History
The band was formed in 1979 by school friends Steven ('Steve') Kent (guitar), Michael Fitzsimons ('Micky Fitz') (vocals), Nicholas ('Nick') Cunningham (drums) and Martin Smith (bass).[2] They played their first gig in front of friends in February 1980, and after taking on Lol Pryor as manager, began performing more often. The band's first release was the song "Out in the Cold" on the A Sudden Surge of Sound compilation album.[2] They played their first Oi! concert in 1981, supporting The 4-Skins, and they became closely associated with the Oi! scene from then on.[2] While the Oi! movement was labelled as far right and racist (despite the fact that several Oi! bands played at Rock Against Racism concerts), The Business took a stance against political extremism with their Oi Against Racism and Political Extremism ...But Still Against The System tour.[3] Despite standing apart from the far-right, the band also criticized communists in songs like "Suburban Rebels." [4]
In November 1981, they released their debut single, "Harry May", which spent over three months in the UK Indie Chart, reaching No. 13. The initial line-up split up in late 1981, with Kent, Cunningham, and Smith forming Q-Bow, but Fitz carried on with Pryor, recruiting Graham Ball on guitar, Mark Brennan and Steve Whale from The Blackout, and John Fisher on drums.[2] The new line-up made their live debut in January 1982, after which Ball and Fisher departed, leaving the band as a four-piece, with Kev Boyce of The Blackout on drums.[2] The new line-up recorded the Smash the Discos EP, which was a No. 3 indie hit, and after a short tour, they recorded their debut album, which was to be called Loud, Proud, and Punk. The master tapes for the album went missing after disagreements between the band's label and the studio, forcing them to re-record the album, which was released as Suburban Rebels in May 1983.[2] The album was remixed by their label, Secret, without them knowing, and Secret's financial difficulties limited promotion of the album. Frustrated by this, the band split up, with The Business members forming short-lived bands Chapter and Sabre Dance.[2]
Pryor issued a retrospective album consisting of demos and live tracks on his Syndicate label, the success of which prompted the band to reform and record a what was to be marketed as a live album, Loud, Proud, and Punk. It was actually recorded in a studio, with crowd noise dubbed in later.[2] Pryor renamed his record label Wonderful World and issued several Business albums in late 1985, with the Drinking and Driving tour following. The name of the tour caused controversy, with tabloid journalists accusing the band of condoning drunk-driving, although the title was tongue-in-cheek.[2]
In late 1986, Brennan and Pryor founded Link Records, and with Brennan becoming increasingly busy running the label, the band split up again. In 1992, Fitz performed a few songs guesting with The Elite and he reformed the band to play a benefit concert for Bobby Moore, who had recently died of cancer. Brennan later started a new record label, Captain Oi! Records and did not join the reformed band. The band's line-up then became Micky Fitz (singer), Steve Whale (guitar), Lol Proctor (bass) and Micky Fairbairn (drums). The band released a new single "Anywhere But Here" and new album Keep The Faith in 1994. After a number of tours in Western Europe, the band played their first gigs in America in August 1994. In 1997 The Business released The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But The Truth which was produced by Lars Frederiksen from Rancid. In 2000, the band joined together with Dropkick Murphys to release Mob Mentality. The band's final studio album, No Mercy For You was released in 2001. Their biggest hit song in recent times, "England 5 - Germany 1", (based on the result of a World Cup Qualifying match in 2001), became a football anthem for England and even appeared in the 2004 teen comedy EuroTrip. Despite various line-up changes, the band's popularity continued to grow.
By 2006 Fitz had rebuilt his band after overcoming his alcoholism, this year saw the band take on a 2-month tour of the US with the line-up of Fitz (singer), Robin Guy (drums), Daniel (guitar) and what would become long serving Trots (bass). In September 2006, Fitz recruited long time friend Tosh (of Section 5) to play guitar, shortly followed by Bundie on drums. The band took to the studio in Berlin and recorded three covers, this session featured Mitch Harris of Napalm Death guesting to record the title track 'Mean Girl', originally by one of Fitz's favourite bands Status Quo. This was released by Bad Dog records as an EP, the B side being a live set recorded at the legendary Marquee Club in London from 1982.
Led by a reinvigorated Fitz, the band continued to tour incessantly and broke new ground as the first British Oi! band to play in Chile in 2008, they also visited Australia and New Zealand alongside extensive European and US tours. As well as their touring they also returned to the studio and put out a split 7" with Control. The Mean Girl recordings and Marquee Tapes were combined with the split and a recording from Full Force Festival to make the US mini album 'Doing The Business'
In 2010 Tosh departed the band and after a short stint with rocker Johny Skullknuckles the band's final line-up was completed with Fish (of The Skeptix, Discharge and Demon) taking over on six string duties. Around this time the band had taken to the studio to record what would be their last release, 'Back in The Day', it saw the studio return of original guitarist and principal songwriter Steve Kent who performed guitar and backing vocals on the recording. The 7" was eventually released on Randale Records and Sailors Grave Records in 2014.
