Cock Sparrer
From Punkopedia - The Punk, Hardcore, and Indie Encyclopedia
| Cock Sparrer | |
|---|---|
 Cover of "Cock Sparrer: What You See...Is What You Get" dvd, TKO Records 2005 | |
| Music genre(s) | Street Punk, Punk Rock, Rock and Roll |
| Homebase | London, UK |
| Years active | 1974-1978, 1982-1984, 1992-Present |
| Current Status | Active |
| Notable Records | Shock Troops, Running Riot in '84 |
| Label(s) | Decca Records, Carrere Records, Razor Records, Bitzcore Records, Captain Oi!, TKO Records |
| Website | Cock Sparrer Official Website |
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Cock Sparrer (initially Cock Sparrow) is a punk rock band from East London.
Although they never enjoyed much commercial success, the band is considered one of the most influential streetpunk groups from the late 1970s and early 1980s, helping pave the way for the late-1970s punk scene and the Oi! genre. Cock Sparrer's songs have been covered by many punk, Oi! and hardcore bands, including The Bouncing Souls, Discipline, Agnostic Front, Dropkick Murphys and Roger Miret and the Disasters.
Their name is sometimes thought to refer to cock fighting (as in 'sparring'), although as evidenced by their original name Cock Sparrow, it refers instead to a cockney term of familiarity.
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[edit] Career
Cock Sparrer were formed in 1974 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!. The style was influenced by early punk rock bands like The Clash, pub rock, glam rock and raw 1960s beat as delivered by bands like the Small Faces and The Who. Their lyrics dealt with topics related to the daily life of working class people. 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 (who issued the "England Belongs to Me" single), then to Razor Records. Their debut album Shock Troops was released in fall 1983, including 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 at punk festivals such as Wasted.
The band will release their fifth studio album, entitled Here We Stand in October 2007.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Shock Troops (1982)
- Running riot in 84 (1984)
- True Grit (1987)
- Guilty As Charged (1994)
- Two Monkeys (1997)
- Here We Stand (2007)
[edit] EP
- Run Away EP, 1995, Bitz Core
[edit] Live albums
- Live and Loud, 1987, Link
- Live: Runnin' Riot Across the USA", 2000
[edit] Compilations
- The Decca Years, 2006
[edit] 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
[edit] DVD
- Cock Sparrer: What You See...Is What You Get, 2005, TKO Records
[edit] Members
[edit] Original Members
- Colin McFaull - vocals
- Mick Beaufoy - lead guitar
- Steve Burgess - bass guitar
- Steve Bruce - drums
