Fri 24 Aug – Punk Night

Great event at a great little venue. The Forum sits near the centre of Darlington and is an arts and media centre including rehersal rooms and a recording studio. There is a lovely lounge/bar area serving tea and coffee as well as alcoholic drinks. They have an active live music scene including various cover bands, it's well worth keeping a look out at what's coming up if you live within easy reach http://www.theforumonline.co.uk/ .

Onto the bands themselves. First on were local favourites Last Rough Cause who played their melodic power punk with the…

Well for Britain cos hey I'm not English!!

For the members of http://www.last.fm/group/We+Love+Beer+We+Love+Oi%21 you will have had my pm.

Many of you will have watched Skinhead films and i'm sure many of you will have seen This Is England which accurately showed some of the ignorant rascist attitudes that prevailed generally in the UK then not just exclusive to Skins.

Firstly have a look at my blog on "How did Oi music begin" to get the social and economic perspective in the UK then.

Oi For England was a play written in 1982 when racial riots in the UK were…

Runnin Riot in my opinion are one of the best Oi bands out there. From Belfast in Northern Ireland they cross the sectarian divide and have members who are Protestant and Catholic. They are staunchly Anti Fascist, working class, pro Unions and of course anti police.

Here is an interview from a few years back with Colin the lead singer and of course a fan of Rangers FC the best football club in the world :0).

"Runnin' Riot from Belfast has been an important band for a few years, whether it be for their lively, great and british Oi! sound,…

I've been asked this many a time probably the best article I can point people to is the one written by Gary Bushell of the Gonads ( and Journalist ). I've cut and pasted it in case people haven't seen it.

"LET’S hear it for Oi! - the most exciting, despised and misunderstood youth movement of all time.

After 21 years (this piece was written in 2001) we’re still winding up the mugs.

Back in 1981, Oi! managed to outrage all shades of polite middle class opinion, right, left and centre.

To this day the hippy Left perceive Oi as…