Oi!

"Oi!" is the name given to a sub-genre of punk music that sought to align punk with a working-class "street level" following. It began in the latter part of 1977, fusing the styles of early punk bands such as the Clash and the Ramones with early British rock like the Rolling Stones and The Who, and was seen as promoting unity between punks and skinheads. Originally, the style was called "streetpunk" or "reality-punk"; it wasn't until the early 1980s that music journalist Garry Bushell labeled the movement "Oi!", supposedly derived from the Cockney Rejects song "Oi! Oi! Oi!".

Related Topics:
Punk music - 1977 - Clash - Ramones - The Rolling Stones - The Who - Skinheads - Streetpunk - 1980s - Garry Bushell - Cockney Rejects

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The original Oi! bands included Cock Sparrer, the Cockney Rejects, Angelic Upstarts, Slaughter and the Dogs, Skrewdriver, The Lurkers, Anti-Nowhere League and Sham 69. They were followed by The Business, The Last Resort, The 4-Skins, Combat 84, Infa-Riot,

Related Topics:
Cock Sparrer - Cockney Rejects - Angelic Upstarts - Slaughter and the Dogs - Skrewdriver - The Lurkers - Anti-Nowhere League - Sham 69 - The Business - The Last Resort - The 4-Skins - Combat 84 - Infa-Riot

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The Blood, Anti-Heros, and others.

Related Topics:
The Blood - Anti-Heros

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Because many skinheads were recruited by racist organizations such as the National Front, some histories of rock music dismiss all Oi! as racist. However, none of the original streetpunk bands were particularly racist and some, such as the Angelic Upstarts, were always associated with the left and joined anti-racist campaigns. One possible exception is Skrewdriver. The band's early material is usually considered classic Oi!, but by the mid-1980s Skrewdriver was leading a small neo-Nazi rock scene, although apart from lead singer Ian Stuart Donaldson, the band had a different line up from that of the late 1970s. Their music was recognizably Oi!, but they sought to distance themselves from punk in general, preferring the term "R.A.C." ("Rock Against Communism" — a reaction to Rock Against Racism). Members of the earlier incarnation of Skrewdriver have stated that they do not wish to be associated with Donaldson's later version.

Related Topics:
Racist - National Front - Neo-Nazi - Ian Stuart Donaldson - 1970s - Rock Against Communism - Rock Against Racism

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Oi! also became associated with right wing politics following the events of July 4 1981 at the Hamborough Tavern in Southall, London, when a concert by the bands the Business, the Last Resort and the 4-Skins was followed by violent clashes between the predominantly white audience and the local Asian population. However it is worth recording that in the aftermath many Oi! bands were not slow to condemn racism in all its forms, as well as categorically denying any association with fascism.

Related Topics:
Right wing politics - July 4 - 1981 - Hamborough Tavern - Southall - London - The Business - 4-Skins - Asian - Fascism

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Unfortunately these denials were met with cynicism from some quarters following the release of the Strength Thru Oi compilation album around the same time. Not only was its title a play on a Nazi slogan (Strength Through Joy) but the cover featured Nicky Crane, a Nazi activist who was serving a four year prison sentence for racist violence. Gary Bushell, who was responsible for compiling the album, claimed however that its title was a pun on The Skids album Strength Through Joy. He also denied knowing the identity of the skinhead on the album's cover until it was exposed by the Daily Mail two months later. Bushell, who was a socialist at the time, later noted the irony of being branded a far-right activist by a paper who "had once supported Mosley's Blackshirts, Mussolini's invasion of Abyssinia, and appeasement with Hitler right up to the outbreak of World War Two."

Related Topics:
Strength Through Joy - Nicky Crane - The Skids - ''Strength Through Joy'' - Daily Mail - Mosley's - Blackshirts - Mussolini's

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The Oi! movement soon after began to lose momentum in the U.K., but Oi! scenes were forming elsewhere in Europe, Japan, and North America. In the United States, the Oi! phenomenon was mirrored by the Hardcore explosion of the early 1980s, especially by bands such as Black Flag, Iron Cross,and S.S. Decontrol. Although similar in spirit and influence to Oi! (particularly in the earlier stages), Hardcore expounded itself in a peculiarly American middle class (rather than working class) fashion as its influences spread. In the mid-1990s, a revival of interest in Oi! music began, with new bands emerging and older bands receiving more recognition. With this revival came a further concerted effort to distance Oi! from racism.

Related Topics:
Europe - Japan - North America - Hardcore - Black Flag - Iron Cross - S.S. Decontrol - 1990s

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Recent Oi! bands include The Templars, Oxblood, The Wretched Ones, Those Unknown, The Lager Lads, Oxymoron and Hard Skin.

Related Topics:
The Templars - Oxblood - The Wretched Ones - Those Unknown - The Lager Lads - Oxymoron - Hard Skin

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