya harganya mencapai 800 dolar Australia (1 dolar sekitar Rp 5.500).
Data menunjukkan konsumsi wine orang Australia mencapai 389 juta liter per tahun. Tidak semuanya bisa dipenuhi dari produksi dalam negeri, karena data perdagangan menunjukkan impor wine ke Australia mencapai 20 juta liter senilai 114 juta dolar Australia per tahun. Kendati demikian, negara ini juga mengekspor wine ke negara lain dengan volume yang tidak kecil, sekitar 288 juta liter atau setara 1.352 juta dolar Australia.
Para penggemar wine biasanya membentuk society tersendiri. Bahkan ada klub-klub yang mempunyai jadwaal tertentu menikmati wine. Termasuk secara berkala ke beberapa winery membuat acara wine testing, salah satu klub yang terkenal adalah Cool Climate Wine Club (situsnya enquires@coolclimatewine.com).
Dari pergaulan itulah anggota mendapat pengetahuan lebih banyak tentang wine. Misalnya, bagaimana menikmati wine yang benar, serta membedakannya antara yang satu dengan yang lain.
Para pemula biasanya tidak bisa mengenali antara Sauvignon Blanc dengan Chardonnay. Meski sama-sama putih, masing-masing mempunyai aroma yang unik. Yang pertama lebih light dan fresh, dengan aroma buah tropis. Sementara Chardonnay meski ke freshly baked breaad. Memang agak subjektif, dan para sommelier (pemulia wine) mempunyai opini yang berbeda untuk setiap jenis untuk masing-masing merek wine.
Di Australia setiap minggu ada saja merek baru yang muncul di pasaran. Mirip dengan di Perancis, ada lembaga-lembaga tertentu yang memberi penilaian terhadap sejumlah merek wine yang ada di pasaran. Belum termasuk beberapa publikasi, diantaranya Winnestate, yang menjadi panduan untuk penggemar wine di Australia dan New Zealand.
11 February 2009
The Adicts
THE LONGEST SERVING PUNK BAND WITH ORIGINAL LINE UP!
The Adicts began life as the Afterbirth & The Pinz, in their hometown of Ipswich back in late 1975.. They scored many Indie Chart hits in the Eighties, and are unbelievably still together, and still making great music, with the same line-up – Keith ‘Monkey’ Warren, vocals; Mel Ellis, bass; Pete Dee Davison, guitar; and Michael ‘Kid Dee’ Davison, drums - to this day.Newer members are John Scruff Ellis (Mel’s brother) guitar & Dan Gratziani on violin.
“I think we all started for different reasons,” recalls Monkey, of their distant origins. “Pete and Kid moved to Ipswich from Sunderland were already playing on their own, using pillows for drums in the front room. Mel had just failed the audition for Nick Kershaw’s band (too tall apparently) and I was a punk without a cause. Exactly what year that was may vary depending on who you talk to. Some say ’75, some say ‘76. I think I have a flyer from March ’76, but before that we had played our first show in a scout hut in Aldburgh, Suffolk - not exactly top of the list for all time top punk venues! We strung a rope across the room to keep the ‘crowd’ back and had a motor bike for a lighting rig. As far as our musical education goes, I think Pete took music at school, and Kid just liked to hit things. I don’t know where Mel got his ‘talent’ from but it seems to run in the family. I still can’t play anything.”
They soon changed their name to The Adicts and became known for their distinctive Clockwork Orange ‘Droog’ image, which, along with their urgent, uptempo music and light-hearted lyrics, helped set them very much apart from the rest of the genre.
“We became The Adicts because The Pinz was such a shit name,” deadpans Kid. “At the early gigs we just used to wear punk clothes, but never anything bought, like those posers who went down to Kings Road. After a while though, black came in and it all became boring, so we started to dress in white to be different, and ‘Clockwork Orange’ had been a major influence on us, though not for the violence, more the teenage angst…”
“The ‘Clockie’ thing didn’t really evolve until about 78/79 ‘Songs Of Praise’ came out in 1981,” reckons Monkey. “And the image is an amalgam of many things. It may have been a conscious effort to set ourselves against the somewhat unimaginative appearance of early ‘80s punk bands or just a perception that looking a certain way might be interesting and entertaining.
We got some stick from some of the self-appointed ‘real’ punk bands for not being punk enough, or whatever, but I don’t remember anyone really making an issue of the image… other than saying I must be a poof!”
But before the aforementioned ‘Songs Of Praise’ debut album, the band spent several years gigging and building up a strong local following. They even managed, after their very first London show, at The Brecknock, to secure an – albeit basic, to say the least – deal with Dining Out Records, who released the ‘Lunch With The Adicts’ EP in 1979. It was a scintillating, cock-sure debut, surprisingly well executed for an opening gambit, and featured four songs, two of which remain constants in the band’s live set even today: the pounding mid-tempo ‘Easy Way Out’ and the irresistible ‘Straight Jacket’.
“We wrote songs about unemployment, disillusionment, and all that happy stuff, but that was really a conformity with the non-conformists,” remembers Monkey, of their early searchings for that little something a bit different. “We just did what punk bands did until we developed our own style and voice. It was, and is, all about the band as a concept, not just the music, but the look, the attitude, the essence of the Adicts, that is not found anywhere else.
