Cock Sparrer | |
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Background information | |
Also known as | Cock Sparrow |
Origin | London, England |
Genres | Punk rock, Oi! [1] |
Years active | 1972–1978, 1982–1984, 1992–present |
Labels | Decca, Carrere, Razor, Bitzcore, Captain Oi!, Pirates Press, Cherry Red Records |
Members | Colin McFaull Mickey Beaufoy Steve Burgess Steve Bruce Daryl Smith |
Past members | Gary Lammin Chris Skepis Shug O'Neill |
Website | cocksparrer |
Cock Sparrer ( /ˈkɒkspɑːrə/ ) is an English punk rock band formed in 1972 in the East End of London. Although they have never enjoyed commercial success, they helped pave the way for the early '80s punk scene and the Oi! subgenre. [2] Their songs have been covered by many punk, Oi!, and hardcore punk bands.
Their style is influenced by pub rock, glam rock and raw 1960s beat music as delivered by bands like the Small Faces and The Who. Their lyrics mostly deal with topics related to the daily lives of working class people. Their name derives from their original name, Cock Sparrow, [3] a Cockney term of familiarity.
Cock Sparrer was founded by Colin McFaull, Mick Beaufoy, Steve "Burge" Burgess and Steve Bruce – who had known each other since the age of 11. Playing in nightclubs in and around London, they developed the style that was later to be known as streetpunk or Oi!, mixed with pub rock/R&B influences. In 1976, Garrie Lammin (Burge's cousin) joined as second guitarist, and the band met with Malcolm McLaren, who was considering managing Cock Sparrer alongside the Sex Pistols. [4]
In 1977, the band secured a deal with Decca Records, who were hoping to cash in on the now blooming punk movement. The first Cock Sparrer single was "Runnin' Riot", released in May 1977. It did not sell well, nor did the following single (a cover of the Rolling Stones' "We Love You"), and Decca dropped the band in 1978. The band members had already recorded an album's worth of material, which was only released in Spain as Cock Sparrer and was not officially issued in the UK until Razor Records released it in 1987 as True Grit. Cock Sparrer ceased activity in late 1978, [5] with Lammin leaving the group. [6]
In 1981, old Cock Sparrer songs were included on several Oi! compilation albums, and interest in the band began to rise again. They reformed in 1982 – with Chris Skepis replacing Gary Lammin as second guitarist – and signed to Carrere Records, which released the "England Belongs to Me" single. The next release was the band's debut album Shock Troops in 1983. It included the songs "Where Are They Now", "I Got Your Number" and "Riot Squad". Beaufoy then left the band and was replaced by Shug O'Neill. Third album Running Riot in '84 was released in October 1984, after which the band ceased activity once more, although a "live" album recorded around this time was released in 1987.
The band performed several reunion concerts in 1992 (with Beaufoy returning and Daryl Smith coming in as long-term replacement for O'Neill), and in 1994 they released a new album, Guilty as Charged . In 1997, they released the album Two Monkeys . Since then, Cock Sparrer has occasionally toured and has performed sporadically at punk festivals including the Wasted/Rebellion festival. The band released their sixth studio album, Here We Stand, in November 2007. [7] In April 2008 they headlined Rebellion Vienna [8] and also headlined Rebellion Blackpool in August 2008. [9] The following year Cock Sparrer headlined the Punk & Disorderly-Festival in Berlin. They also played Riot Fest in Chicago playing at the Congress Theater on 10/10/09 and headlined at the Metro on 10/11/09. They returned to play Riot Fest again in 2014.
