Oi!
Oi! is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads, and other disaffected working-class youth. The movement was ...
band formed in
South Shields
South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. Historically, it was known in Roman times as Arbeia, and as Caer Urfa by Early Middle Ages. According to the 20 ...
in 1977.
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
calls them "one of the period's most politically charged and thought-provoking groups".Angelic Upstarts Biography
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
. accessed 3 July 2006 The band espouse an
anti-fascist
Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...
and
socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
working class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...
philosophy, and have been associated with the
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
and skinhead subcultures.
The band released eight studio albums in their first decade. After a brief split they reformed in 1988, and a number of times subsequently, with new albums appearing in 1992, 2002, 2011, and 2016. More than two decades after its release, their debut single, "The Murder of Liddle Towers", was included in ''
Mojo
Mojo may refer to:
* Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* MOJO HD, an American television network
* ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film
* ' ...
'' magazine's list of the best punk rock singles of all time.
Biography
Inspired by
The Clash
The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...
, Angelic Upstarts formed in
Brockley Whins
Brockley Whins is an area in South Tyneside, part of South Shields, with a postcode of NE3 ">/nowiki>
It is served by Brockley Whins Metro station.
The name originates from a farm which was located about 400 metres East, in what is now the Bidd ...
,
South Shields
South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. Historically, it was known in Roman times as Arbeia, and as Caer Urfa by Early Middle Ages. According to the 20 ...
,
South Tyneside
South Tyneside is a metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, North East England.
It is bordered by all four other boroughs in Tyne and Wear – Gateshead to the west, Sunderland in the south, North Tyneside to the no ...
in 1977. The following year they self-released their debut single, "The Murder of Liddle Towers/Police Oppression", and recorded the first of three Peel Sessions. In 1979, aided by
Jimmy Pursey
James Timothy Pursey (born 9 February 1955) is an English people, English rock musician. He is the founder and frontman of the punk rock band Sham 69, which he has performed with since 1976, along with releasing material as a solo artist.
Early ...
, they signed to major label
Warner Bros Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
for two albums: ''
Teenage Warning
''Teenage Warning'' is Angelic Upstarts' first album, released in August 1979. It peaked at No. 29 in the UK Albums Chart and featured three singles, (a re-recording of) "The Murder of Liddle Towers", "I'm An Upstart" and "Teenage Warning". If y ...
'' (produced by Pursey) and ''
We Gotta Get Out of This Place
"We Gotta Get Out of This Place", occasionally written "We've Gotta Get Out of This Place", is a rock song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and recorded as a 1965 hit single by the Animals. It has become an iconic song of its type and was ...
''; the first and its title track were both
Top 30
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
hits. The same year, the band made tabloid headlines following a gig in HM Prison Acklington, and also played on
Rock Against Racism
Rock Against Racism (RAR) was a political and cultural movement which emerged in 1976 in reaction to a rise in racist attacks on the streets of the United Kingdom and increasing support for the far-right National Front at the ballot box. Betwe ...
's 'Militant Entertainment' tour.
Two Upstarts tracks including 1980 single "Last Night Another Soldier" were included on the same year's various artists compilation ''
Oi! The Album
Oi! is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads, and other disaffected working-class youth. The movement w ...
'', beginning the band's association with the
Oi!
Oi! is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads, and other disaffected working-class youth. The movement was ...
subgenre, a label which singer Mensi later rejected. In 1981 the band signed to
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...
's revived
Zonophone
Zonophone (early on also rendered as Zon-O-Phone) was a record label founded in 1899 in Camden, New Jersey, by Frank Seaman. The Zonophone name was not that of the company but was applied to records and machines sold by Seaman's Universal Talki ...
imprint for three further albums: '' 2,000,000 Voices'' and ''Angelic Upstarts Live'' in 1981 - top 40/Top 30 hits respectively - and ''
Still from the Heart
''Still from the Heart'' is Angelic Upstarts's fourth album, released in 1982.Louder Than War
''Louder Than War'' is a music and culture website and magazine focusing on mainly alternative arts news, reviews, and features. The site is an editorially independent publication that was started by journalist John Robb in 2010 and is now ru ...
