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In all possibility, you may think that when it comes to Richard Allen and the New English Library Skinhead titles there’s little more to be said, almost 50 years on. And like the steel-toed kick in the balls you’d clearly deserve, you’d be wrong, very wrong. Mark Sargeant (Sarge) has written for Scootering since the 80s – many post-decimal currency readers wouldn’t even know the name Richard Allen without the contribution of his spadework in bringing Skinhead to a new audience during that period. Sarge was kind enough to put away his toolbox and answer a few questions on ‘The Richard Allen Legacy’, his late 80s Scootering interview with the author himself and life as a rally-going soul DJ. When did you first come across the Richard Allen books? At school. Skinheads were morphing into suedeheads at the time, it was a mixed grammar school, with quite a strict policy on uniform and colours of uniform. Those of us with a rebellious streak pushed the boundaries with button-down Ben Sherman, or Jaytex Oxford cotton shirts or white Fred Perry polo shirts with black, grey or even navy blue sta-press and black Doc Marten or brogue shoes. Later Brutus jumbo collar shirts and certain combinations of tonic sta-press were favoured by those of us in the know, of course, navy blue or black Crombie coats were worn to and from school. Instead of being sent home for hair being too long, quite a few lads were sent home until their hair grew. New English Library put out Skinhead by Richard Allen, which followed the exploits of East End skinhead Joe Hawkins. I got my copies of Skinhead and Suedehead from WHSmith in Oxford city centre, in fact, I got most of my Richard Allen books from there, and still have those copies today. Some schoolmates would’ve found themselves in trouble at home if they dared to take a copy there, so well-thumbed dog-eared copies of Skinhead, and soon after Suedehead were passed around in a similarly furtive way as soft porn magazines. Some copies of Skinhead and Suedehead were confiscated by school teachers, who probably wanted a sneaky read themselves. Those with grebo inclinations had their own similar books such as Chopper also published by New English Library. One lad in my year selected to read a chapter from Skinhead in a public reading/speaking competition held at the school. Despite several Anglo-Saxon words included in his chosen chapter, the subject of which was football violence, he more or less pulled it off, apart from a minor admonishment by the head of English, for sniggering while reading out loud a line about Joe Hawkins kicking some random opponent in the balls! Cult fiction like Richard Allen books tapped into the impressionable teenage market of the very early 70s, way before the internet, mobile phones and social media. Suedehead sales went into the millions, which literally saved New English Library from going bust. Were you still a skinhead in the late 80s when you were at Scootering and beginning to write about the books or more of a scooterboy by then? More of a scooterboy/soulie, though always have had a leaning towards the original skinhead/suedehead era. Interesting times… Oxford Roadrunners had mods, scooterboys, scooter skins, soulboys, punks and psychobillies as members, with no cultural differences as scoots were what brought us all together. The problem was, I think, uber-elitist mods in the early 80s pushed the more Quadrophenia-inspired away, scooter boys were on the rise, riding serious distances on scoots led to practicalities in the attire stakes. Also while many arrived via mod/Quadrophenia, it soon became an insult to be dubbed a mod, scooter boys were in effect anti-mod in appearance… yet underneath shared a similarly wide taste in music. Personally, I went from a young skinhead/suedehead and later bootboy eras into soul, with a brief dip into early punk, both northern soul going to Wigan Casino events as well as funk/jazz funk Rio Didcot, Lacy Lady and Goldmine down near Canvey Island among others. Then the mod revival reawakened my interest in scoots, having learned to ride Lammys aged 13/14. Mod, skin/suedehead and soulboys/soulies cross-pollinated with each other. I can remember scoots parked up outside Wigan Casino on many an occasion, for example. What caused you to put pen to paper with ‘The Richard Allen Legacy’ for Scootering? If memory serves, it was initially a broad overview of cult fiction, from Absolute Beginners onwards, that very tenuously included scooters. A loose follow-on to Steve Berry’s overview of scoots featured in big and small screen films. Other books included covered The Death Penalty – I can’t remember the author off the top.of my head – which was about a skinhead/bootboy football crew who after their team gets knocked out of a cup competition, track down the referee who awarded a penalty against them. Set in the early 70s, the referee is eventually chased while out training alone by the ‘heroes’ on their scooters, before being kicked to death. Caleb, a West Indian lad on the periphery of the crew, gets fitted up for the killing. The Richard Allen Legacy was kind of a natural progression from the initial cult fiction idea. There were a total of 18 books penned by James Moffat as Richard Allen… some better than others, of course. Demo, the first Richard Allen book about/subject of student/hippy protesters was the only book I didn’t get as a new publication. Skinhead, Suedehead, Boot Boys, Smoothies especially and the last Richard Allen book Mod Rule were part of the formative years of two separate generations of the magazine’s readers at that time. Outside of the novels, there was a fair amount of rucks between those subcultures There were a few, well more than a few, incidents, stand-offs and the like. That the male of the species has an inbuilt natural desire to defend their turf and invade/conquer others, without getting too sociological, goes back to prehistoric times. I can remember being at Tiffany’s Great Yarmouth when Desmond Dekker played live and the gig was halted by right-wing boneheads who had planned the disruption. Of course, it was near impossible to differentiate right-wing extremist boneheads and scooter skins there to see a skinhead reggae legend. The, err, boot was on the other foot so to speak, at Margate rally when Col. Kilgore Vietnamese Formation Surf Team played, right-wing boneheads attempted to disrupt that rally gig but ended up getting battered. Isle of Wight rally when several Oi bands played and ended up in a riot culminating in scooters being banned from the island also marked the end of overt infiltration of the scene by right-wing boneheads. Of course, in the early days of the national rallies locals took exception to their hometowns being invaded by hordes of scooter-riding outsiders, with occasional inevitable culture clashes resulting in scuffles and punch-ups. Riding back from a Bournemouth rally around 1980, a few of Oxford Roadrunners took an unplanned detour which resulted in some local yokel wannabe punks mob-handed in cars attempting to run the scoots and riders off the road. Needless to say, a return visit was paid! Early RSG nights run by Jon Buck in Berkhamsted invariably ended up with mass brawls in the streets with mods, scooterists and soulies against mobbed-up locals. Both incidents being far from unique, similar incidents were rife across the UK from the 60s through to the noughties and beyond. In general terms, rivalries such as mods and rockers, skinheads and grebos, punks and revival teddy boys, football team local derby matches, and the like have, to lesser or greater degrees, been part of teenage and beyond males’ makeup. To quote Madness, oh what fun we had! Subcultural rites of passage and a sense of belonging while looking down on and belittling those not a part of your inner circle was for many decades a quasi-tribal part of growing up, certainly in the UK. In recent times the advent of political correctness along with invariably mollycoddling of their young the British middle classes have created a generation of mummy’s snowflakes, the combination of which has all but eradicated the advent of new youth subcultures with tribal undercurrents sadly. Which has led to youngsters with a desire to be different and to rebel against society to discover for themselves subcultures that are decades old, though the influx of young blood does put a contemporary spin on what’s gone before. At least that’s the way I see it. By the time you wrote that piece Moffat/Allen was largely forgotten about? Apparently so. Certain Richard Allen titles were beginning to command £5 even £10 for near-mint first editions from collectors. But yes, in the main, even with Mod Rule being published at the tail-end of the 79 and early 80s revival, Richard Allen books, along with similar cult fiction novels had been forgotten by the mid to late 80s. Although I didn’t know at the time, James Moffat AKA Richard Allen was not in the best of health, in a care home. I tentatively attempted to get in touch with him (as did a few others with less luck) and I sent a copy of the magazine with The Richard Allen Legacy in it, along with a covering letter to him via New English Library. I believe it was forwarded on to his family, then they forwarded it on to him. He replied by post, he was surprised there was an interest in some of the books he’d written many years before, and pleased with the Richard Allen Legacy piece too. On the back of that he agreed to do an interview (by post), he politely declined meeting in person or speaking on the telephone. His official reasoning being that he didn’t want to shatter any illusions of how Richard Allen was perceived to be like. The stark reality was he really wasn’t in the best of health and couldn’t guarantee he’d actually be well enough to keep to any time or date schedule. Instead by communicating via letter he could respond as and when he was able. I was in communication via correspondence with him for some time until a few weeks before he passed away. He asked that I didn’t, at the time, reveal that James Moffat was Richard Allen. In fact, all correspondence I