Combat 84 were an English punk rock band active during the early 1980s. Formed in 1981 in Chelsea, London by skinheads 'Chubby' Chris Henderson and 'Deptford' John Armitage, Combat 84 rose to national prominence after being featured in a controversial 1982 BBC ''
Arena
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
'' documentary about the skinhead movement.
Career
The band was originally composed of Chris Henderson (vocals), 'Deptford' John Armitage (bass guitar), Jim (guitar) and Brownie (drums) and played their first gig supporting The Last Resort at the Walmer Castle,
Peckham
Peckham () is a district in southeast London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is south-east of Charing Cross. At the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720.
History
"Peckham" is a Saxon p ...
. The Last Resort's lead singer, Roi Pearce (later of
The 4-Skins
The 4-Skins are an English people, English Working class, working-class Oi! band from the East End of London, England. Originally composed of Gary Hodges (vocals), Hoxton Tom McCourt, 'Hoxton' Tom McCourt (Guitarist, guitar), Steve 'H' Hamer (B ...
) liked the band and agreed to produce a two-song demo tape with them. These sessions resulted in the songs "Soldier" and "Combat 84", which were favourably received in the music press, leading to the band being described as 'the new
Sham 69
Sham 69 are an English punk rock band that formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, achieving five top 20 singles, including "If the Kids Are United" and "Hurry Up Harry". The ...
'.
In 1982, the manager of
The 4-Skins
The 4-Skins are an English people, English Working class, working-class Oi! band from the East End of London, England. Originally composed of Gary Hodges (vocals), Hoxton Tom McCourt, 'Hoxton' Tom McCourt (Guitarist, guitar), Steve 'H' Hamer (B ...
, Gary Hitchcock attempted to get the band signed to Secret Records, then home to The 4-Skins, The Business,
Infa Riot
Infa Riot is a punk rock band formed in 1980 in Wood Green, North London, England by vocalist Lee Wilson and guitarist Barry D'Amery.
The name Infa-Riot is an abbreviation for "In for a Riot".The Exploited, although the deal fell through at the last minute, prompting Combat 84 to sign to Victory Records for the release of their ''Orders of the Day'' EP. Former Business drummer John Fisher replaced Brownie for the recording of the second (1983) EP, ''Rapist''.
More
right
Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, ethical principles of Liberty, freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convent ...
-leaning, lyrically than many of their punk rock and
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 p ...
peers, Combat 84 received much criticism for recording a song that advocated capital punishment for rapists ("Rapist"), and a song that supported nuclear weapons and criticised the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and ''
reds
Reds may refer to:
General
* Red (political adjective), supporters of Communism or socialism
* Reds (January Uprising), a faction of the Polish insurrectionists during the January Uprising in 1863
* USSR (or, to a lesser extent, China) during th ...
'' ("Right to Choose"). Guitarist Jim stated in a 2000 interview that the latter song was intended in a
tongue-in-cheek
The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner.
History
The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scott ...
manner, and as a homage to
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
movies. The song ''Politically Incorrect'' attacked several targets, including beggars, foreign aid, the Guardian, lesbians and women's liberation. Other lyrical themes included unemployment, inner-city violence, war, and slavish followers of fashion.
Controversy erupted around the band after they were featured in a 1982 BBC ''Arena'' documentary, during which Henderson alleged that the police were tougher on White skinheads than they were on Black rioters, said that "there will never be racial harmony" and blamed the Asians for the 1981 Southall riot, during which the band were attacked inside a gig venue. Deptford John briefly made some comments in agreement with Henderson over the riots but, in a later part of the documentary, he said that skinheads should be able to empathise with Blacks when they are denied jobs or entrance to venues, and should remember that, whereas skinheads can change how they look, Blacks cannot change their skin colour. Footage of crowd violence at a gig in Harlow was broadcast at the end of the documentary. This led to the break-up of the band, as their newly earned bad reputation discouraged venues from booking the band. Gigs were then often played under the pseudonym The 7th Cavalry to avoid the stigma of the Combat 84 name.
Victory Records, wanting little to do with the band at this point, compiled an album of studio recordings (intended for the band's debut album) and bootleg-quality live tracks and licensed it to German label
Rock-O-Rama Records
Rock-O-Rama Records was a Cologne-based German independent record label that operated between 1980 and 1994, established and run by Herbert Egoldt. Though initially dedicated to releasing and distributing left-wing or apolitical German and intern ...
for release as ''Send in the Marines'' in 1984. The record was disowned by the band, which split up soon after.
In the intervening years, Combat 84 were frequently labelled as a
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 ...
Rock Against Communism
Rock Against Communism (RAC) was the name of white power rock concerts in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and has since become the catch-all term for music with racist lyrics as well as a specific genre of rock music derived ...
(RAC) band, a charge which has been denied by 'Deptford' John and Jim, noting that the band's songs contained no racist lyrics, nor were they ever aligned with any far-right political party. The band's reputation was made worse by the similarity in name to a neo-Nazi group called Combat 18. 'Deptford' John was able to retain a career by joining The Exploited, whose lyrics on certain issues were different to Combat 84 (e.g. The Exploited were against nuclear weapons), but John noted in a 2001 interview with the "Pissed and Proud" fanzine that he believes in free speech and whilst not supporting it, that RAC music should be allowed a platform as "people should be allowed to say what they want". In his book, Chris Henderson said that the 84 in the name was a reference to George Orwell's book ''
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
'' and that the band adhered to the philosophy of
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...
.
Aftermath and reunion
'Deptford' John and Jim went on to roadie for and play with the UK Subs and The Exploited, and John Fisher played with former members of The Last Resort in The Warriors. After retiring from the music business, Chris Henderson became more involved with football hooliganism, and eventually led the
Chelsea Headhunters
The Chelsea Headhunters are a notorious English football hooligan firm linked to the London football club Chelsea.
Background
There is widespread racism amongst the gang and links to various white supremacist organisations, such as Combat 18 ...
(a group which itself, ironically, has links to organizations such as Combat 18) in the mid-to-late 1980s, writing the book ''Who Wants it?'' (with Colin Ward) about his experiences. He owned a bar in Pattay,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
and died on 31 October 2013. In 2000, the band reformed without Henderson for the release of the ''Tooled Up'' EP, released on their own 7th Cavalry record label. 'Deptford' John took over vocal duties, with Jim on guitar, and F.T. and Suds on bass and drums respectively.
Discography
Albums
*''Send in the Marines'' (1984)
* ''Death Or Glory'' (1987, with The Last Resort)
*''Charge of the 7th Cavalry'' (1989) (posthumous live album, released on Step-1 Records)
*''Orders of the Day'' (2000) (posthumous collection containing all studio recordings, released on Step-1 Records)
EPs
*''Orders of the Day'' (1982)
*''Rapist'' (1983)
*''Tooled Up'' (2000)