The band continued on their way, returning to South America to play São Paulo, taking on a headline tour of Australia and New Zealand, (with visits to Singapore and Bangkok along the way) and made a triumphant return to Japan in 2014, with a quick visit to South Korea while they were in the area.
In the summer of 2015 Fitz was diagnosed with cancer, as with his life he met the challenge head on and refused to let the public know of his diagnosis until after he had completed the final run of shows. The band performed what would be their final show in October 2015 in Badalona, Spain.
In April 2019, some of the classic line up (Steve Whale, Steve Kent and Micky Fairbairn) joined by JJ Pearce on bass (the Last Resort) performed at the Punk and Disorderly festival in Berlin. Roi Pearce (The Last Resort) Sebi (Stomper 98) and Mike Brands (Arch Rivals) appeared as guest singers. This marked the first time former members of The Business had performed without Micky Fitz playing The Business songs. The same line up, joined by Beki Bondage (Vice Squad) performed at Rebellion 2019. A toast was raised to Fitz's memory at both shows
Belmarsh
The Business Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
twenty-five years old and glad to be alive
Belmarsh Prison stripped his rights
Belmarsh Prison took his life
Gave him five years in a stinking cell
Watching years go by what was the reason
Belmarsh Prison Stripped his rights
BelMarsh Prison took his life
The warders kicked a man to death
The screaming stopped with his last breath
the warders kicked a man to death
Questions with no answers left
Questions with no answers left
As the screams go up nothing's said
But the media lies that they've been fed
Belmarsh prison stripped his rights
Belmarsh prison took his life
Time forgotten and his baby grew
Are all he had in his living hell
Belmarsh Prison stripped his rights
Belmarsh Prison took his life
(Chorus)
The Business's song Belmarsh is a powerful and politically charged commentary on the state of the prison system in the United Kingdom. The song is a narrative about a man who was sent to Belmarsh Prison, one of the most high-security prisons in the country, and who ultimately loses his life while in custody. The opening lines of the song establish the setting - a "moonlight morning back in ninety-five" - and the singer's age at the time, which was twenty-five. The fact that he is "glad to be alive" at this point sets up the tragedy of the story to follow.
Belmarsh Prison is described as having "stripped his rights" and ultimately "took his life." The singer is given five years in a "stinking cell," and as he watches the years go by, he questions why he is being punished in such a way. The song then takes a darker turn when it is revealed that the warders at the prison kicked a man to death, leaving behind "questions with no answers left." The screams of the victim go unanswered, and the media is shown to be complicit in perpetuating lies about the incident. The song ends on a tragic note, highlighting the singer's lost years and the fact that his only solace in his "living hell" was the fact that he had a baby who grew up without him.
Overall, the song is a scathing critique of the penal system and the ways in which it brutalizes those who are incarcerated within it. The specific focus on Belmarsh Prison highlights its reputation as a particularly harsh and dehumanizing institution.
Line by Line Meaning
A moonlight morning back in ninty-five
The song starts off in 1995, describing it as a beautiful and serene morning under the moonlight.
twenty-five years old and glad to be alive
The singer is twenty-five at this point in time, and feeling thankful that they are still alive.
Belmarsh Prison stripped his rights
The subject of the song was stripped of their basic human rights in Belmarsh Prison.
Belmarsh Prison took his life
The subject of the song died while in Belmarsh Prison.
Gave him five years in a stinking cell
The subject was given a five year sentence, and forced to live in a small, dirty, and unpleasant cell.
Watching years go by what was the reason
Over the years, the subject of the song is baffled as to why they were sentenced to five years in prison.
The warders kicked a man to death
A warder in the prison allegedly kicked a man so hard that the victim died.
The screaming stopped with his last breath
The victim screamed for help, but ultimately died from the warder's kick.
Questions with no answers left
The incident leaves everyone with unanswered questions and uncertainty.
As the screams go up nothing's said
Despite hearing the screams and witnessing the violence, nothing was done to stop it.
But the media lies that they've been fed
The media is spreading false information and not reporting on the true events of what is happening in Belmarsh Prison.
Time forgotten and his baby grew
Despite being in prison for so long, time continued to pass and the subject's child grew up without them.
Are all he had in his living hell
The memories of his child are the only good thing to hold onto while living in the hellish environment of Belmarsh Prison.
(Chorus)
The chorus is a repetition of the main points and themes of the song, highlighting the injustice and brutality that takes place in Belmarsh Prison.
Contributed by Caroline O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.