received he signed Richard or Richard Allen. Did the interview have any immediate impact, either by the readership or outside of it? The magazine had some complimentary comments when it came out. What also transpired as an aside to the interview was James Moffat had retained copyright on his Richard Allen novels. I put James and George Marshall at ST (Skinhead Times) Publishing in touch with each other, the result of which saw ST put out a series of six Richard Allen books, each with three linked titles. For volume one of the series of six James, as Richard Allen, wrote the foreword. Was nice for me to get a namecheck in that. Also, as an aside to the interview, George, just after doing the deal with James for reprinting and represent all 18 Richard Allen titles for several years after published a number of cult fiction books, via ST, alongside his own coffee table-type books on skinheads. A short while after the interview came out I had a few letters from longtime Richard Allen fans, one who generously sent me a copy of, I think, Marathon Man by James Moffat… it was the book he was challenged to write on live Saturday night magazine programme On The Braden Beat. It was in the run into an Olympics, so topically the Olympic Games were worked into the plot. The challenge was to write and (have it) published as a book in one week/seven days… James managed to complete the challenge with one day to spare! As far as I’m aware that Braden Beat appearance was the only time James or one of the very few times, appeared on television. He was quietly quite proud of that achievement, as he mentioned it several times to me. What about yourself after that era of Scootering? I’ve covered a vast number of feature scooters as well as the occasional rallies, events, scooter sport meetings and custom shows. Also interviewing bands, musicians, live shows, specialist music DJ-driven all-nighters and all-dayers, plus on occasion interviews with authors of books, and even films and plays. In 2014 I was commissioned to produce an entire supplement for Scootering, ’50 Years of Mod’, as 2014 was the golden jubilee of the then over-reported and sensationalised bank holiday mods and rockers clashes. Though I say so my self it was rather good as it revealed the realities of some of the ‘happenings’ of 1964 from people who were there at the time. Additionally, there was a short overview of subcultures that were, in effect, the bastard sons of the original mods, skinheads/suedeheads, northern soulies and casuals amongst them. As an aside, albeit linked to writing and photography for Scootering I’ve contributed as a researcher/interviewee to a number of books with specific bands, eras, and subcultures as subject matter. In recent times Scootering editorial policy moved away from the more lifestyle type of features for several years. However, over the past 18 months or so there has been a massive swing back to encompass, embrace and include a wide range of lifestyle, as in music, books, and clothes, subjects in Scootering magazine. source : CreaseLikeKnives

Established in 2011 The Great Skinhead Reunion Brighton was designed to bring Skinhead back home to where it was born in the 1960´s When the Mods and Rockers came to Brighton and hit the headlines, establishing their own youth culture. From those early Mods came the Skinheads, who embraced the new music coming in from Jamaica known as Ska. The Jamaican immigrants to the UK mixing with British working class kids with style and attitude, to form a new youth culture. The second wave of Skinhead began to build in the mid 70´s with the birth of Punk Rock in 76, this time musically the Skinheads adopting the Punk rock sound and aggro of the football terraces, Working class bands forming and putting out their own angry antisocial messages in music, frightening the media into a frenzy of misinformation, who promoted the image of hyper violent bootboys and girls on the loose. This was a time of major political unrest in the UK and extremist groups tried to recruit within working class culture, often targeting Skinheads and football supporters, in the hope of win one, win them all pack mentality. By 79 The skinheads were on the fightback and in London with bands like Madness and Badmanners, linked with British Midlands such as Coventry bands The Specials. The Selector and The Beat and created the 2tone label, which firmly mixed black and white youth together against this media onslaught. In 1981 came the next wave. Oi! music was unleashed by Sounds magazine, bringing back the angry streetpunk energy and protest into the Skinhead subculture, once again giving the media and movie makers something to chew on. Over the years the pendulum swung back and forth, but against all the odds Skinhead in its genuine form found its way across the world, connecting the Working class of Britain with mainland Europe, during the cold war even into communist Eastern block, then across to USA, South America, and in modern times, Indonesia to pretty much every westernised nation. At the Great Skinhead Reunion Brighton you will find the most genuine, real and very friendly welcoming event in Skinhead history. Real people who have lived the life, mixing with new faces just coming in. We actively search for new acts to showcase and tour. We reunite old bands and give them a stage to play, we encourage scene DJ´s from across the worldwide scene, to play and network. Together all of us taking the scene forward, learning from previous mistakes, without selling out our principals of a true Working class subculture. The reunion invites everyone to attend, be you a skinhead or just someone wanting to be part of the event, interested and wanting a great fun weekend. We also actively support charities every year. United We Stand! TICKETS FULL 3 DAYS EVENT, YOUR WRISTBAND IS VALID THROUGH OUT, YOU CAN USE IT FOR AS LITTLE, OR AS MUCH AS YOU WANT. THE EVENT WILL SELL OUT. WRISTBANDS GIVE YOU FULL ACCESS TO ALL THE EVENT, THREE FULL DAYS AND NIGHTS OF ENTERTAINMENT, 12 BANDS, 10 DJ’S PLUS A SPECIAL PRE PARTY BEACH BBQ ON THURSDAY PRE PARTY The line-up maybe subject to change, as so many band members and dj’s are involved, alcohol, world wars and famine can be unforeseen, but the Great Skinhead Reunion, is more about coming to Brighton to see all your friends and making some more, for 3 full days of mayhem. SKINHEAD ONLY HOTELS Add to your experience, by getting a room in our Skinhead only hotels. Conveniently located, with a short walk to the venue, and no moaning neighbours to worry about. The rooms vary in size and cost, to fit your needs. all within an easy walk to the skinhead reunion venue. We have hotels exclusive to the Great Skinhead Reunion guests and bands. Party party !! please email subcultz@gmail.com with your requirements, to be booked into the Skinhead Hotels. For those on a low budget, its worth checking Hostels and campsites, but my advice, is to get in the reserved hotels, for a nice stress free, clean and comfortable holiday in Brighton. TRAVEL INFORMATION Brighton is situated on the south coast of England, approximately one hour from London. London Gatwick is the nearest airport. There are regular direct trains and National Express buses. The next nearest is Heathrow, We Strongly advise NOT to fly to Stansted or Luton as this is a long way and expensive UK public transport, but if you have no choice then use National Express buses from those airports, which you need to book in advance to get cheaper rates, and you risk losing valuable drinking time The nearest ferry port serving mainland Europe is Newhaven -Dieppe . Newhaven is about 20 min drive to Brighton. Dover is about 2 hours to Brighton PARKING ZONES – one of the worst aspects of Brighton, is a lack of affordable parking. my advice is to use street parking on the suburbs of Brighton, its a reasonably safe place. a good bus service will take you into brighton centre (churchill square) and a short walk from there to the sea front. worth allowing the extra hours work, to save yourself serious parking charges. Wilson Avenue is about the nearest free street parking to the venue, jump on a local bus back into town. All Event Enquiries email Symond at subcultz@gmail.com. phone (uk) 07733096571 The Facebook community group Facebook group Facebook page Brighton can lay claim to being a big part of the birth of Skinheads. During the Mods and Rockers battles of the 1960’s when London lads would descend on the South Coast for bank holidays to Peacock and cause ‘Bovver’ the term Skinhead was born, to describe the short haired Mods. Becoming probably the biggest and longest standing of all the youth fashion subcultures, Skinhead has matured and now become a worldwide community. Distinctly recognized by almost military shaven head, boots and braces. The real skinhead is a working class product of the British council estate ‘salt of the earth character’ fiercely proud of his identity,with an obsession for clothing, style and music, equaled only with his love of beer. On the first weekend of every June, since 2011, Brighton has seen an ever increasing number of Skinheads and their lovely Skinhead Girls invade Brighton. Boots, Braces, pristine clothing and a cheeky smile. Attracting scene members from right across the globe, to Madeira Drive, overlooking the beach. A full three days of Skinhead related entertainment is laid on. DJ’s playing hyper rare vinyl, from the early days of Jamaican Ska, through to modern day Street Punk and Oi. Live bands hit the stage of the Volks bar each night. With various aftershows happening until the early hours, to keep the party buzzing. Buy Your Ticket Here is previous Great Skinhead Reunion back on 2014 : MORE INFORMATION CHECK OUT SUBCULTZ.COM

Ruben Amorim’s task at Manchester United is proving tougher than anyone anticipated, but he knows the way forward and must remain steadfast. It was a strange moment at Old Trafford. Ruben Amorim had just answered a question about leaving out Marcus Rashford when another query on squad rotation interrupted him. But this time, it wasn’t a journalist—rather, it was the sound of a drip from the ceiling. A lot has changed at United since Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought his £1.2bn stake in the club. The training ground is being overhauled, plans for a new stadium are gaining momentum, and £160m has been pumped into new signings. However, the problems persist. The team is still suffering home defeats like the 3-0 loss to Bournemouth, Rashford's attitude remains a constant issue, and a leaky roof at Old Trafford adds to the list of woes. Amorim left behind a successful Sporting CP to join this chaotic project, leaving the comfort of Lisbon for a Manchester squad in disarray. Christmas came and went with him away from home, leading his team to a Boxing Day fixture against Wolves. Given the circumstances, he could easily question his decision to take on this challenge, but he won’t. Amorim is committed to the long road ahead. His plan may be a tough one, but he knows the path to a better future—and sticking to it is key. While it may seem like Manchester United have made no progress since replacing Ten Hag with Amorim, the Portuguese manager has a clear plan to turn things around. He must remain committed to it, and the club must support him every step of the way. No Clear Signs of Progress Nine games into Amorim's tenure, the statistics are far from promising. United sit 13th in the Premier League—just one place higher than when Ten Hag was sacked in October and in the same position Amorim inherited from Ruud van Nistelrooy in November. With just seven points from six league games, they’ve earned one less than Ten Hag in his final six matches. Amorim's side is also out of the Carabao Cup, which Ten Hag won in his first season, and his FA Cup hopes seem slim after a tough third-round draw against Arsenal. Defensively, United have conceded 17 goals in nine games, seven of them from set pieces. They've also suffered two home defeats, to Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, both by 3-0 scores—mirroring the losses under Ten Hag to Liverpool and Tottenham. There is some positive news, though. United have made progress in the Europa League, securing victories over Bodo/Glimt and Viktoria Plzen, putting them in a strong position to reach the last 16 without needing to go through the playoffs. They also pulled off a stunning derby win away at Manchester City. However, Ten Hag also managed to secure wins over City, including in an FA Cup final. Taking Responsibility for Injuries There have been a few noticeable improvements under Amorim. The team is scoring more goals than under Ten Hag—1.8 goals per game compared to 1.5—and they look less vulnerable in open play, doing a better job of controlling opposition transitions. However, set-piece defending remains a major issue and needs improvement. Still, Amorim has managed to make the team appear slightly more cohesive. One key area where Amorim has taken responsibility is the team’s injury issues. He's made squad rotation a priority, even if it means fielding players with less experience or ability. After making six changes following the loss to Tottenham, Amorim explained his approach: "It's not rotation to see players and prepare for the future, it's simply to avoid injuries. I know there's a long-term project and we're focused on that, but at big clubs, you don’t have a lot of time and you have to win games. I understand the responsibility I have here, but I'm trying to manage the team to avoid injuries. If you have injuries, it’s a massive problem." Unlike Ten Hag, whose second season was marred by injuries, Amorim has acknowledged the link between injury issues and squad rotation, something the Dutchman was reluctant to do. More Authoritative than Ten Hag Amorim has shown himself to be a much more authoritative figure than Ten Hag, both in his communication with the media and his management of players. Ten Hag often talked about improving standards and enforcing discipline, but his actions didn’t always back up his words. Take Cristiano Ronaldo, for example. Despite walking off at half-time during the Rayo Vallecano pre-season match, he was still included in the squad for the season opener against Brighton. When Ronaldo refused to come off the bench against Tottenham, he was only dropped for one game. Similarly, when Rashford was late to a team meeting ahead of the Wolves match, Ten Hag’s punishment was to bench him. Yet, when the game was still 0-0 at half-time, Rashford was brought on, scored the winner, and the issue was quickly forgotten. Even after Rashford skipped training following a drunken night out in Belfast, he was only dropped for the Newport County match, returning to the starting lineup a few days later to score against Wolves. Amorim, on the other hand, appears to be more consistent in his approach, holding players accountable without compromising on his authority. 'Big Talent, Big Responsibility' Amorim has proven to be a much stricter enforcer of his rules. He left both Rashford and Garnacho out of the squad for the Manchester derby, questioning their off-pitch attitude. While Garnacho returned for the League Cup match against Tottenham just days later, Rashford was again left out, this time for the Bournemouth game. The ongoing exclusion of the homegrown forward has become a major distraction, and if United are considering selling him, this lack of playing time—coupled with Amorim’s apparent criticism—could only decrease his market value. But Amorim is holding firm. He won’t reintegrate Rashford into the squad until he sees a clear improvement in his training performances. After the Bournemouth match, Amorim’s detailed explanation should resonate with United fans frustrated by underperforming players. He said, "Everyone at Carrington knows what I'm talking about and what I want from Marcus and from everyone else, so it’s not a distraction for us. Maybe it is for the media, but that’s not my concern. Rashford should be like any other player, the best they can be." He continued, "If you have big talent, you need to show big performance, big responsibility, and big engagement. Push everyone forward. Some players have a big responsibility because they’ve been here a long time. This is one of the lowest moments in our club’s history, and we need to face it and be strong—that’s what I want from every player." Where Solskjaer Went Wrong Amorim ended his comments on Rashford with a firm declaration: "I'm doing things my way, it's the only way I know. If I don't do that, I'll lose myself, and I won't lose myself. I know what I'm doing." This vow to stick to his principles is a clear sign of Amorim’s confidence in his methods, and it should offer reassurance to United fans who grew frustrated with Erik ten Hag’s early compromises. Ten Hag, hired for his success with Ajax, raised eyebrows after just a year in charge when he claimed United would "never play like Ajax." This comment came after a significant shift in style following his side’s poor start to the season, which included losses to Brighton and Brentford. Ten Hag abandoned his earlier principles of playing out from the back and dominating possession, opting instead for a counterattacking approach. This new style saw United finish third in the Premier League and reach two finals in his first season. But by his second year, the team had stagnated, and Ten Hag's lack of evolution in tactics became evident. Solskjaer faced a similar fate in his third full season. Despite some early success, he was dismissed after humiliating defeats—5-0 to Liverpool and a dismal performance against Manchester City at Old Trafford. Reflecting on his time at United, Solskjaer told the Stick to Football podcast: "At Manchester United, you have a responsibility to entertain the fans. Don’t just go for the result. In those two home games, I thought we needed to be Manchester United—don’t defend, don’t rely on counterattacks. Let the players go out there, go toe-to-toe with the opposition. If you’re not willing to take that step, what’s the point of being at United? At some point, you need to evolve—and my team wasn’t ready. It just wasn’t good enough." Doing It His Way In his first interview as United boss with Gary Neville, Amorim hinted that Erik ten Hag had been too pragmatic during his time at the helm. Amorim made it clear that he had a different approach: "I know you can win with Erik, and he was amazing at Ajax. He built two of the best teams outside the top five leagues. But for me, I have one idea, and I know what to do. It might go wrong, but I’m comfortable with that. Step one, step two, step three. With this, I’m confident we’ll achieve something. One idea is to see the game the same way, understand it the same way, and do things in one way." Implementing such a rigid style of play won’t happen overnight, especially with so many games and so few training sessions for Amorim to instill his philosophy. Rasmus Højlund admitted after the Nottingham Forest loss that there was "a lot to take in," and even after two weeks, the team is still adjusting to Amorim’s methods. The next few weeks could be even tougher. On Boxing Day, United face a revitalized Wolves, led by new Portuguese manager Vítor Pereira, and then end the year against a strong Newcastle side. The new year kicks off with a trip to league leaders Liverpool and an FA Cup tie against Arsenal. The schedule softens slightly after that, with home games against Southampton, Brighton, Crystal Palace, and Ipswich, plus away trips to Fulham, Tottenham, and Everton by the end of February. By then, it should be clearer whether Amorim’s methods are paying off. But what’s already evident is that Amorim won’t accept mediocrity, and he will not compromise. After being thrashed by Bournemouth, Amorim sat beneath a dripping ceiling, a man who fully understood the massive task ahead of him—but also looked like someone capable of solving it. He said, "We cannot let this become normal. I understand it's a tough moment, and it's on me. If I knew [how to fix it], I’d solve all the problems, even this drip. I won’t say I’m relaxed, because I’m as frustrated as the fans, but I know what to do." Despite the rough start, Amorim remains a man with a plan. And unlike his predecessors, he is determined to see it through.

