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
Oi the Poet
The Business Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They say their right you know their wrong
Bored on the street there's nothing to do
Everyday your taken for a fool
Reject you don't fit in
They beat you down, but you never give in
Never had a proper wage
No future, no job always told your a lazy slob
I know what's wrong and what's right
So stick your city Job and suberban wife
Looking at you I love my life...
The Business's song "Oi the Poet" is a song about a street punk's perspective on life. The lyrics depict the street punk as someone who is not accepted by society due to his punk lifestyle. In the first verse, the lyrics show the street punk's disillusionment with society, represented by the line "They say they're right, you know they're wrong." The next few lines talk about the boredom the street punk faces on the street with nothing to do, and how he is taken for a fool.
The next verse talks about how the street punk doesn't fit in and is rejected by society. The lyrics describe how he is beaten down but still refuses to give in. The street punk is also depicted as someone who has never had a proper job, and is always told that he is a lazy slob. Despite this, the street punk still manages to find a sense of pride in his life, represented by the line "I may have nothing but I shine twice as bright as you." The street punk knows what is right and what is wrong, and refuses to conform to the expectations of society.
In the final verse, the street punk expresses his disdain for the suburban lifestyle and the conformity it represents. The chorus of the song echoes these sentiments, with the street punk telling society to "stick your city job and suburban wife." Overall, the lyrics of "Oi the Poet" depict a street punk's defiance against the expectations of society, and his refusal to conform to the norms of a suburban lifestyle.
Line by Line Meaning
Street punk where you belong
The singer is addressing a person and tells them that they belong to the street punk subculture.
They say their right you know their wrong
The singer acknowledges that people may say they are right, but they actually believe they are wrong.
Bored on the street there's nothing to do
The singer reveals a feeling of boredom while being on the street with nothing to do.
Everyday your taken for a fool
The artist describes how the person is being taken for a fool every day.
Reject you don't fit in
The artist acknowledges that the person is being rejected because they don't fit in.
They beat you down, but you never give in
The singer reveals that the person is being beaten down, but they are resilient and never give in.
Never had a proper wage
The person has never earned a decent wage according to the singer.
No future, no job always told your a lazy slob
The artist laments that this person seems to have no job, no future, and is always being labeled a lazy slob.
I may have nothing but I shine twice as bright as you
The artist feels that they may have nothing materialistically, but they are still shining brighter than the person they are talking to.
I know what's wrong and what's right
The artist expresses that they know what is right and wrong.
So stick your city Job and suberban wife
The singer tells the person to keep their city job and suburban wife.
Looking at you I love my life...
The artist declares that looking at the person they are talking to, they love their life even more.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind