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Tag: Cockney Rejects

  • … fun and energy fuels the best sauna in town: The Agitators and Cockney Rejects are real deal, no frills.

    … fun and energy fuels the best sauna in town: The Agitators and Cockney Rejects are real deal, no frills.

    I’ll take the Monkeys was damn proud to have pulled this one off, getting the Cockney Rejects to grace their stage. The show was set late last year and sold out in record time, with many “seek a ticket” request going on. Funnily enough many of these requests where met, as some people had spare tickets or used the long weekend to be away.

    As an extra security precaution the door was moved street side and some more people ensuring no trouble where hired. The yard in front of the club turned to an open air disco, barbecue and  pub.  A great atmosphere with loads of friends, mates and regulars to chat with and enjoy a drink or two.

    Kick off was with The Agitators, who will call it a day after Rebellion 2017. They already played their last home show and their support for the Rejects was down to joint love of the Hamburg crew for Rebellion and their love for Rebellion.

    They have 17 years under their belt now, a couple of records and generally emit quite some joy from the stage. Their music is handsome, sometimes too polished for my liking, with great sing-a-long choruses.

    The Agitators (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 03.06.2017) (c) gehkacken.de)

    They got a fair share of singing and dancing from the crowd (who was in best mood thanks for all the outdoor booze and the outlook of the Rejects) and sure finished off their set with their own ode to the Rebellion Festival, simply called Rebellion:

    And yes, the band had fun too and their set was tight and with a wink-wink when one of them got out of tune, specifically Bart stepped onto his guitar case a couple of times when moving backwards and did not expect it to be there (surprise surprise). Great set by a lovely outfit. Sad they will finally call it a day but i am sure the Blackpool pilgrims from Hamburg will cheer for them big time in August.

    Next on with no stardom at all and eagerly awaited by the packed Monkeys … Cockney Rejects. And they took the stage like this:

    A sneak into the set list got us sure thing excited, that was not only hit after hit but also some length. It sure was value for money from the real deal!

    Cockney Rejects - 03.06.2017
    Cockney Rejects – 03.06.2017

    The selection is leaning wide into Greatest Hit’s Volume 1, Greatest Hits Volume 2 and Greatest Hits Volume 3 and it is a neat surprise that after all these years and all these changes the 1980 line up with Brothers Geggus plus Vince and Nigel is back on stage and rockin’ it out. And thus here is Subculture from Volume 2 and done in just above a minute – stunning!

    It was what people wanted and thus the audience did get going, dancing and sweating. The last time i saw them was in the late 1980s in London during their stint on Heavy Metal Records and during their venture into what i would call poor rock. Following that i did not take an effort to see them on their occasional visits to Hamburg and i think it was more than the right choice to be there in 2017 as they just had it all: Heavy where needed, guitar where appropriate and speed – so much speed.

    Cockney Rejects (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 03.06.2017) (c) gehkacken.de)

    And, to my personal joy, they also played one of the my loveliest records in a 2017 version that is definitely a killer version:

    YES! Nailed! And they where not done yet. Thanks to the ever friendly security at the Monkeys also the crowds stayed and acted cool as they should. Any tiny scent of a brawl was managed with professional care and a smile – nobody was hurt and all could enjoy a great set.

    That the Rejects and footie are one and the same is not only a simple truth but also the fuel for one of the greatest songs on football ever put to vinyl (and i am not talking about Bubbles here). It is War on the terraces and it nicely sums up the feel around footie back then. A masterpiece as far as i am concerned.

    Great set, some extra songs on encore and the Rejects left behind a stunned, happy and wasted audience. I did not hear a single bad word after the show, rather i met people emitting joy and making happy statements. Great stuff.

    And them Agitators? Had a 10 hour drive to Hamburg thanks to holiday traffic and just ignored that (despite a 6 hour drive back home on Sunday) and went party mode …

    The Agitators ( (c) gehkacken.de 2017)
    The Agitators ( (c) gehkacken.de 2017)

    Great show, pulled off by people who run a great club with all ingredients to please those who thrive on this mu-sick. There ain’t no better place than in front of the stage in a great club, trust me (for once).

  • my loveliest vinyl, part 5

    my loveliest vinyl, part 5

    Cockney Rejects - We can do anything (EMI, Zonophone Z6, 1980)
    Cockney Rejects – We can do anything (EMI, Zonophone Z6, 1980)

    The might mighty Rejects! This was actualy the first record i bought of them, quickly followed by the other singles (Flares&Slippers! War on the terraces!). It is real, rough and with a snotty style – and it holds endless truth: WE CAN DO ANYTHING!

    So, let’s see:

    1977 – come on, who needs 1977 in 1980? OI!
    published by a cool lable – that is Zonophone, an EMI outfit of T.REX fame revised as home of UK Street Punk, not realy cool. But was home for some cool stuff in the 80ies.
    found in a cool shop – ticked, Konneckschen again.
    catching sound – Mickey Geggus defined the a whole genre with his guitar, so YES!
    not too bad words – this is how they felt – comming from the east end background they just felt they could do anything and right they where. for some time…
    collectors value – do i fucking care?

    And did they give a fuck about the world outside? Rightfully not! As in their own words: “The world against the Rejects … and the world never stood a chance!”

    So they say that we're on the way out
They say it's all just hype
Just take a look of fear in their eyes
Cause it's the in thing to abuse us
Behind our backs of course
They shroud the truth
With their own brand of lies
But we don't care what they say
We will never be put away
Cause we're all having the time of our lives

Cause we're gonna do just anything
We're gonna sing what we wanna sing
and we'll wade through anything that you say
We're all having too much fun
We can't stop we've only just begun
We're gonna carry on for another day

Now you keep giving us verbal
When we're not around
When we're there you don't utter a sound
You'd better stop it
You ain't getting nowhere
and it's too easy to smash
You right into the ground
Right into the ground

(C) 1980 Cockney Rejects

     

    Now listen up:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP8k1TLtBa8

    But that is not the only reason, the other sure is they where lads from the street and they where no-nonsene, see this 1981 interview:

    Make sure you check out Mickey brother Jeff’s memories of the old days “Cockney Reject” (John Blake Publishing, ISBN 9781844540549) – “As lead singer of the Cockney Rejects, Jeff Turner was responsible for some of the most explosive gigs in musical history. Adopted by West Ham hooligan mob the ICF as their band of choice, Jeff and his band frequently had to deal with the kind of violence the ICF usually reserved for the terraces. Although he never condoned their actions, as a teenaged boxing champ, Turner often found himself in the thick of things. This is a story of what it’s like to go from the East End streets to being a teenage pop idol and back again. Gripping from the first page, Cockney Reject is his astonishing story told in his own words.”