“I remember the early days as a time of discovery, adventure, and intellectual and artistic awakening. Punk Rock encouraged people from small towns all over the UK to think differently and to take a different path. My mum wasn’t too pleased when I quit my job and came home with purple hair, but it was a personal revolution. I may have been a fashion victim, but I was also a liberated mind ready for anything. The gigs were also a strange mix of freedom and fear. Punks from different towns united together at shows and vented while the band was on. But as soon as you stepped outside and went your separate ways, you had to watch your back for lads looking for a weirdo to kick in.”
“I was a rather violent youth and spent half the time scrapping with the neighbours or at a footbal match,” admits Pete. “The gigs were a mixture of curiosity, fun and hate for most of the punters; ducking ashtrays or pint glasses was a new skill we soon learned. I once played whilst having darts thrown at me; one stuck in my guitar and another in my leg! Now, that’s not nice, is it?
“All in all though, it was the most fun anyone could have… because we weren’t part-time punks; we were true to the cause. We looked forward to the weekend; we would travel miles to see a gig… for instance, I remember we went to see Eater in Clacton… two car loads of us… and that’s ALL who showed up for the gig too! Well, us and a hand full of local Hell’s Angels - even that turned into a brawl! There was nowhere that was safe, but the excitement to see Eater overruled everything… and we won the battle as well!”
Within a year, The Adicts unveiled their first long-player, ‘Songs Of Praise’, through Dwed Wrecords, their ‘own label’ but essentially a division of Fall Out. It took all the unique ingredients that had made the ‘Lunch With…’ EP so memorable, and refined and developed them, producing several of the band’s greatest moments. Quite contrary to the relentless thrash that was becoming so popular at the time, The Adicts dared to incorporate cheeky melodies and overtly pop overtones into their sound. ‘Tango’ even sounds like early Antz…
“There might be a bit of the Antz in there. In fact I have recently been sectioned under the mental health act,” laughs Monkey, before commenting on other possible influences, “I don’t think there were any other bands around Ipswich that were inspirational, except perhaps the shitty pop covers bands that we definitely didn’t want to be like. Once we got into the band I didn’t listen to that much other music; what we were doing was enough for me. It wasn’t until several years later that I caught up and realized that Pete and Kid had nicked bits off everyone from Lou Reed to Lulu…!
“‘Songs of Praise’ is my favorite release, not just for the music, but for the way that we did it all ourselves. I can still remember being in the back of the van just after we had picked up the first pressing and the LP sleeves. I think we were all getting off on the fumes from the glue. I took the first record and put it in the first sleeve and we all cheered as I held it up. I wish I knew what happened to that one!”
Arguably the best song on the album, and certainly the most anthemic, ‘Viva La Revolution’, was chosen as a single. Ably backed by ‘Numbers’ and a non-LP track - the superbly-titled ‘(My Baby Got Run Over By A) Steamroller’ - it spent over three months in the Indie Charts, cementing The Adicts’s rapidly-growing reputation as one of the most innovative and popular bands of punk’s new wave.
November 1982 saw the release of their sophomore album, ‘The Sound Of Music’, for Razor Records. It was preceded by two weeks with a single, the ludicrously infectious ‘Chinese Takeaway’. Both releases were classic Adicts, bubbling over with their own unique wacky energy, and it was hardly surprising when they took the charts by storm. ‘Chinese Takeaway’, backed by the brilliant ‘Too Young’ and a cover of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, spent four months in the Indies, peaking at No. 7, whilst the album managed no. 2, only being kept from the coveted top spot by Toyah’s ‘Warrior Rock’. It even dented the Top 100 of the National Charts, no mean feat right before Christmas!
More chart success followed when the anthemic ‘Bad Boy’ single was released in May 1983, so it was hardly surprising when the major labels started sniffing around the band, and that summer The Adicts signed to the Warner Bros. offshoot, Sire...It was the start of troubled times for the band, as both they and their label struggled to find a commercial compromise somewhere between easy listening radio hits and deviously daring punk rock.
Incredibly, they appeared on the kids’ TV show, ‘Cheggers Plays Pop’, albeit as The Fun Adicts, so as not to blatantly offend any parents who were tuning in. Less than a year later they were known as ADX, for the disappointing ‘Tokyo’ single, produced by ex-Vapors frontman, Dave Fenton. By their own admission, it is the band’s least favourite of their own releases (“It was a much better song than the production made it out to be,” quips Monkey). Thankfully it was backed by (as well as the rather bizarre - but quite fun – ‘ADX Medley’) ‘The Odd Couple’, a speedy track that reassured their diehard punk fans that the band still had some fire in their bellies.
Kid plays down the reasons for the name changes as, “because we couldn’t spell! And one was for TV - they thought The Adicts sounded too naughty, haha! But the ADX was just because we couldn’t spell!”
Monkey: “That was bit of a dodgy period for us. There was some perception that ‘Adicts’ had
5
negative connotations for radio and TV. We had signed to Sire who where going to make us big, and we were taken in by it. They did nothing for us and we were left to pick up the pieces…”
“We were controlled at this time by record labels and we were too slow to pick up on it,” sighs Pete. “And we were so out of our heads back then it’s all such a blur. I remember some dictator from Sire records wanted us to sack Monkey ‘cos he couldn’t sing… but of course we instead gave them shit for being a bunch of c*nts. We kept the Monkey at the cost of fame and fortune!”