, ''2,000,000 Voices'' is "full of variety while giving up none of their energy, drive and honesty.. it was the perfect record for the Upstarts and the era. Still retaining the Punk might, but working in Reggae and Folk influences, presenting a band perfectly in tune with the turbulent times of 1981". ''Still From The Heart'' saw the group embrace "a larger sonic palette. Tentative new wave influences, inflections of dub, and expressive horn sections are all over the album".
In 1983 the band released the first in a series of
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
albums, '' Reason Why?'', "the strongest Angelic Upstarts record", which included the "Woman in Disguise" single, described by
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
Sunderland Echo
The ''Sunderland Echo'' is a daily newspaper serving the Sunderland, South Tyneside and East Durham areas of North East England. The newspaper was founded by Samuel Storey, Edward Backhouse, Edward Temperley Gourley, Charles Palmer, Richar ...
as "another strong album", by which time Mensi was the band's only original member. Angelic Upstarts' next album '' Power of the Press'' (1986) was re-released in the US the following year, renamed for the inclusion of 1985's '' Brighton Bomb'' single. The '' Blood on the Terraces'' album followed in 1987.
Due to their anti-fascist stance and subsequent support of
Anti-Fascist Action
Anti-Fascist Action (AFA) was a militant anti-fascist organisation, founded in the UK in 1985 by a wide range of anti-racist and anti-fascist organisations.
It was active in fighting far-right organisations, particularly the National Front an ...
, the band were targeted by the
neo-nazi
Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...
Blood & Honour
Blood & Honour is a Neo-Nazism, neo-Nazi music promotion network and right-wing extremist political group founded in the United Kingdom by Ian Stuart Donaldson and Nicky Crane in 1987. It is composed of White Nationalism, White Nationalists an ...
group, and their set at 1988 concert 'Oi! The Main Event' had to be abandoned due to crowd violence, although songs were included on the eponymous tie-in live album on Link Records as well as later Upstarts compilation ''Lost and Found''. Despite far-right claims to the contrary, Angelic Upstarts were gigging in London again within a year.
'' Bombed Out'' (1992) was the band's last album for a decade, featuring original guitarist Mond and hailed as a return to form. Mensi formed a new Upstarts line-up for 2002's '' Sons of Spartacus'' with members of Red Alert, Red London and
Leatherface
Leatherface is a fictional character in ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' film series created by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper. He first appears in '' The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' as a disfigured, cannibalistic and mentally unstable mass murdere ...
. In 2006-7 Mensi briefly left the band, with Chris Wright of Crashed Out taking over vocal duties, although the return of Decca Wade on drums meant that the band retained an original member; in 2011 the band released a split album with Crashed Out, ''The Dirty Dozen''. 2016 saw a new Angelic Upstarts line-up release what was to become their final studio album, '' Bullingdon Bastards''.
Lineups
The band's original members were Thomas Mensforth (Mensi) on vocals, Ray Cowie (Mond) on
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
, Steve Forsten on
bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
, and Derek "Decca" Wade on
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
. Keith Bell was the manager until 1980, when he was jailed for four and a half years for arson.
Other former members include guitarist Ronnie Rocker and bassists Ronnie Wooden, Glyn Warren and Tony 'Feedback' Morrison ( Long Tall Shorty and Kiria's live band). Drummers have included Keith "Sticks" Warrington (who later joined
Cockney Rejects
Cockney Rejects are an English punk rock band that formed in the East End of London in 1978. Their 1980 song "Oi, Oi, Oi" was the inspiration for the name of the Oi! music genre. The band members are supporters of West Ham United, and pay ...
Roxy Music
Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera ...
), Chris Wright, Evo (who has also played in
The Blood
The Blood are an English, London-based punk rock band, formed in 1982. Led by Cardinal Jesus Hate and JJ Bedsore (AKA Colin Smith and Jamie Cantwell), the band formed in the early 1980s under the name "Coming Blood". Their music is a blend of ...
, Major Accident and Warfare).