The skinhead band from Malaysia, A.C.A.B, which has been synonymous with skinhead culture and oi! music since its formation in 1994, will be ending their musical journey after 30 years with the "30th A.C.A.B Final Concert" at Zepp Kuala Lumpur on December 21. With the theme "Bring Back The Bootboys," symbolizing their style at the peak of their career, the concert will also feature the original members of the band and a special performance by the European band, Haymaker. Lead vocalist and guitarist Megat Hafiz said that he and the other band members wanted to celebrate their 30 years of musical journey through this concert. It is said that after the 30th A.C.A.B Final Concert ends, each member will go their separate ways. "I am proud of what A.C.A.B has achieved over the past 30 years, so we want to celebrate it with a final concert at Zepp Kuala Lumpur. What better way to end it than with those who shaped us into who we are today? "Some have asked why we are disbanding. The answer is that A.C.A.B has accomplished its goal in the local music scene by uniting listeners from diverse backgrounds." "Thank you all for your support since the beginning. I hope to see everyone as we celebrate A.C.A.B for the last time," he said during the press conference for the 30th A.C.A.B Final Concert at Timeless Studio, Mutiara Damansara, here today. To ease the longing of their loyal fans, Megat will be joined by both former and current members of A.C.A.B, including Edy (guitar), Zul (drums), Sham (bass), Azrin (drums), Irfan (drums), Mono (bass), and a special appearance by Andy from Flop Poppy as a bassist. A.C.A.B promises a "setlist" comprising 37 songs from various albums such as Eastern Oi!, Skinhead 4 Life, Orang Timur, Bangun, and This Is The A.C.A.B, which have been released since 2006. Their iconic hits like Unite & Fight, We Are The Skins, Streets Of Uptown, Anti-Racist, and Demonstration '95 Revisited (a 2020 mini-album) will also be performed. A.C.A.B, formed in late 1994, is recognized as one of Malaysia’s earliest skinhead and Oi! bands. The band carved out their unique brand, style, and genre known as Eastern Oi!, with their track Skinhead 4 Life gaining global recognition, even being covered by bands from various countries, including Europe and Latin America. After three decades of shaping Malaysia's music scene, legendary Oi! and skinhead band A.C.A.B is set to bid farewell with a special final concert. This emotional event marks the end of an era for the group, which has united fans across diverse backgrounds and established a distinctive musical identity known as Eastern Oi!. The concert, dubbed the 30th A.C.A.B Final Concert, will feature both current and past members of the band, performing a memorable 37-song setlist, including fan favorites like Unite & Fight, We Are The Skins, and Skinhead 4 Life. A.C.A.B's influence has reached beyond Malaysia, with their music resonating globally and inspiring bands in Europe and Latin America. The farewell show promises to be a fitting tribute to the band’s remarkable legacy, bringing together fans and musicians to celebrate the journey of A.C.A.B one last time.

We at Skinhead.com.my would like to wish happiest birthday to our favourite band Cock Sparrer, for 50 great years this fabulous band have been rocking us with their song, we also would like to wish them success on their future endeavors. Long live Cock Sparrer! Cock Sparrer Full History The Early Days
 This story started at school in 1972 when rivalries between a couple of bands were put aside and the decision was taken to merge and form what was to become COCK SPARRER. The boys had loads of different influences at the time which has helped over the years create what could be considered the unique Sparrer sound of today. The early years were spent mostly doing covers while Burge’s songwriting skills were still being honed. The line-up from the beginning was Micky, Burge, Steve and Colin accompanied by Will who would often guest DJ at any gig. It should come as no surprise to anyone that knows him that he would often get paid more than the band. Gigs were grabbed when offered, but were few and far between, until the band started their own residency at Trinity’s Youth Club in East Ham. Playing most Fridays, they slowly built up a following, which mainly consisted of girls from the local Grammar School – Happy Days!! Unfortunately, a lot of these girls had boyfriends that weren’t too enamoured with their new allegiance to the band, and it wasn’t unusual for most Friday nights to end up like a scene from Gunfight at the OK Corral. Once the fights were out of the way, it was over to the Burnell Arms to spend whatever money had been taken on the door that night. Life was simple in those days – music, beer, and girls. By 1974/5, gigs were becoming more regular. Sparrer had become one of the first calls that Terry Murphy from The Bridgehouse would make when bands blew out, and there were many Monday nights spent playing to three people in Canning Town. It was worth it for the free rehearsal, the beers, and the plate of sandwiches that Terry and his wife Rita would lay on for after. Support slots at The Marquee in London’s Wardour Street would follow, as well as regular gigs at the Dagenham Roundhouse, thanks to Paul Fenn at the Asgard Agency. The band’s reputation was growing, but often for the wrong reasons. They were banned from most of these venues on more than one occasion, but always managed to turn up the next day with an apology and a cheeky grin to get back in the good books. By now, Sparrer were 7 strong with Will & Glen “The ‘Ed” Smith taking care of roadie-ing duties, and Garrie Lammin on rhythm guitar. They had lived in – and done runners from – a number of different flats in and around East London, including one in Green Street, Upton Park, where on one occasion Col got arrested for nicking Will’s stuff…it’s a long story!! 1976 saw the boys move a few further stops down the District Line to Dagenham and into a house that could have been the basis for “The Young Ones.” Out of work and on the dole, they passed the days playing football over the park, writing songs, blagging gigs, fiddling the electric, and trying to find enough money to pay the rent. By this time, the mode of transport to get to and from gigs was an old Post Office van. It ran on red diesel, and had to be started with a blow torch. By the time they got to the gig their voices were shot because they had to SHOUT REALLY LOUDLY to be heard over the engine. It was either that, or be semi-conscious upon arrival because of the fumes that the engine would chuck out! 1976 also saw Cock Sparrer sign their first management and publishing deal with Orange Music, who, through their connections, got the band signed to Decca in early 1977. Purely by coincidence, and still a strange quirk of fate, it wasn’t until many years later that they realised that the fella that actually signed them to Decca was none other than Daryl’s Dad! Daryl was five at the time!! Still struggling to find gigs, it was a surprise when, in April ’77, a couple of the band members went round the ‘Eds house to be told by his Dad that he wasn’t in, and that “he’s gone up to London to sort out your tour with The Small Faces.” WHAT?! He was having a laugh, surely? THE Small Faces? Steve Marriott, Ian McLagan, Kenney Jones, etc? It couldn’t be! He must have mis-heard him. With no mobile phones, it was an anxious few hours before the ‘Ed returned to confirm that Cock Sparrer were, in fact, to support The Small Faces on their 12 date UK comeback tour starting the following week! The red GPO van made it to the first gig in Preston before The Small Faces road crew took pity on the band and offered to stick the small amount of Sparrer gear in the back of their trucks for the rest of the tour. Steve Marriott lost his voice after a couple of shows, and for a while it looked like the whole thing may be cancelled, but he recovered fairly quickly and no dates were lost. They say you should never meet your heroes, but everyone connected with that tour were very gracious to the Sparrer boys, and this is the thinking that they try to maintain to this day when it comes to dealing with their own support bands. Kenney Jones lent Steve anything he wanted from his kit, Ian McLagan would always accommodate requests for Faces songs during soundchecks, and Micky spent an afternoon locked away in a basement with Steve Marriott trading Humble Pie riffs on their guitars. The tour ended with two shows at The Rainbow, Finsbury Park, followed by an end of tour bash at The Dickens Inn, St Katherines Dock, London where a serious attempt was made to drink every last drop of alcohol in the place. Punk Rocking