The Adicts bounced back spectacularly well with the excellent ‘Smart Alex’ album.
As well as their hit single, ‘Bad Boy’, and a remixed (but still rubbish) version of ‘Tokyo’, the album features a whole host of styles and themes, all indelibly stamped with The Adicts’ own quirky identity. From the sultry singalong of ‘California’, via the stomping, almost-rockabilly ‘Crazy’, to the lilting, Fifties-ish ‘Runaway’, no one could ever accuse ‘Smart Alex’ of being generic, and it remains one of their most endearing and adventurous albums. The punters were obviously pleased to see the band back on form, too, as it sold well and spent over a month in the Indie charts, peaking at a very respectable number seven.
But yet more turmoil was just around the corner. Parting ways with Razor, The Adicts expanded to a five piece, with the addition of keyboardist James Harding. They released the ‘Bar Room Bop’ 12” on their own Dwed Records (again through Fallout), and then in 1986, they ended up recording their next album in Germany, a country where they had – and still have – great success touring. ‘Fifth Overture’, was initially released by German label, Gama, before being picked up for the UK by Fallout a year later, albeit with a different sleeve, but it was a poorly promoted, relatively weak effort from the band, that indulged in far too much New Wave pomposity for its own good, and it sank virtually without trace.
“Even then, we always regarded ourselves as a punk band,” insists Monkey. “I had big arguments with Geordie, our manager at the time, when he put ‘New Wave’ on the posters. I also had a big argument about selling out when the price to get in went up from 35p to 45p! I don't think we have ever had conscious aspirations or agendas. We get together, the songs come out. If we like it we’re happy.”
6
“Yes, of course we were, and we still are, a punk band,” agrees Pete. “The music may be interpreted through the many different styles we have, but at the end of the day, we are a Punk band… aren’t we?!”
Arguments over genre specifics didn’t stop the band from enjoying tremendous live success though, and they toured all over the world, even releasing a live album (recorded in front of their loyal German audience), ‘Rockers Into Orbit’, in 1988.
“Kid got drunk and disappeared, or passed out, all over Asia, America, and Europe,” he continues, recalling some of their other on-the-road antics. “We’ve got lost, robbed, ripped off, attacked and arrested… well, I got arrested at least! We’ve puked, pissed, slept, shagged, and shat together all over the world. We’ve been treated like kings and accused of being queens… well, I have!
After constantly touring for years they took a break for a couple years to lick their wounds and nurse their creative muses back to full power. They returned, 1992 with ‘27’for US label Cleopatra.
A much harder and more satisfying album than ‘Fifth Overture’, it was picked up for Europe a year later by Anagram, who allowed the band to incorporate an interactive Adicts board game into the sleeve art, which had participants doing everything the band themselves enjoyed doing whilst on tour, from rolling spliffs to eating vindaloo.
“Whilst on the road our humour got sicker and sicker,” explains Kid. “So we came up with the board game in the back of the van to help take away all those long boring hours spent traveling.”
‘27’ was a good return to form. The speedy opener ‘Angel’ reassures you immediately that you’re back in classic Adicts territory, and the rousing singalong ‘F@ck It Up’ just proves that you don’t have to play fast to sound anarchic. The album even features a belated sequel to ‘(My Baby Got Run Over By A) Steamroller’ in the shape of ‘7:27’, which sees a train to Liverpool Street taking the place of the original destructive automaton!
It was to be another ten long years before The Adicts deemed the time right to enter another recording studio. They went into Earles Studio in Ventura, California during 2002, where they wrote, rehearsed and recorded all nineteen cuts of their most recent album, ‘Rise And Shine’, there and then. Basically relying upon the unique chemistry they’ve developed over their long, eventful history to help shape some of their strongest and most diverse songs to date. They licensed the album from their own Dee Dee Records to Captain Oi as part of an extensive plan to reissue the majority of the band’s back catalogue.
“We’ve never been afraid to experiment or to play just what we feel,” reckons Kid of the new album. “The new stuff is still fast, fun and furious, but there are still a few songs that will completely blow your head off because they’re so different! And we have got Pete in the studio who is a genius. Overall we are still a good team…”
For a while “We all went off and did normal things to see if we liked it. Some of us liked it better than others. Kid had kids, Mel had letters to deliver, Pete had other bands to produce… and I sat forlornly in my room, putting on my make-up and waiting for the phone to ring!
“Our message, such as it is, has always been, have fun,” he continues, attempting to define the secret of their longevity. “That’s timeless and appeals to everyone. If your songs are about the political state of the country, or a victim of police brutality in the ‘80s, then the agenda that you established for yourself becomes obsolete. You become an anachronism…
“To be honest, I never thought our music would be remembered in years to come. I used to be happy if someone remembered a song straight after we played it. Actually I used to be even happier if we remembered the song while we played it!
“The only thing I would have done differently,” he says, in typical deadpan Adicts fashion, when asked whether or not he has any regrets, “Is to have been in a different band, with different people, and with different songs. Oh, and no make-up. Other than that it’s been perfect!
But I do love the new album Rollercoaster. Its got it all. It sums up what we are about.
