Oi! Oi! Oi! Oi! The Partisans from the Bridgend area of South Wales were
originally formed way back in August 1978. At that time they had two bassists
and were heavily influenced by the Ramones and the Pistols (the former still
visible in their music today). By the beginning of 81 the Partisans had gelled
into Spike on the mike, Louise on the bass, Lealand on the guitar and Shark on
drums. I managed to catch up with the firey foursome, apres gig, at Stevenage
Bowes Lyon House for a few brief words.The Exploited said the Oi! Album they appeared on typecast them as an Oi! band. Would you mind this typecasting?
Lealand: We don't mind being classed as Oi!, even though we are punks. We don't wanna segregate punks and skinheads, it's better they get on.
Do you see any difference between punk and Oi!?
Louise: No not really but Oi! is more for skinheads.
Spike: They're more violent.
Louise: No they're not, there's one over there who came with us, he's ok.
Lealand: A lot of punks don't like Oi!, but if Anti-Pasti and the Exploited said they were Oi!, they'd be more together. It's just punk groups trying to segregate the two.
Spike: We don't want any tribalism, skins against punks, anything like that, stick.
But surely that creates an even bigger tribe?
Lealand: Yeah, but I think it would be nice if every kind of kid, mods, punks, and heavy metal all got on and liked the same kind of music.
Spike: Oh! I don't know about that.
Shark: If Oi! become a tribe, it should be working class against all kinds of crappy music.
But don't you think Oi! is elitist when Garry Bushell says 'It's the vision of all working class youth sticking together'?
Louise: No not really, it depends on what he means by 'working class', there are so many different ideas about that.
It shouldn't be a strictly working class movement then?
Lealand:No it doesn't matter whether you're middle class or working class. Punk and Oi! should be for anyone who wants to join in. You can get people who are middle class with very working class attitudes and vice versa. It's not what class you are that's important, it's what you are as a person that matters.
A lot of your songs are a protest, do you think a band can realistically change anything?
Louise: No!, but you can influence kids to do marches and things like that but no one ever listen's to them. We just try and make people more aware.
Is that why you put your lyrics on the sleeve?
Louise:Yeah!, and because no one can understand them!
Lealand: We don't want people to read into them too deeply and get depressed about what's going to happen.
Do you see the new punk explosion dying down after a couple of years, as happened with the original bands?
Shark: Yeah, I expect it will.
Lealand: It all depends on what the kids are like who are into it, if they are all five minute fashion kids it will. But if they're really into, it won't. Also if the bands change musically it will die, hopefully they can stay loyal, we will.
As for their future plans the Partisans seem a bit vague. The No Future deal consists of three singles and an LP. Money-wise, costs and profit are split 50/50, a situation they are more than happy with. A new single, to follow up the 15 000 selling 'Police Story', should see the light of day around the end of April. Touring is the only thing they have a problem with at the moment, but when Shark leaves school things should be rectified pronto.
Back to Oi! the Web Site
