London’s own godfathers of Oi!, Cock Sparrer, kicked off a set of rare appearances last week at Philadelphia’s Union Transfer venue with a bulletproof cast of supporting acts that included NYC legends, Cro-Mags, Eastern PA’s working class hardcore titans, Wisdom in Chains, and New Jersey’s rising surf-tinged-punk-rockers, Night Birds. Presented by Joe Hardcore and his Philly Hardcore Shows booking group, also in conjunction with local promotion super-stars, R5— What was originally slated for just one night of legendary performances headed by Cock Sparrer, quickly turned into a double-booking, with a second night added as the first show sold out at lightning speed.
Formed in 1972 in the East End of London, Cock Sparrer spearheaded a sound that would later influence and define the Oi! and street punk genres that bands would emulate and take direct influence from for the next 40 years. Cock Sparrer were the direct precursors to a sound that would become widely popular by end of 1970s. For those unfamiliar with the genre, the formative bands that history would define as Oi! melded early punk sounds of bands like the Sex Pistols, and combined this foundation with elements of 1960s British rock bands, such as, The Who. Within this musical context the Oi! sound would also feature football-style chants and would directly influence modern bands such as Dropkick Murpheys and Rancid. The prevailing themes were set in raucous, working class rebellion. While Cock Sparrer never received a large amount of commercial success, the band’s influence is still felt in punk circles and even mainstream bands throughout the world. It’s safe to say that you can trace the roots of any modern street punk band to find Cock Sparrer nestled comfortably in its family tree.
Philly’s street punk community prides itself in authenticity, being one of the strongest scene holds of this niche still blossoming in the US. With that said, it was no surprise to see such high levels of enthusiasm that surrounded this bill. For those outside of the punk community, there is often confusion concerning Oi! and skin-head street punk and how this relates to far-right politics and racism. None of the original bands in the Oi!, street punk, or working-class skins movement, supported racism in their lyrics. In fact, many of the bands and supporters were considered to be the polar opposite, extremely far left, and were associated with the anti-racism punk movement. The white-power skinheads would later borrow sounds from Oi! bands, but have never been able to recruit any important bands from this genre to their team. The lines have become blurred over time, because white-power skins have showed up to support traditional Oi! bands at popular concerts and this has been widely notarized in the media. What is not often covered, is the disdain these Oi! bands and fans share for the white-power movement with conflicting views that could not be anywhere further from the extremist right-wingers who have stained this exciting niche of punk.
Given this rich history, it no surprise that the Union Transfer was the epicenter of punk community last weekend. Everyone from casual fans to the most ardent street punks were in attendance for what proved to be exceptional evening of music with unrelenting and inspiring energy from both bands and fans alike.
Blow The Scene photographer Anne Spina (Anne Spina Photography) was on hand to deliver a fantastic set of photos for your viewing pleasure.
So without further ado..
All pictures by Anne Spina of Anne Spina Photography.
Recommended for you