~ The Adicts.
The Adicts began life as the Afterbirth & The Pinz, in their hometown of Ipswich back in late 1975.. They scored many Indie Chart hits in the Eighties, and are unbelievably still together, and still making great music, with the same line-up – Keith ‘Monkey’ Warren, vocals; Mel Ellis, bass; Pete Dee Davison, guitar; and Michael ‘Kid Dee’ Davison, drums - to this day.Newer members are John Scruff Ellis (Mel’s brother) guitar & Dan Gratziani on violin.
“I think we all started for different reasons,” recalls Monkey, of their distant origins. “Pete and Kid moved to Ipswich from Sunderland were already playing on their own, using pillows for drums in the front room. Mel had just failed the audition for Nick Kershaw’s band (too tall apparently) and I was a punk without a cause. Exactly what year that was may vary depending on who you talk to. Some say ’75, some say ‘76. I think I have a flyer from March ’76, but before that we had played our first show in a scout hut in Aldburgh, Suffolk - not exactly top of the list for all time top punk venues! We strung a rope across the room to keep the ‘crowd’ back and had a motor bike for a lighting rig. As far as our musical education goes, I think Pete took music at school, and Kid just liked to hit things. I don’t know where Mel got his ‘talent’ from but it seems to run in the family. I still can’t play anything.”
They soon changed their name to The Adicts and became known for their distinctive Clockwork Orange ‘Droog’ image, which, along with their urgent, uptempo music and light-hearted lyrics, helped set them very much apart from the rest of the genre.
“We became The Adicts because The Pinz was such a shit name,” deadpans Kid. “At the early gigs we just used to wear punk clothes, but never anything bought, like those posers who went down to Kings Road. After a while though, black came in and it all became boring, so we started to dress in white to be different, and ‘Clockwork Orange’ had been a major influence on us, though not for the violence, more the teenage angst…”
“The ‘Clockie’ thing didn’t really evolve until about 78/79 ‘Songs Of Praise’ came out in 1981,” reckons Monkey. “And the image is an amalgam of many things. It may have been a conscious effort to set ourselves against the somewhat unimaginative appearance of early ‘80s punk bands or just a perception that looking a certain way might be interesting and entertaining.
We got some stick from some of the self-appointed ‘real’ punk bands for not being punk enough, or whatever, but I don’t remember anyone really making an issue of the image… other than saying I must be a poof!”
But before the aforementioned ‘Songs Of Praise’ debut album, the band spent several years gigging and building up a strong local following. They even managed, after their very first London show, at The Brecknock, to secure an – albeit basic, to say the least – deal with Dining Out Records, who released the ‘Lunch With The Adicts’ EP in 1979. It was a scintillating, cock-sure debut, surprisingly well executed for an opening gambit, and featured four songs, two of which remain constants in the band’s live set even today: the pounding mid-tempo ‘Easy Way Out’ and the irresistible ‘Straight Jacket’.
“We wrote songs about unemployment, disillusionment, and all that happy stuff, but that was really a conformity with the non-conformists,” remembers Monkey, of their early searchings for that little something a bit different. “We just did what punk bands did until we developed our own style and voice. It was, and is, all about the band as a concept, not just the music, but the look, the attitude, the essence of the Adicts, that is not found anywhere else.
“I remember the early days as a time of discovery, adventure, and intellectual and artistic awakening. Punk Rock encouraged people from small towns all over the UK to think differently and to take a different path. My mum wasn’t too pleased when I quit my job and came home with purple hair, but it was a personal revolution. I may have been a fashion victim, but I was also a liberated mind ready for anything. The gigs were also a strange mix of freedom and fear. Punks from different towns united together at shows and vented while the band was on. But as soon as you stepped outside and went your separate ways, you had to watch your back for lads looking for a weirdo to kick in.”
“I was a rather violent youth and spent half the time scrapping with the neighbours or at a footbal match,” admits Pete. “The gigs were a mixture of curiosity, fun and hate for most of the punters; ducking ashtrays or pint glasses was a new skill we soon learned. I once played whilst having darts thrown at me; one stuck in my guitar and another in my leg! Now, that’s not nice, is it?
“All in all though, it was the most fun anyone could have… because we weren’t part-time punks; we were true to the cause. We looked forward to the weekend; we would travel miles to see a gig… for instance, I remember we went to see Eater in Clacton… two car loads of us… and that’s ALL who showed up for the gig too! Well, us and a hand full of local Hell’s Angels - even that turned into a brawl! There was nowhere that was safe, but the excitement to see Eater overruled everything… and we won the battle as well!”
Within a year, The Adicts unveiled their first long-player, ‘Songs Of Praise’, through Dwed Wrecords, their ‘own label’ but essentially a division of Fall Out. It took all the unique ingredients that had made the ‘Lunch With…’ EP so memorable, and refined and developed them, producing several of the band’s greatest moments. Quite contrary to the relentless thrash that was becoming so popular at the time, The Adicts dared to incorporate cheeky melodies and overtly pop overtones into their sound. ‘Tango’ even sounds like early Antz…
“There might be a bit of the Antz in there. In fact I have recently been sectioned under the mental health act,” laughs Monkey, before commenting on other possible influences, “I don’t think there were any other bands around Ipswich that were inspirational, except perhaps the shitty pop covers bands that we definitely didn’t want to be like. Once we got into the band I didn’t listen to that much other music; what we were doing was enough for me. It wasn’t until several years later that I caught up and realized that Pete and Kid had nicked bits off everyone from Lou Reed to Lulu…!
