Cock Sparrer

[Bandito]

Biography:http://www.sparrer.fsworld.co.uk/sparrer_biog.htm

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Asi5H8PxQVc/SZKHSokQ1qI/AAAAAAAAADY/jOAhMLlz6sM/s320/cock_sparrer.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ftqt-6TFuNY


How many of people here are fans of this fantastic band?

[Sasha]

awsome, finaly saw them live last month, briliant show, one of the best i ever seen (and i have seen a lot).
Shame about all the nazi boneheads though that showed up, managed to ruin my evening almost.

[Bandito]

Tell me about it.
On their show in Belgrade 80% were nazis, which is something I think and think about, but I simply can't find the answer why is that. When I saw them on Rebellion Festival in Vienna there were no nazis at all, maybe because of the banner outside that said "No guns, knives, bottles and fascists".
But, what is that draws the boneheads on Sparrer gigs?

They are an awesome band, so musically it is surely justified. But in specific subcultures like punk and Oi, that is most probably not the answer.
Is it because they are skinheads?
Apolitical, everyone knows. Right-wing? Never.
Pacifist. ("Out on an island") I don't like it, but yes. Critical of England's politics and imperialist wars they wage? Yes.(Watch your back, They mean murder..)
There is not even macho image that is common for the NS bands.

[Sasha]

watch your back is anti-commie (vanguardist) not anti-imperialist

[Bandito]

Everybody's talking about revolution
Everybody's talking about smash the state
Sounds to me like the final solution
Right wing, left wing, full of hate

We don't wanna fight
Because you tell us to
So watch your back when you attack us
'Coz we might just turn on you.

Things get worse with every hour
The future fades into the past
All they want is total power
Climbing on the backs of the working class.
We don't wanna be part of no new religion
We don't need a boot and a switchblade knife
We don't wanna be part of a political dream
We just wanna get on living our lives

You can apply this to almost every ideology.
Imperialism and money-grabbing wars of the british Govenment was always their favorite one to spit on. That, plus, the part when they don't wanna fight doesn't seem Soviet related to me. They are pretty local about most of their lyrics, so I guess that is directed to British Government, who most definitely weren't vanguardists at the moment.
So I'm assuming that it's the case in this particular matter.

With you being anarchist and getting that impression, well, what can I say? Music does effect every person in a different way. :)
Having said that, some could point that this song would be the one where they blew their apolitical cover by saying "right wing, left wing full of hate".
One could think that they want to say "The right wing-the left wing full of hate"...;)

[Sasha]

nah, your kinda right. its as much against fascists as its against commies.
got for an seccond confused with some lyrics from suburban rebbels (from the buisness):



They're the sons and daughters of well off bankers
Tom Robinsons' army of trendy wankers
Flared blue jeans and anoracks
With yellow streaks all down their backs
Who act so tough when their on tv
But trendy wankers don't scare me

[Chorus:]
Oi!, Oi! Oi! Chosen few
This is what we think of you
Surburban rebels playing at reds
You would be urban terrorists
You don't scare us with your badges and banners
You know fuck all about heavy manners

You're the middle class kiddies from public schools
Who write the slogans on the toilet walls
Like Tony Benn's clones in plastic masks
You wave a hammer and sickle, never Union Jacks
Got lots of mouth when your in a crowd
But when your alone you don't speak loud

i would say thats very anti commie :)

[Bandito]

Business?
Definitely.
Although they are also anti-nazi, but because of stuff like Suburban Rebels they always got on my nerves.

[communard resolution]

The Oi movement was for the most part a more conservative version of punk rock, which is reflected in lyrics such as Cock Sparrer's Watch Your Back. I don't think the anti-left message is against vanguardism specifically - it's just directed against the organised left in general on the grounds of it being perceived as middle-class types who 'use' what Cock Sparrer consider to be the real working class (defined by traditionally British/cultural rather than Marxist terms).

There were a few leftist as well as NF types on the Oi scene, but for the most part, the protagonists of Oi were socially conservative, Labour voting, Union Jack waving white men who were "against right-wing and left-wing extremism" because fascism was 'German' and communism was a 'middle-class student thing'.