Wade rejoined the band for a few years before leaving again. Brian Hayes (also of
Blaggers ITA
Blaggers ITA (formerly The Blaggers) were a British punk rock band founded in 1988. Main vocalist Matty 'Blagg' Roberts had previously fronted Oi! band Complete Control, who released an LP on ''Oi! Records'' in 1985 Blaggers ITA were noted for ...
, Long Tall Shorty) originally joined the band as the second guitarist until Mond left, leaving Hayes as the only guitarist. Tony Van Frater (Red Alert) was Mensi's main songwriting partner for the '' Sons of Spartacus'' album in 2002.
In August 2006, Mensi announced he was resigning, but requested that the band continue with Chris Wright (of the band Crashed Out) on vocals. The band's lineup became Wright on vocals, Dickie Hammond on guitar, Neil "Newts" Newton on guitar, Gaz "Geordie" Stoker on bass and Wade on drums. In the latter part of 2007, Mensi rejoined the band and the lineup became Mensi on vocals, Gaz "Geordie" Stoker on bass, Hammond on guitar, Newts on guitar and Brett Mulvaney (and later Jonnie Halling) on drums. In October 2018 Gaz "Geordie" Stoker left the band and was replaced by John Woodward ( Long Tall Shorty,
The Straps
The Straps are an English streetpunk band, formed in 1977 in Battersea, South London by vocalist Howard Jackson and guitarists Dave Reeves & Steve MacIntosh & Brad Day on drums
, The Gonads). In January 2020, after 14 years & two albums with the band, Neil "Newts" Newton, took time out to complete university & was replaced by Mick Robson. The lineup becoming Mensi on vocals, Mick Robson on guitar, John Woodward on bass and Andy Wilkinson on drums. Having completed his course, Newts rejoined the band to perform at a charity tribute show for Mensi, with Chris Wright standing in on vocal duties & the final Angelic Upstarts line-up of Andy Wilkinson on drums, John Woodward on bass, Mick Robson on guitar & Newts Newton on guitar.
Former guitarist Tony Van Frater died on 29 October 2015. Dickie Hammond died two days later. On 22 February 2021, former member Tony Morrison (aka Tony Feedback) died after contracting
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Thomas Mensforth (aka Mensi or Mensi Marx) died on 10 December 2021, aged 65, after also being infected with COVID-19.
Influence
Angelic Upstarts are regarded as pioneers of the
Oi!
Oi! is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads, and other disaffected working-class youth. The movement was ...
punk
subgenre
Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a Category of being, category of literature, ...
. In 2001, Various Artists
cover album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
''We Are The People'' was released in tribute to the Upstarts, including tracks from bands such as
Leatherface
Leatherface is a fictional character in ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' film series created by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper. He first appears in '' The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' as a disfigured, cannibalistic and mentally unstable mass murdere ...
,
The Oppressed
The Oppressed are a Welsh Oi! band that formed in 1981 in Cardiff, Wales. Most of the musicians in the band's various lineups have been skinheads. Throughout the band's career, the members (especially vocalist Roddy Moreno) openly expressed o ...
Jamie T
Jamie Alexander Treays (born 8 January 1986), better known by his stage name Jamie T, is an English singer, songwriter, rapper, guitarist and record producer from Wimbledon, South London.
Jamie T released his debut album, '' Panic Prevention'' ...
sampled vocals from the album ''Angelic Upstarts Live'' on his song " The Man's Machine".
Discography
Studio albums
*''
Teenage Warning
''Teenage Warning'' is Angelic Upstarts' first album, released in August 1979. It peaked at No. 29 in the UK Albums Chart and featured three singles, (a re-recording of) "The Murder of Liddle Towers", "I'm An Upstart" and "Teenage Warning". If y ...
'' (August 1979,
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
We Gotta Get out of This Place
"We Gotta Get Out of This Place", occasionally written "We've Gotta Get Out of This Place", is a rock song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and recorded as a 1965 hit single by the Animals. It has become an iconic song of its type and was ...