“‘Songs of Praise’ is my favorite release, not just for the music, but for the way that we did it all ourselves. I can still remember being in the back of the van just after we had picked up the first pressing and the LP sleeves. I think we were all getting off on the fumes from the glue. I took the first record and put it in the first sleeve and we all cheered as I held it up. I wish I knew what happened to that one!”
Arguably the best song on the album, and certainly the most anthemic, ‘Viva La Revolution’, was chosen as a single. Ably backed by ‘Numbers’ and a non-LP track - the superbly-titled ‘(My Baby Got Run Over By A) Steamroller’ - it spent over three months in the Indie Charts, cementing The Adicts’s rapidly-growing reputation as one of the most innovative and popular bands of punk’s new wave.
November 1982 saw the release of their sophomore album, ‘The Sound Of Music’, for Razor Records. It was preceded by two weeks with a single, the ludicrously infectious ‘Chinese Takeaway’. Both releases were classic Adicts, bubbling over with their own unique wacky energy, and it was hardly surprising when they took the charts by storm. ‘Chinese Takeaway’, backed by the brilliant ‘Too Young’ and a cover of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, spent four months in the Indies, peaking at No. 7, whilst the album managed no. 2, only being kept from the coveted top spot by Toyah’s ‘Warrior Rock’. It even dented the Top 100 of the National Charts, no mean feat right before Christmas!
More chart success followed when the anthemic ‘Bad Boy’ single was released in May 1983, so it was hardly surprising when the major labels started sniffing around the band, and that summer The Adicts signed to the Warner Bros. offshoot, Sire...It was the start of troubled times for the band, as both they and their label struggled to find a commercial compromise somewhere between easy listening radio hits and deviously daring punk rock.
Incredibly, they appeared on the kids’ TV show, ‘Cheggers Plays Pop’, albeit as The Fun Adicts, so as not to blatantly offend any parents who were tuning in. Less than a year later they were known as ADX, for the disappointing ‘Tokyo’ single, produced by ex-Vapors frontman, Dave Fenton. By their own admission, it is the band’s least favourite of their own releases (“It was a much better song than the production made it out to be,” quips Monkey). Thankfully it was backed by (as well as the rather bizarre - but quite fun – ‘ADX Medley’) ‘The Odd Couple’, a speedy track that reassured their diehard punk fans that the band still had some fire in their bellies.
Kid plays down the reasons for the name changes as, “because we couldn’t spell! And one was for TV - they thought The Adicts sounded too naughty, haha! But the ADX was just because we couldn’t spell!”
Monkey: “That was bit of a dodgy period for us. There was some perception that ‘Adicts’ had
5
negative connotations for radio and TV. We had signed to Sire who where going to make us big, and we were taken in by it. They did nothing for us and we were left to pick up the pieces…”
“We were controlled at this time by record labels and we were too slow to pick up on it,” sighs Pete. “And we were so out of our heads back then it’s all such a blur. I remember some dictator from Sire records wanted us to sack Monkey ‘cos he couldn’t sing… but of course we instead gave them shit for being a bunch of c*nts. We kept the Monkey at the cost of fame and fortune!”
The Adicts bounced back spectacularly well with the excellent ‘Smart Alex’ album.
As well as their hit single, ‘Bad Boy’, and a remixed (but still rubbish) version of ‘Tokyo’, the album features a whole host of styles and themes, all indelibly stamped with The Adicts’ own quirky identity. From the sultry singalong of ‘California’, via the stomping, almost-rockabilly ‘Crazy’, to the lilting, Fifties-ish ‘Runaway’, no one could ever accuse ‘Smart Alex’ of being generic, and it remains one of their most endearing and adventurous albums. The punters were obviously pleased to see the band back on form, too, as it sold well and spent over a month in the Indie charts, peaking at a very respectable number seven.
But yet more turmoil was just around the corner. Parting ways with Razor, The Adicts expanded to a five piece, with the addition of keyboardist James Harding. They released the ‘Bar Room Bop’ 12” on their own Dwed Records (again through Fallout), and then in 1986, they ended up recording their next album in Germany, a country where they had – and still have – great success touring. ‘Fifth Overture’, was initially released by German label, Gama, before being picked up for the UK by Fallout a year later, albeit with a different sleeve, but it was a poorly promoted, relatively weak effort from the band, that indulged in far too much New Wave pomposity for its own good, and it sank virtually without trace.
“Even then, we always regarded ourselves as a punk band,” insists Monkey. “I had big arguments with Geordie, our manager at the time, when he put ‘New Wave’ on the posters. I also had a big argument about selling out when the price to get in went up from 35p to 45p! I don't think we have ever had conscious aspirations or agendas. We get together, the songs come out. If we like it we’re happy.”
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“Yes, of course we were, and we still are, a punk band,” agrees Pete. “The music may be interpreted through the many different styles we have, but at the end of the day, we are a Punk band… aren’t we?!”