In 2012, Cock Sparrer marked their 40th anniversary along with Rancid who were celebrating their 20th anniversary. They played five sold-out concerts in the United States (two in Philadelphia, one in Boston, and two in San Francisco) and headlined the Christmas Bash in Birmingham as part of the Rebellion Festival on 8 December 2012. [10]
The band's seventh album Forever was released in mid-2017. [11]
In December 2023, it was announced Cock Sparrer would release their eighth studio album Hand on Heart in April 2024 on Cherry Red Records. The album was produced by James Bragg, who also produced their previous record Forever. [12] In the run up to the album's release, the band released music videos for the songs "Here We Stand", "With My Hand on My Heart" and "I Belong to You". [13] [14] [15]
UFC fighter Dan Hardy has used the song "England Belongs to Me" as his walk-out music. "Take 'em All" has a long history of being sung by Major League Soccer supporter groups, including the Empire Supporters Club, Garden State Ultras And Viking Army Supporters Club for the New York Red Bulls and the Emerald City Supporters for the Seattle Sounders FC. In 2022, the Seattle supporters ceased using the song after the Robb Elementary School shooting. [16]
Title | Label | Date of release | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Cock Sparrer | Decca [Spain] | 1978 | Released in the UK as True Grit in 1987 |
Shock Troops | Razor | 1982 | |
Running Riot in '84 | Syndicate | 1984 | |
Guilty as Charged | Bitzcore | 1994 | |
Two Monkeys | Bitzcore | 1997 | |
Here We Stand | Captain Oi! | 2007 | |
Forever | Chase the Ace Records | 2017 | |
Hand on Heart | Cherry Red | 2024 | Their first album to make the UK Albums Chart, peaking at #96. [17] |
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, former members of the band Operation Ivy, Rancid is often credited as being among the wave of bands that revived mainstream interest in punk rock in the United States during the mid-1990s. Over its 33-year career, Rancid has retained much of its original fan-base, most of which was connected to its underground musical roots.
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Angelic Upstarts are an English punk rock / Oi! band formed in South Shields in 1977. AllMusic calls them "one of the period's most politically charged and thought-provoking groups". The band espouse an anti-fascist and socialist working class philosophy, and have been associated with the punk and skinhead subcultures.
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Lars Erik Frederiksen is an American musician and record producer best known as a guitarist and vocalist for the punk rock band Rancid, as well as the frontman of Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and the Old Firm Casuals. In addition, he currently plays guitar in Oxley's Midnight Runners, Stomper 98, and The Last Resort. He was also briefly a member of the UK Subs in 1991.
"White Riot" is a song by English punk rock band the Clash, released as the band's first single in March 1977 and also included on their self-titled debut album.
The Business were an English punk band formed in 1979 in Lewisham, South London, England. The band lasted for four decades until their frontman Micky Fitz died from cancer in December 2016.
Shock Troops is the second album, and the first widely distributed, by punk rock band Cock Sparrer. It was released in 1983 on Razor Records.
"Where Are They Now" is a song recorded by English Oi!/punk rock band Cock Sparrer in 1982, from their album Shock Troops. The lyrics comment on the previous six years of the punk subculture. The song portrays the early years of the punk movement in a negative light, bemoaning the lack of follow-through by the leading figures. It also comments on the band members' own naivete, exhorting listeners to not make the same idealistic mistakes. Its lyrics mention several punk legends. In an interview with the fanzine Schizoipunx from 27 July 2006, Mickey Beaufoy of Cock Sparrer stated:
Julie Burchill and Tony Parsons were rebellious "punk" journalists from the late-1970s. Joe is the late, great Joe Strummer, Jimmy is Jimmy Pursey and Rotten was Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols - and the song, which was written in 1982 was about what we saw as the quiet death of Punk - as none of these people were active then - but I am glad to say that the scene has recovered since then - but people still love that song so we keep it in the set as a warning that we have to keep at it or all this great music could disappear.
Oi! is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads, and other disaffected working-class youth. The movement was partly a response to the perception that many participants in the early punk rock scene were, in the words of The Business guitarist Steve Kent, "trendy university people using long words, trying to be artistic... and losing touch."
Guilty as Charged is punk rock band Cock Sparrer's fourth studio album, released in 1994 on Bitzcore Records. The album was re-released on 24 February 2009, in a remixed and partially rerecorded form on Captain Oi! Records.
The 4-Skins are a punk rock band from the East End of London, England. Originally composed of Gary Hodges (vocals), 'Hoxton' Tom McCourt (guitar), Steve 'H' Hamer (bass) and John Jacobs (drums), the group was formed in 1979 and disbanded in 1984 – although new line-ups formed in 2007 and 2008. Many of their songs dealt with violent topics, but the band has claimed they were discussing the realities of inner city life, not promoting violence. Other 4-Skins song topics include police harassment, political corruption, war and unemployment.
Here We Stand, released in November 2007, is the 6th studio album by English punk rock band Cock Sparrer. Recorded by former Vibrators bassist, Pat Collier, and mixed by Rancid's Lars Frederiksen and Michael Rosen, the album is the band's first new material for ten years. In addition to the 14-track CD version, the album was also released on vinyl as a picture disc. The tracks "Will You?" and "So Many Things" were omitted to improve the overall sound quality.
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Along with The Business and Cock Sparrer, the 4-Skins were the most culturally important of the Oi! Bands, their sound influencing a new host of new American bands such as Rancid and Anti-Heroes.
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