'' (April 1980,
WEA
The Wea were a Miami-Illinois-speaking Native American tribe originally located in western Indiana. Historically, they were described as either being closely related to the Miami Tribe or a sub-tribe of Miami.
Today, the descendants of the ...
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...
Insurgence Records
Insurgence Records is a Canadian-based independent record label founded in 2000. The street music label specializes in rock music subgenres associated with the skinhead subculture, including Oi!, street punk and hardcore. Insurgence Records r ...
)
*''The Dirty Dozen'' (2011, I Hate People Records)
*'' Bullingdon Bastards'' (2015, Boss Tuneage/
Insurgence Records
Insurgence Records is a Canadian-based independent record label founded in 2000. The street music label specializes in rock music subgenres associated with the skinhead subculture, including Oi!, street punk and hardcore. Insurgence Records r ...
)
Live albums
*''Angelic Upstarts Live'' (September 1981, Zonophone/EMI) - No. 27 UK
*''Live in Yugoslavia'' (1985, Picasso)
*''Live & Loud'' (1988, Link)
*''Greatest Hits Live'' (1991, Link)
*''Live in Lubeck 1989'' (1994, Bay City)
*''Live from the Justice League'' (2001, TKO)
*''Anthems Against Scum'' (2001, Insurgence)
Compilation albums
*''Angel Dust - The Collected Highs'' (1983, Anagram/Cherry Red)
*''Bootlegs & Rarities'' (1985, Dojo)
*''Lost & Found'' (1991, Link)
*''Alternative Chartbusters'' (1991, AOK)
*''Kids on the Streets'' (1993,
Cleopatra
Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...
*"The Murder of Liddle Towers"/"Police Oppression" (1978, Dead Records, re-released on Rough Trade/Small Wonder Records, Repress)
*"I'm an Upstart"/"Leave Me Alone" (1979, Warner Bros.) - No. 31 UK
*"Teenage Warning"/"The Young Ones" (1979, Warner Bros.) - UK No. 29
*"Never 'ad Nothin'"/"Nowhere Left to Hide" (1979, Warner Bros.) - UK No. 52
*"Out of Control"/"Shotgun Solution" (1980, Warner Bros. Records) - UK No. 58
*"We Gotta Get Out of this Place"/"Unsung Heroes" (1980, Warner Bros. Records) - UK No. 65
*"Last Night Another Soldier"/"I Wish" (1980, Zonophone/EMI) - UK No. 51
*"England"/"Stick's Diary" (1981, Zonophone/EMI)
*"Kids on the Street"/"The Sun Never Shines" (1981, Zonophone/EMI) - UK No. 57
*"I Understand"/"Never Come Back" (1981, Zonophone/EMI)
*"Different Strokes"/"Different Dub" (1981, Zonophone/EMI)
*"Never Say Die"/"We Defy You" (1982, Zonophone/EMI)
*"Woman in Disguise"/"Lust for Glory" (1982, Anagram/Cherry Red) (Also released on 12" single)
*"Solidarity"/"Five Flew Over..." (1983, Anagram/Cherry Red) (Also released on 12" single)
*"Not Just a Name"/"The Leech" (1983, Anagram/Cherry Red) (Also released on 12" single?)
*"Machinegun Kelly"/"There's a Drink in It" (1984, Picasso)
*"Brighton Bomb" E.P (1985, Sparta Florida/Gas Music Ltd) (12" Single)
*"Brighton Bomb" (1987, Chameleon)
*"England's Alive" E.P. (1988, Skunx) (12" Single)
*"Angelic Upstarts/The Prowlers" (2014, Insurgence)
Compilation appearances
*''
Oi! The Album
Oi! is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads, and other disaffected working-class youth. The movement w ...
'' (EMI, 1980) - inc. "Last Night Another Soldier" & "Guns for the Afghan Rebels"
*''Punk and Disorderly III - The Final Solution'' (Abstract, 1983) - inc. "Woman in Disguise"
Videography
*''Holidays In The Sun'' (1997) (VHS)
*''Angelic Upstarts Live: Solidarity'' (2005) (DVD)