Arguments over genre specifics didn’t stop the band from enjoying tremendous live success though, and they toured all over the world, even releasing a live album (recorded in front of their loyal German audience), ‘Rockers Into Orbit’, in 1988.
“Kid got drunk and disappeared, or passed out, all over Asia, America, and Europe,” he continues, recalling some of their other on-the-road antics. “We’ve got lost, robbed, ripped off, attacked and arrested… well, I got arrested at least! We’ve puked, pissed, slept, shagged, and shat together all over the world. We’ve been treated like kings and accused of being queens… well, I have!
After constantly touring for years they took a break for a couple years to lick their wounds and nurse their creative muses back to full power. They returned, 1992 with ‘27’for US label Cleopatra.
A much harder and more satisfying album than ‘Fifth Overture’, it was picked up for Europe a year later by Anagram, who allowed the band to incorporate an interactive Adicts board game into the sleeve art, which had participants doing everything the band themselves enjoyed doing whilst on tour, from rolling spliffs to eating vindaloo.
“Whilst on the road our humour got sicker and sicker,” explains Kid. “So we came up with the board game in the back of the van to help take away all those long boring hours spent traveling.”
‘27’ was a good return to form. The speedy opener ‘Angel’ reassures you immediately that you’re back in classic Adicts territory, and the rousing singalong ‘F@ck It Up’ just proves that you don’t have to play fast to sound anarchic. The album even features a belated sequel to ‘(My Baby Got Run Over By A) Steamroller’ in the shape of ‘7:27’, which sees a train to Liverpool Street taking the place of the original destructive automaton!
It was to be another ten long years before The Adicts deemed the time right to enter another recording studio. They went into Earles Studio in Ventura, California during 2002, where they wrote, rehearsed and recorded all nineteen cuts of their most recent album, ‘Rise And Shine’, there and then. Basically relying upon the unique chemistry they’ve developed over their long, eventful history to help shape some of their strongest and most diverse songs to date. They licensed the album from their own Dee Dee Records to Captain Oi as part of an extensive plan to reissue the majority of the band’s back catalogue.
“We’ve never been afraid to experiment or to play just what we feel,” reckons Kid of the new album. “The new stuff is still fast, fun and furious, but there are still a few songs that will completely blow your head off because they’re so different! And we have got Pete in the studio who is a genius. Overall we are still a good team…”
For a while “We all went off and did normal things to see if we liked it. Some of us liked it better than others. Kid had kids, Mel had letters to deliver, Pete had other bands to produce… and I sat forlornly in my room, putting on my make-up and waiting for the phone to ring!
“Our message, such as it is, has always been, have fun,” he continues, attempting to define the secret of their longevity. “That’s timeless and appeals to everyone. If your songs are about the political state of the country, or a victim of police brutality in the ‘80s, then the agenda that you established for yourself becomes obsolete. You become an anachronism…
“To be honest, I never thought our music would be remembered in years to come. I used to be happy if someone remembered a song straight after we played it. Actually I used to be even happier if we remembered the song while we played it!
“The only thing I would have done differently,” he says, in typical deadpan Adicts fashion, when asked whether or not he has any regrets, “Is to have been in a different band, with different people, and with different songs. Oh, and no make-up. Other than that it’s been perfect!
But I do love the new album Rollercoaster. Its got it all. It sums up what we are about.
~ The Adicts.
10 February 2009
The BUSINESS
The BUSINESS
were formed towards the end of the seventies in UK with a line-up consisting of Micky Fitz-Steve Kent-Martin Smith and Nick Cunningham. Their first apperance on vinyl came in 1981 on the VU Records compilation 'Sudden Surge Of Sound' with the track 'Out in the cold'. The album also featured the UK SUBS and Laura Logic, formerly X-RAY SPEX. The Business track did not fare too well with the music press and one critic described it as "an angry bastard version of Status Quo". The group next turned up on the 'Carry On Oi!' LP which featured two songs by them.
A month later they released their debut single 'Harry may' which reached the top ten in Sounds independant chart, and is now quite hard to find. The original line-up split soon after it's telease and the last track they recorded was 'Step Into christmas' for the 'Bollocks to Christmas' EP(Dec.'81). Also released in December was the '1980-81 Official Bootleg' on Syndicate Records. This mixed live and demo recordings from the first incarnation of the band.
Micky Fitz wasted no time in re-forming the band with the help of Steve Whale, Mark Brennan, Graham Ball(ex-Conflict) and John Fisher(later to join Combat 84). The band only survived long enough to play one gig and Ball and Fisher left. Kev Boyce was drafted in to fill the vacant drum-stool and recorded an EP 'Smash The discos' with the band in March '82. The single spent six weeks in the indie chart peaking at number one spot by Pigbag's quarter of a million selling 'Papa's got a brand new Pigbag'. Before the release of the band's delayed first album, they appeared on two compilations in 1982. 'Total Noise' EP featured a studio version of 'Loud proud and punk' and the secret Records 'Oi Oi that's yer lot' LP inclued 'Real Enemy'. The business debut album 'Suburban Rebels' was finally released in May 1983 and reached number 37 in the national charts.