 “Runnin’ Riot” was released in July, 1977 having been recorded in Decca’s West London studios in Hampstead earlier in the year. The session was produced by Nick Tauber, a producer of some repute who had earlier worked with Thin Lizzy. By the time of its release, punk was everywhere in the media, and Decca thought they had it made with Sparrer and Slaughter and The Dogs signed to the label. The only problem was, the Sparrer boys didn’t really want to be punks. Well, not punks in the way that the press were portraying punks, all gobbing, safety pins, and bondage trousers. They loved the punk ethos that anyone can have a go, but there was no way that they were dressing up in anything other than Doc Martens and jungle greens. The fall out with Decca began almost as soon as it had started, with the label trying to push the band in one direction, and Sparrer flatly refusing to play the game. This is demonstrated perfectly by the release of the band’s second single, “We Love You,” in November, 1977. The reason for the plain white cover on the release is purely down to the band’s refusal of the suggestions that the record company had put forward. The strained relationship limped on. The Decca offices were used to string a bunch of gigs together in October 1977, and again in early 1978, including the infamous Stratford Town Hall launch of “We Love You”. Dignitaries from the music world were bussed to the gig which was intended to be a bit of a Sparrer showcase but ended with Alan “Fluff” Freeman, the radio DJ, going home early because someone threw a pickled onion at him. Overuse of a dry ice machine resulting in the band not being seen by a large part of the audience for much of the show, an over zealous stripper whose physical contortions could have put Olga Korbut to shame, and a venue totally unsuitable to have live bands meant that what on paper seemed like a good idea at the time ended up a bit of a disaster. It was, however, the first of many times that Sparrer and The UK Subs were on the same bill, so there was some good to come out of it! The ‘Ed had decided to stay on and work with Mel and Bev Bush after The Small Faces tour, so Sparrer needed a new roadie. At the time, Will was working at a hospital in Goodmayes, Essex, dispassionately referred to as the Barley Lane Nut House, when on one particular occasion he was accused by a co-worker of having stolen his NME. A rapport was quickly developed and not only had this bloke heard of Cock Sparrer, he had heard “We Love You” played on the John Peel show several nights earlier. Will came back to the house in Dagenham after work and told the others that he had met the perfect roadie to replace the ‘Ed. The questions came thick and fast “Can he drive?” – “No.” “Has he roadied for anyone before?” – “No.” “Does he know one end of a mic stand from another?” – “Definitely not, but he drinks like a fish and reads the NME!” He was in! Andy Doré, the original Fist Magnet, joined the ranks of the unpaid. It was also around this time that a few regular faces started to show up at Sparrer gigs. This bunch of mates from East London, who came to be known affectionately as The Poplar Boys, were extremely handy to have around should gigs develop into a bit of a scrap. They always had each others backs, and often diffused situations that without their presence could have turned nasty. They were never responsible for starting trouble at any Sparrer show, but because they took no nonsense from anyone, quite often finished something that others had started. Friendships between some of The Poplar Boys and the members of Cock Sparrer are still as strong today as they were in 1977. 
Both “Runnin’ Riot” and “We Love You” got to the lower reaches of the charts, but insufficient sales and a band refusing to toe the party line meant that it wasn’t long before Decca and Cock Sparrer were going in different directions. In September, 1978, having sold all of their equipment – including some they didn’t own! – they moved out of Dagenham and headed for the USA. It has been said that Cock Sparrer weren’t that relevant in the history of punk in the UK, and they have been accused of not being around in that first wave of punk. It’s true they didn’t have number one records or make many headlines, but the following is quite interesting – “Runnin’ Riot” was released -
 3 months before Never Mind the Bollocks by The Sex Pistols 8 months before Sham 69’s “Borstal Breakout”
 4 months before “Where Have All the Bootboys Gone?” by Slaughter and The Dogs
 A year and a half before “Alternative Ulster” by Stiff Little Fingers
 The same month as “Peaches” by The Stranglers
 16 months before “Teenage Kicks” by The Undertones
 3 months before The Buzzcocks’ “Orgasm Addict”
 And only 6 weeks after “White Riot” by The Clash I’m So Bored With the USA 
The boys acquired £50 one-way tickets to New York with Freddie Laker. Because this was the first introduction of the “budget airline” in the UK, he had to set up his desk in the grounds of Gatwick Airport, with marquees to keep the rain of the queuing public. By the time they arrived at the airport, it was something like a three day queue. Thanks to some bribery in the form of a shopping trolley full of beer, Will managed to get the boys miraculously to the front of the line by the next morning. Once on board the DC10, their money started to quickly evaporate, as the drinks trolley never got past row 27. The plan was to tout the band around to as many agencies and record companies as they could, to try and drum up some interest. After a couple of days in New York, there were no takers, and the decision was made: “Go West, Young Man!” Will decided to come home, and the five remaining arranged to deliver an Oldsmobile Cutlass to Tucson, Arizona within 7 days. Money and food were already getting tight and a welcome pit-stop was made at Andy’s aunt’s house in St Louis, where after the Dagenham diet of a pork pie cut into 4 pieces, the provision of steaks and ribs on the BBQ was manna from heaven. The air-con in the Oldsmobile packed up fairly early into the trip and the sight of five skinny, pasty, yet sweaty English blokes, shirtless but dressed in shorts and Doc Martens, raised a few mid-West eyebrows, but they got to Tucson on time and duly dropped off the car. The Greyhound bus took them on the last leg of the journey into Los Angeles. Several more attempts to raise interest in the band were made in LA, including seeking out one of the guys that had worked with them at Decca, but to no avail. Col was the first to head home, being repatriated by the British Consul. Steve and Burge stayed on for a while in LA, while Mick and Andy headed back to St Louis and Chicago. Back to Work 
It was of course back to nowhere to live, no gear, no money, and no band. Everybody went off in different directions to get jobs to pay back debts or back home to Mum for some proper food. It was a period when Cock Sparrer as a gigging band didn’t really exist. Everyone still met up for a beer and a night out, but they all thought that Sparrer had run its course. Nothing was ever said, there was no big fall-out, no musical differences, or anything like that; the band just took a breather. Steve and Burge went off to join The Little Roosters with Alison Moyet for a while, releasing an album and a couple of singles, but any success still eluded them. Burge and Will tried their hands at promoting, most notably The Clash at The Notre Dame Hall, Leicester Square, and were heavily involved with the re-emerging Mod scene, promoting the likes of The Purple Hearts and Secret Affair.
 It was all well and good, but it wasn’t Cock Sparrer. Meanwhile, going on in the background was the release of Oi! – The Album, which contained “Sunday Stripper” and, partially through this, the birth of the musical genre that Cock Sparrer would forever more be associated with. England Belongs To Us 
In November 1982, Cock Sparrer released “England Belongs To Me” on Carrere Records, a song that was only a title and nothing else when Burge sold the idea to them. The single was recorded in the White House Studio, Old Church Street, Chelsea, which was owned by the band’s manager and publisher, Cliff Cooper. Cheap studio rates were negotiated with the money that was forwarded by Carrere to record the single, but was actually used to record both that and most of the tracks that were to later become Shock Troops. By this time, Chris Skepis, a mad Brazilian (from the East End of Brazil, obviously) and a lovely fella, had been recruited to play rhythm guitar via an ad in a shop window. The single’s release was heavily supported by Garry Bushell and Sounds, who provided some welcome reviews, but was pretty much ignored by everybody else. Carrere liked the single, and agreed to support and finance an album and dutifully forwarded enough cash to do so. Little did they know that most of it was already recorded and ready to go, and so, in true Sparrer fashion, a lot of the funds went straight over the bar of the pub next door to the studio. Well, they didn’t want to waste it, did they?? Shock Troops was recorded and mixed in just over two weeks. Songs that had been written and stored away which covered all aspects of the band’s experiences with the scene, former record companies, former band members, friends, characters they knew, and the world at large, could finally be heard. Or so they thought. Micky played on every track on the album, but didn’t fancy getting back in the van to do the gigs to promote it. Another advert was placed, and Shug O’Neill was asked to join on lead guitar. A number of gigs were organised, including The 100 Club and The Fulham Greyhound in London. Record company executives were obviously invited along to get to know the band better and to start to think about the marketing strategies required to launch the album.
