Cockney Rejects are an English punk rock band that formed in the East End o… Read Full Bio ↴Cockney Rejects are an English punk rock band that formed in the East End of London in 1977. Their 1980 song "Oi, Oi, Oi" was the inspiration for the name of the Oi! music genre. The band members are supporters of West Ham United, and pay tribute to the club with their hit cover version of "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles", a song traditionally sung by West Ham supporters.

Career
Cockney Rejects were formed in 1977 by brothers Jeff and Micky Geggus, with their brother-in-law Chris Murrell on bass and Paul Harvey on drums. Their first demo, "Flares n' Slippers", caught the attention of Small Wonder Records owner Pete Stennett, who introduced the band to Bob Sergeant. With Sergeant, they recorded their single "Flares n' Slippers", which sold out its first pressing. Murrell and Harvey were then replaced by Vince Riordan on bass and Andy Scott on drums, from fellow East End London band, The Tickets. This became known as Cockney Rejects' classic lineup, and its debut at the Bridge House in Canning Town in June 1979 is considered a turning point for the band. In September of that same year, the band signed with EMI and released their album Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 in February 1980.

Their biggest hit single in the United Kingdom, 1980's "The Greatest Cockney Rip-Off", was a parody of Sham 69's song "Hersham Boys". Other Cockney Rejects songs were less commercial, partly because they tended to be about hard-edged topics such as street fighting or football hooliganism. Other singles to appear in the UK were "Bad Man," "We Can Do Anything," "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles " and "We Are the Firm" — all from 1980.

The violence depicted in their lyrics was often mirrored at their concerts, and the band members often fought to defend themselves (often from supporters of opposing football teams) or to split up conflicts between audience members. Jeff and Mick Geggus (who are brothers) had both been amateur youth boxers, and had fought at the national level. Bass player Vince Riordan's uncle was Jack "The Hat" McVitie, a Cockney gangster who was murdered by Reggie Kray.

Cockney Rejects expressed contempt for all politicians in their lyrics, and they rejected media claims that they had a British Movement following, or that the band members supported the views of that far right group. In their first Sounds interview, they mockingly referred to the British Movement as the "German Movement" and stated that many of their heroes were black boxers. Jeff Turner's autobiography Cockney Reject describes an incident in which the band members and their supporters had a massive fight against British Movement members at one of Cockney Rejects' early concerts.

EMI records released a definitive Rejects retrospective on 29 August 2011. Called Join the Rejects, the Zonophone years '79-'81, it was a three-disc collection of all their EMI recordings including all the Peel sessions and rare demos from the day. Also included was a colour booklet with a blow-by-blow account of the stories behind the music by Micky Geggus.

The Rejects movie East End Babylon and an album of the same name were released in 2013.

Tony Van Frater died in October 2015, aged 51.

In February 2016, it was announced that former Cockney Reject bass player Vince Riordan had re-joined the band again.

The group were slated to perform their first Australian shows in February 2019, however a family emergency necessitated the postponement of the concerts to July. The concerts were later rescheduled to October and went ahead that month to critical acclaim.

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New song
Cockney Rejects Lyrics

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This is a new song
Out with the old
This is a new way
New truth to be told

Don't wanna sing about a factory
I ain't something that appeals to me
Don't wanna be part of the disco craze

And all them bands who wanna change their ways

Don't wanna sing about
The governments ploys
I just wanna make a noise

Let me show you what it's all about
It's gotta be raucous, one big shout

Overall Meaning

The Cockney Rejects song "New Song" is a declaration of a new approach to music, replacing old themes and styles with a raucous and energetic sound. The lyrics proclaim a rejection of the mainstream music industry and its focus on consumer culture, as well as a rejection of political messages that fail to inspire action. The band instead advocates for a more personal and expressive form of music, one that encourages listeners to simply let loose and make a big noise.

The song's chorus reinforces this idea, with the repeated phrase "This is a new song / out with the old / this is a new way / new truth to be told." The band wants to create music that speaks to their own experience and that encourages others to do the same. They reject the notion that music needs to have a specific message or social purpose, and instead focus on creating an atmosphere of pure energy and excitement.

Overall, "New Song" is a rallying cry for anyone who wants to break free from the confines of traditional music styles and create something new and powerful. It encourages listeners to seek out their own truth and make their own noise, rather than simply following the trends and expectations set by the mainstream music industry.

Line by Line Meaning

This is a new song
We're starting fresh with a new track

Out with the old
Let's leave the past in the past

This is a new way
We're trying something different

New truth to be told
We have something important to say

Don't wanna sing about a factory
We don't want to write about mundane topics

I ain't something that appeals to me
It doesn't interest us personally

Don't wanna be part of the disco craze
We're not into the popular music trend of the time

And all them bands who wanna change their ways
Other bands trying to alter their sound is not our concern

Don't wanna sing about
We have no desire to write about

The governments ploys
Political issues are not our focus

I just wanna make a noise
We simply want to be loud and energetic