The LP was produced by Micky Geggus of the COCKNEY REJECTS, but was not technically their true first album. The original first album was produced by Ron Rouman(the band's manager) but The Business were not happy with the mix, so they decided to remix themselves. However, when they went to do this they found the tapes had mysteriously disappeared. So they borrowed £2,000 from Secret and re-recorded the album. The tapes finally came to light when Secret licensed the song 'Blind Justice' to Cherry Red for use in the 'UK/DK' video and sound-track LP(released 1983).
Apparently Secret had sent, by mistake the Geggus mixes instead of the Rouman LP. The original Rouman produced album finally surfaced on the 'Back to Back Vol.2' double LP on wonderful World records in 1985. The album was titled 'Smash The discos'(later re-issued on Link) and iclued covers of Crass's 'Do they owe us a living' and Sham 69 'Tell us the truth''. The band was unable to record during most of 1984 due to legal hassles with Secret and trouble with their management. However, in september they returned again with a new LP 'Loud Proud and punk- Live' and a new drummer Micky Fairbairn. The album went down well with the music press and gained a five star review in Sounds.
1985 proved to be a productive year with the new line-up releasing their first 12" 'Get Out Of My House' ; two double LP's 'Back To Back-Vol.1' and the already mentioned volume 2; and the controversial 'Drinking and driving' . The latter was released on 7" and 12", the 12" containing a cover of SHAM 69's 'Harry up Harry'. The single did not impress the public, especially Professor Brian Pritchard of Action on Drinking and driving. He was quoted in the national press as saying: "The record is absolutely criminal, the group should be prosecuted for aiding and abetting manslaughter"(!!)
An album followed in December '85 entitled 'Saturday's heroes' which inclued 'Drinking and Driving' and another 'offensive' song - the title track 'Saturday's heroes'. The song was a tongue-in-cheek tribute to football hooliganism, but again was treated seriously and with contempt. Record wise, apart from songs on various compilations, The business were not heard of again until the release of 'Do a runner' in February '88(a brilliant song reminiscent of COCK SPARRER). Dojo Records kept the band's name alive prior to this by releasing a compilation LP in june '86. 'Singalongabusiness' contained singles A and B-sides, plus various odds and sods. The 12" 'Do a runner' was issued on Link records(which was formed by Business bass player Mark Brennan in '87).
An LP 'Welcome to the real world' followed quickly in May '88. As well as containing original Business songs it also contained versions of songs originally written for Prole and The Blackout(bands which Business members had been previously involved in). In October '88 a four-track EP was given away with the first issue of 'Beat Of The Street' magazine. The inclued song was a live version of 'Do a runner' recorded at the Lisieux Festival in Normandy-France and which was to be the band's last ever gig.
On Saturday April 2nd 1988, The Business played their final English gig at the Astoria in london. A crowd of 1500 attented and the event was recorded by Link and issued as the 'Live and Loud' LP. The band split up shortly after the aforementioned French Festival...
COCK SPARRER
It started off like any other show ("Argy Bargy")…you see, the thing about Sparrer is that they're not just a band. The four original members (Steve Bruce - drums, Mick Beaufoy - guitar, Steve Burgess - bass and Colin Mcfaull - vocals) together with their tour manager, Will Murray, have known each other since the age of eleven. They were born and raised in London's East End, growing up in an atmosphere of football and rock music. For most of their lives, they've been mates.
They all attended the same school and, in 1972, swapped homework for rehearsals in order to form a group, playing Small Faces songs and not much else. They were later joined by Garrie Lammin, the first of several rhythm guitarists. Garrie had a lot going for him: he owned a Marshall stack, had a spikey haircut and was Burge's cousin. Thanks to Terry Murphy, who ran the Bridgehouse pub in Canning Town (East London's coolest rock venue), the boys were never short of somewhere to play, even if it was only a wet Monday night with an audience of just Terry and his bar staff.
Sparrer began to write their own songs. They were based on the life they led and the characters they met while supporting West Ham Football Club every Saturday afternoon. The sound that evolved was more raw than the prevailing heavy rock favoured by their contemporaries and soon attracted a regular following. The gigs at the Bridgehouse were now being supplemented by support slots at The Marquee in London's West End (thanks to Archie, The Marquee's dodgy jock doorman).
Malcolm McLaren came to see the band rehearse in a room over The Roding pub in East Ham with a view to taking them under his wing and turning them into the 'next big thing' (sound familiar ?). Bondage trousers and safety pins met Doctor Martins and jungle greens. It was not to be. Malcolm invited the boys to play with the newly formed Sex Pistols at a strip club in Soho but his inability to buy them a beer did not go down well and the association ended there (if only…Oh well, who gives a shit ?)
Shortly afterwards the music scene was changed forever with the release of 'Anarchy In The UK'. Suddenly record companies were rushing to find anyone who didn't sound like the 'dinosaur' rockers that had now become so 'un-trendy' and Cock Sparrer signed their lives away to Decca Records (along with 'Slaughter And The Dogs' from Manchester). Fame and fortune were just around the corner.
Decca sent the boys to their West Hampstead studio to record a single (the same studio once used by the Stones). They were assigned the company's best producer, Nick Tauber (whose other clients included Thin Lizzy) and, while everybody from the head of A&R to the studio engineer were trying to work out what to do with a 'punk' group who refused to dye their hair green or stick safety pins through their ears, Sparrer kept themselves busy trying to work out how many microphones they could nick and sell without them being missed.
