Cock Sparrer
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| Cock Sparrer | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, England |
| Genre(s) | Punk rock, Oi! |
| Years active | 1974-1978, 1982-1984, 1992-Present |
| Label(s) | Decca, Carrere, Razor, Bitzcore, Captain Oi! |
| Website | Official website |
| Members | |
| Colin McFaull, Mickey Beaufoy, Steve Burgess, Steve Bruce, Daryl Smith | |
| Former members | |
| Garrie Lammin, Chris Skepis, Shug O'Neill | |
Cock Sparrer (initially Cock Sparrow) are a punk rock band formed in 1974 in the East End of London, England.
Although they never enjoyed much commercial success, the band is considered one of the most influential streetpunk bands in history, helping pave the way for the late-1970s punk scene and the Oi! subgenre. Their style was influenced by pub rock, glam rock and raw 1960s beat music as delivered by bands like the Small Faces and The Who. Their lyrics mostly dealt with topics related to the daily lives of working class people. Cock Sparrer's songs have been covered by many punk, Oi!, and hardcore bands.
Their name is sometimes thought to refer to cock fighting (as in 'sparring'), although as evidenced by their original name, Cock Sparrow,[1] it refers instead to a Cockney term of familiarity.
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[edit] Career
Cock Sparrer was founded by Colin McFaull, Mick Beaufoy, Steve "Burge" Burgess and Steve Bruce - who had known each other since the age of 11. Playing in nightclubs in and around London, they developed the style that was later to be known as streetpunk or Oi!. In 1976, the band met with Malcolm McLaren, who allegedly offered to sign the band alongside to his newest discovery, the Sex Pistols. According to the members of Cock Sparrer, the deal never happened because Mclaren refused to buy them a round of beers. Another explanation is that they refused to cut their hair as McLaren wanted.
In 1977, Garrie Lammin (Burge's cousin) joined in as second guitarist and the band secured a deal with Decca Records, who were hoping to cash in on the now blooming punk movement. The first Cock Sparrer single was "Runnin' Riot", released in May 1977. It did not sell well, nor did the following singles, and Decca dropped the band in 1978. The band members had already recorded an album's worth of material, which remained officially unreleased until 2006. Cock Sparrer disbanded in 1980, but in 1981, old Cock Sparrer songs were included on several Oi! compilation albums, and interest in the band began to rise again. They reformed in 1982 and signed to Carrere Records, which released the "England Belongs to Me" single followed by Cock Sparrer's debut album Shock Troops. It was released in fall 1983 and included the songs "Where Are They Now", "I Got Your Number"' and "Riot Squad." In 1984, Beaufoy left the band and was replaced by Shug O'Neill, who was later replaced by Chris Skepis. The album Running Riot in '84 was released in October 1984.
The band performed several reunion concerts in 1992 (with Daryl Smith as the new second guitarist), and in 1994 they released a new album, Guilty as Charged. In 1997, they released the album Two Monkeys. Since then, Cock Sparrer has occasionally toured and has performed sporadically at punk festivals including the Wasted/Rebellion festival. In April of 2008 they headlined Rebellion Vienna and will headline Rebellion Blackpool in August.
The band released their fifth studio album, Here We Stand, in November 2007.[2]
[edit] Original members
- Colin McFaull - vocals
- Mick Beaufoy - lead guitar
- Steve Burgess - bass guitar
- Steve Bruce - drums
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Title | Label | Date of Release | UK Chart Position |
| Shock Troops | Carrere | 1982 | ??? |
| Running Riot in '84 | Syndicate | 1984 | ??? |
| True Grit | Razor | 1987 | ??? |
| Guilty as Charged | Bitzcore | 1994 | ??? |
| Two Monkeys | Bitzcore | 1997 | ??? |
| Here We Stand | Captain Oi! | 2007 | ??? |
[edit] 10" EP
- Run Away EP, 1995, Bitzcore
[edit] Live albums
- Live and Loud, 1987, Link
- Live: Runnin' Riot Across the USA", 2000
- Back Home, 2003, Captain Oi!
[edit] Compilations
- England Belongs To Me, 1997, Harry May
- Bloody Minded, 1999, Dr. Strange/Bitzcore
- The Decca Years, 2006
[edit] 7" Singles
- "Running Riot" b/w "Sister Suzie", 1977, Decca
- "We Love You" b/w "Chip on my Shoulder", 1977, Decca
- "England Belongs to Me" b/w "Argy Bargy", 1982, Carerre
- "Run Away", 1995, Bitzcore
- "Too Late" b/w "Because You're Young", 2007, Captain Oi!
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Image of band's original "business" card
- ^ Captain Oi! Records. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
