What Have We Got?

by Simon Spence

What Have We The Turbulent Story of Oi!  is celebrated author Simon Spence's study of the Oi! punk movement. The only book to consider Oi! punk as a distinct genre within punk rock, What Have We Got  regards the form's complicated history and asks what kind of legacy it has left. Spence interviews key figures from the scene and investigates the flashpoint between both the far-left and far-right factions that claimed the movement as their own. Spence looks at the terrible racism apparent in some of the bands and asks how a genre which initially aligned itself with the Rock Against Racism movement could turn so ugly. The book also considers the social and political situation of the UK in the '70s and '80s.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Punk

352 pages, Paperback

Published November 2, 2023

Reviews

[John Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

I snapped this up when spotted recently. Keen to read it. Not much out there on this - music’s very poor relation.

Oi! - voice of working class youth’s angst, frustration, hopelessness and surplus testosterone. Us, predominantly skinheads, against them (the outsiders - of football, place, race, class, fashion, lifestyle…..) and nobody likes us and we don’t care!

Begins from the days of ‘69, via Rock Against Racism [RAR] v Rock Against Communism [RAC] to the Oi! of today in a sanitised pc world. Dominated by the inevitable question – is this one (band/ person) kosher -racist/ non racist. Tedious.

A lot of info here badly in need of an index.

[Chris Landry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was amazed to learn that the band Splodgenessabounds, who had kind of a funny novelty hit with their song, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps Please, has deep oi! connections!