The 4-Skins
Discography
This is an interview stolen from 'Rising Free Fanzine' no. 4. (1981?)
The neew breed of working class bands has thrown up many new contenders and
currently holding pole position are the 4-Skins. Unfortunately this hasn't
brougth all the advantages the prime purveyors of street rock would have hoped
for. The vicious gutter press tried to associate themselves with the band and
the Oi! movement. Naturally the national press soon picked up on this, and as
usual got everything out of proportion. Blaming the 4-Skins for the Southall
riots, but the band have carried on regardless. A margin of any bands success
is it's ability to cope with problems, judging by the 4-Skins recent troubles
there should be nothing stopping them now. With the recent release of their
first single on their own "Clockwork Fun" label. It's only the beginning...
The interview that follows was done dahn the Bridge House with "hard as
masonary nails" lead singer Gary Hodges and beefy bass guitarist Hoxton Tom
McCourt.
The first question is put to Gary Hodges. The release of "A.C.A.B." has been
long awaited, will it ever see the light of day on vinyl? "If we can, yeah,
we'll smother the charts like Adam and the Ants!"
Gary and Tom are both in full agreement that Oi! has united both punx and
skins, but the pair of them are a bit preturbed at the violent elements Oi!
has. Gary says "It's been isolated things but personally speaking we've never
'ad any troubles at our gigs". "And it doesn't help matters when you get the
prats like Valac Vander Veen from Sounds saying 'trouble again', what really
happened at that gig (Paisley) was the bouncers steamed some little
kids" adds Tom. "So we all dived in. He was trying to build up a violent image
around us and Oi!"
What was the real reason for all the Northern and Scottish dates, when you
first started gigging? Tom explains: "That was down to our old manager Skully.
He was getting us these gigs for 100 pounds, which hardly covered costs. But we
did'em for the publicity and the experience."
The band, and in particular Gary have expressed some concern in pursuing the
band full time, due to monetary problems- Have these eased at all Gary? "We
would like to do it full time but we'd have to be able ti live off it. But I've
got a wife and kid to support. So I've gotta have a bit of money to look after
them. I wouldn't worry about myself, as long as they're alright." Tom adds he's
getting married soon so he'll need money. "Yeah you've gotta, co's if you lose
this one you ain't gonna find no one else" chips in Gary sarcastically. Tom
isn't amused.
Do you see any difference between the new breed of working class bands and the
old, i.e. Sham and Menace? Gary: "Yeah, but not so much Menace, because they
were like you say, a working class band. But Sham I knew personally co's I used
to hang around with them and they all came from round Kingston. They weren't
really a working class band, it was all put on really". So your more like
Menace in attitude? "Yeah, but a lot of the older bands who pretended to be
working class were middle class art students anyway. The bands that are around
now are the real thing".
Of the other 'new' bands Tom and Gary both like Last Resort. But Gary guiltily
admits "Tell you the truth I ain't heard many. Infa-Riot I don't like." Is that
musically or on a personal level? Gary: "I don't like Lee Wilson". "He slagged
us down in the music papers" says Tom, "We were all talking about sticking
together and doing our own label and they went and fucked off to Secret
Records". Are you interested in signing to a big label? "Yeah! there's been the
odd tentative enquiry, but nothing definate, we don't wanna compramise, and
that includes not changing our name".
The band, on the whole have gone down better outside London, because as Gary
says "The London kids are spoilt for choice, so when we go outside we're
appreciated a bit more!"
A final message, Gary "We'll play it ear and see what 'appens".
Well since the interview the 4-Skins have split, perhaps because they didn't
wanna compramise, maybe there were other reasons. The interview now serves as a
memory.
Discography:
7"s:
One Law For Them / Brave New World
Clockwork Fun (CF 101), 1981
Tom McCourt (bass)
Gary Hodges (vocals)
Steve Pear (guitar)
John Jacobs (drums)
Yesterdays Heroes / Justice, Get Out Of My Life
Secret Records (SHH 125), 1981
Tom McCourt (bass)
Panther (vocals)
John Jacobs (guitar)
Pete Abbot (drums)
Low Life / Bread Or Blood
Secret Records (SHH 141), 1982
Tom McCourt (bass)
Panther (vocals)
John Jacobs (guitar)
Pete Abbot (drums)
Albums:
The Good, The Bad & The 4-Skins
Secret Records (SEC 4), 1982
Side 1 (studio): Plastic Gangsters, Jealousy, Yesterdays Heroes, Justice, Jack
The Lad, Remembrance Day, Manifesto
Side 2 (live): Wonderful World, Sorry, Evil, I Don't Wanna Be, A.C.A.B., Chaos,
One Law For Them
Tom McCourt (bass)
Panther (vocals)
John Jacobs (guitar)
Pete Abbot (drums)
A Fistful Of...
Syndicate Records (SYN 1), 1983
Side 1: 5 More Years (Layabouts Anthem), Waiting For A Friend, Johnny Go Home,
The Gambler, I'll Stick To My Guns, On File
Side 2: Forgotten Hero, The Spy From Alaska, H.M.P., No Excuse, Betrayed, City
Boy, New War
Roi Pearce (vocals)
Tom McCourt (bass)
Paul Swain (guitar)
Ian Bramson (drums)
From Chaos To 1984 (Live)
Syndicate Records (SYN LP 5), 1984
Side 1: Wonderful World, Jealousy, On The Streets, Johnny Go Home, 1984, Bread
Or Blood, Saturday
Side 2: A.C.A.B., City Boy, 5 More Years, Evil, On File, Clockwork Skinhead,
Chaos
Roi Pearce (vocals)
Tom McCourt (bass)
Paul Swain (guitar)
Ian Bramson (drums)
The Return
Randale Records, 2010
CD: The Return, Brave New World, I Don't Care, Jealousy, Prawn Sandwich, Sorry, Thanks For the Memories,
Evil, Take No More, Come On Feel the Noize, One Law For Them, Soldiers Graves, Yesterday Heroes, I'm Exclusive
Gary Hodges (vocals)
Tom "Big Tom" Brennan (guitar)
Graham Bacon (bass)
Sedge Swatton (drums)
Some compilations of interest:
The Wonderful World Of The 4-Skins compilation, with 'Clockwork
Skinhead' and the ska track 'Seems To Me'.
A Few 4-Skins More Vol. 2 compilation, with 'Norman' and 'Sretsgnag
Citsalp'. (The latter was the b-side of the Plastic Gangsters' 7", where 4-Skins
used the pseudonym Plastic Gangsters.)
Bollocks To Xmas compilation 7" with the 4-Skins, Splodge,
the Business and Gonads. The 4-Skins track was 'Merry
Xmas Everybody'.
Carry On Oi!, where John Jacobs does all
instruments in 'Dambusters March'.
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