Unfortunately, it all kicked off at these gigs; several people got hurt at The Fulham Greyhound and the only sound heard for the next few months was the stony silence of non-returned calls, followed by the smell of friction created by the furious back pedaling of the record company. A deal was finally struck, and the album was released in November 1983 by Razor Records – a subsidiary of the subsidiary!
 Someone at Syndicate Records must have liked Shock Troops, because they agreed to commission a second Sparrer album that was to be rather lazily titled Runnin’ Riot in’84. Shug’s influence on the songs on this album is very apparent, but once again more could have been done in terms of the writing and production of this release, had all of the monies found their way to the studio rather than The Dog and Duck! All Roads Lead to The Astoria
 The period following the release of Runnin’ Riot in ‘84 can probably be considered the band’s most inactive. Don’t get me wrong, socially it was really busy, with every member getting married, having kids, and working to pay the bills. It’s just that Cock Sparrer didn’t gig for a while. Steve Bruce grew his hair and embarked on a new career, that of pub landlord. His first boozer was The Flying Scud (nothing to do with The Falklands!) in Hackney Road, quickly followed by a move to a pub in Bethnal Green Road which Steve renamed The Stick of Rock. A PA system and DJ booth were quickly installed and The Stick of Rock became a leading East London music venue. Steve even managed to persuade Burge and Micky to join the house band on the odd occasion. It was while Steve was here that punters realised that the guvnor behind the bar used to be the guvnor behind the drums in Cock Sparrer, and he began to receive requests and offers to reform the band and start gigging again. One particular offer was to play at The Astoria in Tottenham Court Road. A meet up over a pint was organised and it was quickly agreed that this was one of the dumbest ideas that had ever been presented to the band. Who was gonna come? The Astoria was a big place, holding up to 2000 people. Big bands – proper bands – played there. Once they had confirmed that the promoter wasn’t certified insane, they agreed to do it. It would be a laugh, something to tell the grandchildren about in years to come. As Chris Skepis had gone back to Brazil they had to find another rhythm guitarist. Steve mentioned this kid called Daryl who had played with his band The Elite a few times in the pub and knew all the Sparrer songs better than they did – still true today!! An impromptu rehearsal was organised, and the Astoria gig was confirmed for October 4th, 1992. The headline slot was deferred to The Adicts, with The Lurkers and The Elite also being added to complete the line-up. Still convinced that they would be playing to an empty hall, several get-togethers were arranged to run through the songs including one on the afternoon of the gig in The Stick of Rock. It’s funny now to hear the number of people that claim to have been there for that last minute rehearsal; queues would have gone around the block if everybody had really turned up! 
The show itself was sold out. People came from all over the world to see Cock Sparrer for what was intended to be a one-off occasion. They sang every word to every song, which was helpful, because Col forgot a few. Sitting around the dressing room afterwards, sharing a litre bottle of Leibfraumilch – classy!! – with Arthur from The Lurkers, he suggested what Sparrer should really do was to go to Europe. The scene was healthy there, especially in Germany, and they would really love to see the band. Grabbing the bottle back from Arthur, who had clearly had enough by this time, little thought was given to his suggestion until the dust had settled a few weeks later. Germany Calling
 An offer was received from a small German label, Bitzcore, to record and release a new Cock Sparrer album. With the funds provided up front, the thinking caps went back on, Burge was locked away in a darkened room, and Guilty As Charged was born.
 As is the usual Sparrer method of operation, tapes were dropped through letter boxes, half finished songs were completed, additional verses were added, and it finally looked as though the album was beginning to take shape. One song that was delivered with strict instructions from Burge – “This is finished, it doesn’t need anything, and I’m quite proud of it” – was “Because You’re Young.” Quite right, too!! 
Studio time was booked at The War Rooms in Shoreditch, and Guilty was quickly recorded and mixed.
 A 14 date European tour was organised to promote the album, although as with The Astoria, the band were pretty sure no-one was gonna turn up. The tour took in Germany (10 dates), Austria, Italy, France, and Belgium, and included playing in school halls, squats, clubs, aircraft hangars, and the occasional concert venue. But people did come – from all over! – and friendships were forged with people that they met along the way, many of which remain intact today. The most visited country on the tour was probably Switzerland, which they passed through on loads of occasions to get to somewhere else!! The tour wasn’t that well organised in terms of geography and journey planning, and they were soon sick and tired of going backwards and forwards over “the bleedin’ Alps.” Germany was proving to be a second home to Sparrer, and more gigs were organised to further promote Guilty As Charged and the follow up, Two Monkeys, released in 1997. The set list by this time was growing and growing. Obliged to play some of the songs off the new albums, there was no way that they would ever get away with not including the majority – if not all!! – of Shock Troops whenever they played live. Whilst wanting to sell as many albums as they could, their priority, which remains the same today, was to give everyone a good night out. 2000? Quite a Busy Year by Sparrer Standards
 By 2000, the gig offers were coming in thick and fast. The year started with a 4-day trip to the USA. Always an ambition for the band, this visit, which took in New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, helped to convince the boys that people outside of the UK and Europe had heard of the band and wanted to hear the songs live. When discussing the various venues to be played, several options were put forward for the New York gig, but the band really wanted to play CBGBs because of the history and heritage that the club had. The second day was Boston and an all ages matinee show, which was fine – except for the poor sod that had driven for 8 hours to get there only to be told he’d missed the gig! The Dropkick Murphys were a great help in transporting the guys around their home town and providing the backline for the show. Col returned the favour by adding some vocals to a track off their new album. San Francisco was a cracking show, a lot of which (along with some tracks recorded in New York) found their way onto the later released Runnin’ Riot Across the USA album. The final gig in LA turned out to be the biggest of the four, which nicely rounded off Cock Sparrer’s first official visit to the US. This year also saw the band’s first collaboration with Darren Russell-Smith’s Holidays In The Sun promotions, with dates in the Basque Region with The Cockney Rejects and The Boys, and then in Berlin with The Dropkick Murphys. Everyone knew in the back of their minds that the day would come when Cock Sparrer would again play in England. It was just a matter of when. Morecambe (or Morecombe as Darren Russell-Smith’s Tee Shirts Read!) 2001
 That opportunity came in the shape of Holidays In The Sun, Morecambe, July 2001. It seemed a strange place to hold a punk festival. The old seaside town up on Britain’s west coast, famous for its cockles, came alive as 5000 punks and skins from all over the world descended to breathe life back into the old girl. Billed as the 25th Anniversary of Punk, the weekend was still pretty much ignored by both the music and mainstream press, which funnily enough, didn’t seem to matter to those attending. It was almost as though this was a private party with all of your best mates turning up. Sparrer were knocked sideways by the welcome and response that they got when they played on the Saturday night, when The Market Arena was packed to capacity and a big sweaty singalong was had by all. Still only doing the occasional gig, Cock Sparrer returned to Morecambe in 2003, where they filmed and recorded footage for the “What You See Is What You Get” dvd. The idea was to put together a live recording of the show plus numerous bits of unseen footage including a hand held video taken by the band themselves of their trip to the USA in 2000. This lot, coupled with some guitar tuition from Micky and a trip around their old East End haunts, ended up as nearly 8 hours of material. Blackpool 2006
 By the summer of 2006, Darren and Jennie Russell-Smith had moved the biggest punk rock n roll circus to Blackpool. I think they saw it as a bit of a quest to re-invigorate seaside towns that had seen better days. I’m not sure what the locals’ thoughts were as the place was invaded by hordes of punks and skins from all over the world. I would imagine that they were grateful for the extra income from this unexpected source. Stag and Hen do’s were pushed off the front pages of the local papers, replaced by images of mohawks and Dr Martens.