A support slot on the Small Faces UK tour was negotiated and the first single, 'Runnin' Riot', was released in July 1977. It reached the lower end of the British chart but did nothing to dampen the band's growing mistrust of record companies, managers and P.R. companies ('Take 'em All'). By the time the second single was released ('We Love You'/'Chip On My Shoulder' - 12 inch and 7 inch - November 1977), the boys were rejecting every promotional idea they were asked to consider (which was why the 'We Love You' picture sleeve was blank) and were booking their own tour from Decca's offices.
They all lived in a house in Dagenham, Essex. When not gigging, they spent the time in the kitchen playing football, drinking in the local pub or praying for Will to win enough money on the horses to pay the rent. They had 'acquired' boxes and boxes of both their singles which they used for rifle practice in the back garden (they're sick when they now see them being offered for huge amounts of money in record collector magazines).
This period was the inspiration for many songs ('Working', 'Last Train To Dagenham') often written as they travelled to gigs in the back of a red ex-Post Office van driven by their trusty roadie, 'The Head' (another old school friend). The band's most loyal supporters were a bunch of East End lads known as 'The Poplar Boys', who turned up at every gig.
With the emergence of punk, Sparrer naively believed their music had found a natural home. Not so. Their aggressive anthems born out of a dangerous mixture of East End life and football matches were not welcomed by the West London art school dropouts who dominated the British music press. These critics were desperately trying to turn punk into 'new wave' in order to give it a respectability that would justify their interest. 'Serious' punk musicians quickly emerged. The Pistols disintegrated and so, with somewhat less fuss, did Sparrer. Garrie left to become an actor and the others booked themselves on a Freddie Laker flight to America, paid for by selling off their P.A. (which wasn't actually theirs to sell).
They didn't split up. They just didn't play for a while.
The next couple of years saw the boys with no great desire to get back on the road. The only real highlight was Trevor Brooking's magnificent diving header which secured West Ham's defeat of Arsenal in the 1980 F.A. Cup Final.
But the need for some good, honest street rock would not go away. Writer and T.V. personality Garry Bushell realised this and decided to compile an album of what had become known as 'OI' music. It included Sparrer's 'Sunday Stripper'. Suddenly, the group was back in demand.
During a chance phone call by one of the boys to an old friend, now a top record company executive, a new song, 'England Belongs To Me', was mentioned. The lads were offered a deal on the strength of the title alone. In fact, the original title was 'London Belongs To Me' but it "didn't seem to scan right" and actually it wasn't even completely written at the time of the phone call. The album 'Shock Troops' followed, recorded at The White House studio in Chelsea.
Sparrer finally had the freedom to record the sort of things they really wanted to. They vented their frustration with the punk scene ('Where Are They Now ?'), their distrust of most things political ('Watch Your Back'), their hatred of terrorism ('Secret Army'), their disillusionment with the police ('Riot Squad') and their disregard for conventionality ('Out On An Island'), a song which proved they were more than just another punk band.
After the album was completed, Mickey decided he'd had enough for a while. He never lost touch with the band and still turned up for an occasional special gig, such as Bushell's Birthday Bash, the 'Live and Loud' recording and two dates at the 'Gibus Club' in Paris, France. A new rhythm guitarist, Brazilian Chris Skepis was recruited. As with Garrie Lammin, Chris had a lot going for him: he owned a copy of the complete music to the Clash's first album and his dad was a millionaire. Shug O'Neill was chosen as temporary lead guitarist because a drink was arranged in a Soho pub and he actually turned up. Although Micky played most of the rhythm and all of the lead guitars on the album, both the new boys somehow managed to get their pictures on the 'Shock Troops' cover.
Cock Sparrer played several gigs around this time, including a sell out at the 100 Club in Oxford Street, with Chris and Shug. The new recruits also featured on another album, 'Runnin' Riot In '84'. Numerous live and compilation discs were subsequently released but no more live work was undertaken. Chris returned to Brazil and Shug left to form his own band.
The boys, as ever, remained close mates. Steve Bruce was running a music pub in Bethnal Green ('The Stick Of Rock') and was often asked if Sparrer would ever play again. Mickey was up for it and, after a great deal of money changed hands, they agreed to play 'The Astoria' in Charing Cross Road with new rhythm guitarist Daryl Smith. The lads' fondest memory of the day is rehearsing in 'The Stick Of Rock' on the afternoon of the gig to around 100 people. They were not prepared, however, for the size of the crowd that turned up that night. These people had travelled from all over Europe and they knew the words to every song. The group had constantly been told that they had played a crucial part in the whole 'OI' thing. Here was the proof.
With the albums 'Guilty As Charged' and 'Two Monkeys', Cock Sparrer returned to what they do best: writing anthems for everyday life (courtesy of Burge) and playing live. Whenever they perform, it's a party, from the mass singalongs accompanying almost every song to the tradition of a member of the audience disrobing during 'Sunday Stripper'. That's how they like it.
Cock Sparrer were, are and always will be:
Colin McFaull - vocals, Steve Burgess - bass guitar, Steve Bruce - drums, Mickey Beaufoy - guitars, Will Murray - road manager
Five blokes in a pub, five mates having a laugh, … more than just a band.
Plus new boy Daryl Smith (he's only been with the band since 1992)
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