A skinhead is a member of a subculture which originated among working class youths in London, England, in the 1960s and soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working class skinhead movement emerging worldwide in the late 1970s. Motivated by social alienation and working class solidarity, skinheads are defined by their close-cropped or shaven heads and working-class clothing such as Dr. Martens and steel toe work boots, braces, high rise and varying length straight-leg jeans, and button-down collar shirts, usually slim fitting in check or plain. The movement reached a peak at the end of the 1960s, experienced a revival in the 1980s, and, since then, has endured in multiple contexts worldwide.
Cockney Rejects are an English punk rock band that formed in the East End of London in 1977. Their 1980 song "Oi, Oi, Oi" was the inspiration for the name of the Oi! music genre. The band members are supporters of West Ham United, and pay tribute to the club with their hit cover version of "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles", a song traditionally sung by West Ham supporters.
Angelic Upstarts are an English punk rock band formed in South Shields in 1977. AllMusic calls them "one of the period's most politically charged and thought-provoking groups". The band espoused an anti-fascist and socialist working class philosophy, and have been associated with the punk subculture and skinhead subculture.
Peter and the Test Tube Babies are an English punk rock band, formed in the small town of Peacehaven, England in 1978, by Derek "Strangefish" Greening and Peter Bywaters. Due to their humorous tongue-in-cheek lyrics, they have been considered part of the Punk Pathetique subgenre.
The Blood are an English, London-based punk rock band, formed in 1982. Led by Cardinal Jesus Hate and JJ Bedsore, the band formed in the early 1980s under the name "Coming Blood". Their music is a blend of hardcore punk, Oi!, heavy metal, football chants and shock rock.
Punk pathetique is a subgenre of British punk rock that involved humour and working-class cultural themes.
The Partisans are a Welsh punk rock band formed in Bridgend, South Wales, in early 1978, when all four members were in their early teens. They continued until 1984, having several hits on the UK Indie Chart. The band re-formed in the late 1990s.
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."
The 4-Skins are an English working class Oi! band from the East End of London, England. Originally composed of Gary Hodges (vocals), 'Hoxton' Tom McCourt (guitar), Steve 'H' Hamer (bass) and Gary Hitchcock (drums), they 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.
'Hoxton' Tom McCourt is the former bassist and bandleader of punk rock/Oi! band, The 4-Skins. He was one of the most influential members of the skinhead revival of 1977 to 1978, the mod revival of 1978 to 1979 and the Oi! movement from 1979 to 1984.
The Ejected were an English punk rock/Oi! band from Dagenham, London, active mainly between 1981 and 1983. But they are now back together and touring the world. The band now sell books at their concerts which talk about their rise to fame.
Captain Oi! Records is a punk rock and Oi! record label based in High Wycombe, England. The company has released over 300 albums by many notable punk and Oi! bands of the late 1970s and 1980s. The label was set up by Mark Brennan, former bassist of The Business, who had previously co-run Link Records and the Dojo subsidiary of Castle Records. Brennan's inspiration had been Ace Records, with Captain Oi! targeted at being "the Ace Records of retro punk rock", reissuing material by classic punk bands.
Red Alert are аn English punk/oi!-band, formed in Sunderland, England, in May 1979. The quartet recorded three studio albums and appeared on numerous compilations, including Punk And Disorderly and Carry On Oi!. Three of the band's releases reached UK Indie Charts Top 30. Red Alert broke up in 1985, reformed four years later and continued touring and occasionally recording.
Carry On Oi! is a 1981 Oi! compilation album, featuring various artists and released by Secret Records. Also known as Oi 3!, it was compiled by Garry Bushell.
Oi! Oi! That's Yer Lot! is a 1982 Oi! compilation album, featuring various artists and released by Secret Records. It is also known as Oi/4.
Strength Thru Oi! is a 1981 Oi! compilation album, featuring various artists and released by Decca Records, released in collaboration with Sounds magazine.
Son of Oi! is a 1983 punk compilation album, released by Syndicate Records. It is 5th in the Oi! compilation series.
Garry Bushell is an English newspaper columnist, rock music journalist, television presenter, author, musician and political activist. Bushell also sings in the Cockney Oi! bands GBX and the Gonads. He managed the New York City Oi! band Maninblack until the death of the band frontman Andre Schlessinger. Bushell's recurring topical themes are comedy, country and class. He has campaigned for an English Parliament, a Benny Hill statue and for variety and talent shows on TV. His TV column Bushell on the Box still appears weekly in the Daily Star Sunday, and he is the Review Editor of the Sunday Express.
Infa Riot is a punk rock band formed in 1980 in Wood Green, North London, England by vocalist Lee Wilson and guitarist Barry D'Amery. The name Infa-Riot is an abbreviation for "In for a Riot".