Sparrer were asked to play the Saturday night to a packed house in The Empress Ballroom, where several punters commented that they thought the floor was going to collapse from bouncing up and down so much! A good night was had by all. A New Album, Are You Sure? 
There had been many offers for Cock Sparrer to get back in the recording studio during the ten years after Two Monkeys, and on several occasions, the band had sat down to discuss just that subject. Those discussions always came to the same conclusion however: that unless they were totally happy with the quality of the songs to be used, they wouldn’t bother. The band were on such a high after the success of Blackpool that once again the subject was raised over a pint or three, but this time it was decided to do a bit more about it. An earlier meet up with Lars Frederiksen of Rancid in a pub off Tottenham Court Road had added more fuel to the flame: Lars made it clear that he’d want to get involved in any future recording project. Like the band, he recognised some of the failings of the previous releases, and wanted to produce an album that everyone could be proud of. Slowly, the idea of putting a new Sparrer album together was taking shape. Over the next few months, CDs were once again dropped through letterboxes with demos and ideas for songs on them, and in January 2007, the band started on a series of rehearsals that would eventually knock those songs into shape. The plan to get Lars involved in the recording of the album failed to materialise, due to his work commitments and the timescales involved, and eventually it was decided that he would mix the album once recorded. Sessions were block booked at Pat Collier’s Perry Vale Studios in South London, and having spent a couple of months rehearsing and arranging the songs, Here We Stand was recorded over a three week period in May. Lars mixed the album over the course of the summer of 2007, after which it was handed over to Captain Oi! for release. Although it was also planned for the album to come out in the States, that wouldn’t happen until a couple of years later, and not until Pirates Press Records got involved. Having spent quite a while – by Sparrer standards – writing, arranging and recording the new album, thoughts moved to the launch. Why Wolverhampton? Well It’s In the Middle, Ain’t It?!
 Cock Sparrer at The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton on Saturday, November 3rd, 2007 will go down as a seminal evening in the history of the band. Darren Russell-Smith and the boys and girls from Rebellion put together a fantastic line-up consisting of Goldblade, Deadline, The UK Subs, Slaughter and the Dogs, and Cock Sparrer to launch Here We Stand. People came from all over the world to make this night one of the most memorable Sparrer gigs ever. Packed to the rafters, everybody sang, shouted, and punched the air to every song in an atmosphere of fun and celebration. Even the new songs that no-one had heard yet were well received. This was Sparrer’s only show of 2007 and it seems everyone was determined to have a good time. By coincidence, a former roadie of the band – the ‘Ed – had been working at The Civic Hall the previous evening with Van Morrison, which was a polite, demure, half of shandy affair compared to the full–on, “What’re you drinking?”/ “What have you got left?” party atmosphere provided by the Sparrer faithful on the Saturday night. Gigs and Gigs and Gigs 
Cock Sparrer is never gonna be the sort of band that will put together a 40 date tour these days; it would kill ‘em! They continue to play the odd gig – and some of them have been very odd!! – here and there, and as long as they’re enjoying it and people still want to come and hear the songs, it will carry on. As soon as that changes, then it will be time to hang up the Martens. After Wolverhampton, 2008 included two shows in Vienna and back in Blackpool for Darren and Rebellion, following which they decided to dust off their passports and get out to a few different places that they hadn’t been to before, or been back to for a while. 2009 started with a belter in Berlin in the snow at Punk & Disorderly, and included three trips to the USA for gigs in Texas, Chicago, and – in November – San Francisco, for the 5th Anniversary of the band’s new American record label, Pirates Press Records. Countries visited for the first, but hopefully not for the last time that year included Serbia, Norway, and Holland, while they also played the Ruhrpott Rodeo in Germany and Oktoberfest in Girona. The gig in Oslo saw the introduction of a new verb to the Sparrer vocabulary, which is to be “Heini-ed.” Will met up with our German mate Heini for a swift half in the afternoon of the gig, and woke up 12 hours later having missed the show completely. 
The band were keen to do both festivals and club shows, as well as wanting to fulfill a promise to themselves to play London again. Finally, two nights at the HMV Forum, Kentish Town in March 2010 were planned to achieve this ambition. Two differing line-ups saw Friday night host The Rabble, Deadline, Street Dogs, and Agnostic Front, while Saturday had a real ’77 feel to it with The Exposed, UK Subs, Penetration, and The Boys. After the show on Friday night, they were told by The Forum management that bar takings for the night almost broke the house record. Col had a bet with the manager that the record would definitely go on the Saturday but £28,000 worth of beer had to be consumed to do so. Well my friends, you nearly did it! In fact, I think the record would have been broken easily if they could have kept up and were a bit quicker behind the ramp. They admitted afterwards that they had underestimated the number of bar staff required to fulfill the thirsty needs of the Sparrer faithful. Still, £52,000 taken over the two nights put a smile on their faces! A good effort, my friends, a good effort! Other gigs in that year took in Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic for the first time, and saw returns to Italy, Belgium, France, the Basque Region, Scotland, and Germany. In January, the band re-entered Pat Collier’s studio to re-record “England Belongs To Me” for Dan Hardy to use as his entrance music when entering the octagon prior to his UFC fights. Dan was also keen to help out on backing vocals and as Daryl said at the time, “He can do whatever he likes, we ain’t gonna argue with someone who beats people up for a living!” 2010 also saw the publishing of Steve’s book, The Best Seat in the House, which documented his recollections of the band’s story and allowed him to share his fantastic collection of Sparrer memorabilia gathered over the last 30+ years. It also saw the inclusion of “I Got Your Number” on the soundtrack of the movie Jackass 3D. Towards the end of the year, Pirates Press Records released the ultimate Cock Sparrer collection in a limited edition, vinyl box set. Produced in two parts, with one being all of their live material, Cock Sparrer Essentials has over 32 sides of the band’s back catalogue, as well as posters, Steve’s book, and other goodies. The package took over 18 months to put together, and is something that the boys are rightly very proud of.
 2011 saw the chaps heading to Vegas for Punk Rock Bowling, which was always a danger. The 24 hour city of sin didn’t disappoint, but thankfully, they all came back in one piece, and no-one got married by Elvis in a drunken prank. Dates in Berlin, Leipzig, Croatia, and a return to Blackpool were all highlights. September saw the band hit South America for one night in Buenos Aires, Argentina and one night in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where they were joined on stage by the mad Brazilian ex-guitarist Chris for a rousing version of “Take ‘Em All!” 2012 – 40 YEARS OF SPARRER
 2012 was a very busy year for the band, who were celebrating their 40th anniversary. Amongst the many special gigs organized, there were 6 with Rancid, who by coincidence were celebrating their 20th year together. The idea was for two shows to take place in Rancid’s hometown of San Francisco, with the ‘return leg’ in London, later in the year. Duly, two sold out shows took place at The Warfield Theatre in San Francisco in March, with three – also sold out – shows at The Forum in London in December. These were topped off with a final show together under the Rebellion banner in Birmingham, UK, also in December 2012. Amongst the other gig highlights of that year were a massive show at the Alsterdorfer Sportshalle in Hamburg, as well as a trip to play Philadelphia and Boston. The journey between the two gigs was in what can only be described as a “Simpsons-style” school bus. Not the most comfortable ride, but made easier by West Ham playing in the Championship Play Off Final as they travelled. Poor signal reception meant that only snippets of game were watched, with much swearing and threats to throw laptops out of the bus window, etc. All was good in the end though. The band’s beloved West Ham won the game 2 -1, and were back in the Premier League. 2012 also saw the release of the band’s 40 Years album, a compilation of tracks chosen individually by the band members, with a brief explanation as to exactly why that song was chosen and what that particular song meant to them. Each person had to choose 3 songs, with “England Belongs To Me” and “Because You’re Young” going on automatically. What seemed a fairly simple idea resulted in a lot of hand-wringing and cursing, as old favorites were either left out or snaffled up by other band members. Outstanding Gigs
 With Cock Sparrer now playing more gigs than ever before, the opportunity to visit many new places and make many new friends has been gratefully accepted by the band. They obviously treat each show as special, and whether they are playing to 50 people or 5,000, the same level of professionalism and attention to detail is applied. In saying that, there have been some that stand out, either because of the venue or location. They have played in the grounds of a castle in Serbia, and a bullring in the Basque Country. For the Pirates Press 10th Anniversary party in San Francisco in October 2014, the street was closed off, a stage erected and a good time was had by all. If you had asked any member of the band whether they ever thought that they would have the opportunity to play Las Vegas, they would have laughed you out of the bar. But thanks to Punk Rock Bowling, Sparrer have played there in 2011, 2014, 2017, and are due to return in 2020! They also enjoyed PRB on the road in Asbury Park, New Jersey in 2016. Of all the highlights over the years, one evening has to be included. Probably one of the smallest gigs the band has played in a while was in the 12 Bar (RIP) in London’s West End for Steve Bruce’s 60th birthday celebrations. Packed with family and friends and with sweat running off the walls and ceiling, Steve’s special birthday was certainly one to remember! 2017 – Forever
 
With another ten years passed since Cock Sparrer’s previous album, Here We Stand, 2017 saw the release of the full length album, Forever. Recorded over a four month period between the end of 2016 and February 2017, Forever took shape as a collection of songs written in what only can be described as “the Cock Sparrer way.” Anthemic, filled with hooks, and with lyrics relating to real life, the album was immediately hailed as the next chapter in the band’s amazing career. The glowing reviews piled up, and the band took to the road once again, playing in front of crowds the world over who screamed along to not only the confirmed classics, but the new classics as well. Into the Future Today, Cock Sparrer remain humbled that people still come out in great numbers to see them, and the band will always be grateful for that. The years since the release of Forever have been filled with more festival appearances and club gigs across the world. Their continued appearances at such revered festivals as Riot Fest, Punk Rock Bowling, Groezrock, & Rebellion (just to name a few!) have cemented their reputation as an electrifying headliner. Rock The Ship 2019, the Pirates Press 15th Anniversary weekend, saw them command a crowd of thousands who flocked to see them headline a punk rock show aboard an aircraft carrier, the USS Hornet! Along the way, not only have they had the opportunity to play with a younger generation of support artists who grew up on their music, but they have even seen the next generation get in on the act in a very literal way. Cock Sparrer have enjoyed support on many gigs from Bar Stool Preachers, a band on the rise who are fronted by none other than Col’s son, TJ! It’s safe to say that the family business is still booming for both father and son! With enthusiasm for the band only increasing as the years go on, the early months of 2020 found the band in the studio once again, with the intent to bring even more new music to the stage in 2020…and beyond! When Cock Sparrer formed in 1972 all they wanted to do was have a laugh, pull some birds and give everyone a good night out. 2 out of 3 ain’t bad.

Growing up on a council estate in High Wycombe in the late 1970s, skinhead culture just spoke to me. It was all about camaraderie, fashion and music. We were listening to 2 Tone bands such as the Specials and aping what Madness wore on their album covers. Back then I was heavy-handed, angry and rough around the edges, and there was a definite suppression of anger in the lyrics of the bands we were listening to. I liked the attention that being a skinhead got me, too. School was a nightmare for me. I loved art but couldn’t transfer what was in my head to the page, which caused me massive frustration. But in 1979, aged 14, I went to Woolies to buy a pair of binoculars and got a camera instead – a little 110 Hanimex. Getting my first set of prints developed was a life-changing moment. I remember the voice in my head: “I’m going to be a photographer.” That was it. I never wavered. I would get my mates to nick camera film from Boots for me because I was too scared. The only downside was that anywhere I went, I’d get: “Oh, look who it is, David Bailey.” A year after getting the camera, I started photographing skinheads. There are no strangers in my photos: they’re my schoolmates, my girlfriends, my mum and dad and my younger brother Neville, who was a skinhead too and extremely stylish, refined and sophisticated. I managed to make the people I loved – normal people – into stars. Skinny Jim was one of those 15-year-old kids who think they are the hardest because they haven’t been punched on the nose yet. That expression is Skinny Jim all over. My God, what a face. London was scary back then. We had to keep our heads down. There were gangs roaming. You couldn’t go anywhere without getting your head kicked in. But I was never intimidated. I was six foot tall and I remember using my Hanimex as a weapon when some bloke tried to get funny with me in Trafalgar Square. He got it over the head. That picture is perfect. I’m not blowing my own trumpet, but I stare at it myself and it’s up there with anything that any of the big boys have done. I’ve seen so many variations of my skinhead photos over the last 30 years, but everything is so contrived and they all use models. I was in a tiny little gang on a tiny little council estate, in a tiny little town that no one had ever heard of at the time, taking pictures I thought no one would ever see just because I enjoyed doing it. So there’s an honesty to it, and that’s where the power lies. There is no narrative attached. What blows my mind is that I was only 15 years old when I took that photo, on a moving tube train. It’s the level of confidence. Something very strange was going on, that I came out as such a confident photographer when I was so insecure at the same time. If you talk to most people about skinheads, they think it’s about the right-wing and Nazis. The demonisation was continuous. But the skinhead movement, when it started, came out of the philosophy of black and white kids uniting and dancing to 60s ska music from Jamaica. That’s where my photographs come in. Because when I do exhibitions, people usually come in tight-lipped, expecting to see fat, balding 30-year-olds with bulldogs. But if you’re at a gig dancing to ska music – that’s a skinhead. Simple as that. I don’t know what happened to Skinny Jim. No one bloody knows. I heard he went off and invented stuff. I heard that somebody bumped into him the other day on Facebook and they said he was a lovely bloke, involved in charity. Somebody else said he was dead. So I don’t know. I would never have remembered him at all if I hadn’t taken that photograph. Gavin Watson’s CV Born: Kingsbury, London, 1965 Training: “Absolutely zilch. I didn’t need it.” Influences: “None.” High point: “My Vice exhibition in Milan.” Low point: “Too many to count.” Top tip: “Don’t expect instant fame unless you photograph stars – and that’s boring as ****.” Gavin Watson’s photobooks, Time Has Creative Power and Oh! What Fun We Had, are available now through the Museum of Youth Culture. Source: The Guardian

Facebook wrongly removed a page about The Specials in what band members think was a mistaken link to racism. Band legend Neville Staple and wife and manager Christine were among hundreds of people affected as pages linked with skinheads were removed. The couple believe algorithms linked the 1970s 2 Tone movement with racism, which they said was "the complete opposite of what we were about". Facebook said the accounts were "removed in error" and were reinstated. Mr and Mrs Staple realised their accounts had been removed on Monday evening and said they were "astounded" when it emerged it was because they had been wrongly identified as racist. "We were all about bringing black and white together." The couple said they believed Facebook was "generalising anyone associated with skinhead" - often linked with far-right ideology - and should apologise. "They've clearly not looked into 2 Tone," Mrs Staple said. "It was all about change - we've got skinheads, rudies... a whole range of fans out there." "It's incredibly hurtful to be labelled racist," said one fan who had her account suspended. The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said her Facebook page was restored on Tuesday evening, but she accused the company of "blanket ignorance". "It's all just assumption - I've not shared anything offensive, or derogatory and I openly condemn those who do share hateful messages." Carrie Frost, a self-described skinhead since the age of 14, also had her profile removed. The last thing she posted about was Snoopy, the cartoon dog from the Peanuts comic strip. The 54-year-old from Coalville in Leicestershire said she was "really upset". "I felt absolutely awful... you do feel you are being tarred with that [racism] brush," she said. In a statement, a spokesperson for Facebook said the company was "reviewing what happened in this case and taking steps to ensure it doesn't happen again".