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
Suburban Rebels
The Business Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tom Robinsons' army of trendy wankers
Flared blue jeans and anoracks
With yellow streaks all down their backs
Who act so tough when their on tv
But trendy wankers don't scare me
[Chorus]
This is what we think of you
Surburban rebels playing at reds
You would be urban terrorists
You don't scare us with your badges and banners
You know fuck all about heavy manners
You're the middle class kiddies from public schools
Who write the slogans on the toilet walls
Like Tony Benn's clones in plastic masks
You wave a hammer and sickle, never Union Jacks
Got lots of mouth when your in a crowd
But when your alone you don't speak loud
[Chorus]
The lyrics of The Business's song "Suburban Rebels" are a bitter attack directed towards a specific group of young people who claim to rebel against the prevailing culture but are, in fact, only playing at being revolutionaries. The opening lines introduce the group as "the sons and daughters of well off bankers" who pretend to be tough and rebellious but are nothing more than "trendy wankers." The lyrics go on to describe their fashion sense in disparaging terms: "flared blue jeans and anoraks with yellow streaks all down their backs."
The second verse is even harsher in its criticism, likening these young people to "middle class kiddies from public schools" who have no real understanding of the causes they espouse. They are accused of being unable to think for themselves, mindlessly copying slogans from Tony Benn and other left-wing figures, and everything they do is dismissed as an empty gesture. The chorus is a direct message to these young people, denouncing them as "suburban rebels playing at reds" and calling them "urban terrorists." The implication is that they are posing as radical revolutionaries when, in reality, they are a privileged minority with no real grievances.
In short, "Suburban Rebels" is a scathing critique of a particular type of young person: those who adopt a veneer of radicalism without really understanding the causes they claim to support. The song is particularly angry about the hypocrisy of such people: they claim to be standing up for the oppressed and downtrodden, but in reality, they know "fuck all about heavy manners."
Line by Line Meaning
They're the sons and daughters of well off bankers
The people being referred to in this song are from wealthy families.
Tom Robinsons' army of trendy wankers
These people are seen as Tom Robinson's followers and are considered to be pretentious and unauthentic.
Flared blue jeans and anoracks
Their clothing style includes bell-bottomed jeans and lightweight jackets.
With yellow streaks all down their backs
The song suggests that these people are cowardly and have a weak character.
Who act so tough when their on tv
These people project an image of confidence and strength when they appear on television.
But trendy wankers don't scare me
Despite their posturing, the singer is not intimidated by them.
[Chorus] Oi!, Oi! Oi! Chosen few This is what we think of you Surburban rebels playing at reds You would be urban terrorists You don't scare us with your badges and banners You know fuck all about heavy manners
The chorus suggests that these people are insignificant and their actions are meaningless. They are labeled as suburban rebels who cannot be taken seriously as they have no real understanding of serious political issues.
You're the middle class kiddies from public schools
The people being referred to are from middle-class families and have attended public schools.
Who write the slogans on the toilet walls
These people express their opinions in meaningless and juvenile ways, such as writing on bathroom walls.
Like Tony Benn's clones in plastic masks
These people are compared to those who follow political figures like Tony Benn without truly understanding their ideas.
You wave a hammer and sickle, never Union Jacks
Their allegiances are to symbols of communism, rather than the country they live in.
Got lots of mouth when your in a crowd
These people are only bold when surrounded by others who share their views and opinions.
But when your alone you don't speak loud
When they are by themselves, they do not have the courage to express their beliefs or opinions.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JOHNSON, KENT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@manoloxines9113
RIP Micky...you were and will always be a true gentleman...an inspiration to all!
@willieluncheonette
LAST SONG REMEMBERING MICKY FITZ , SINGER IN THE BUSINESS, WHO PASSED YESTERDAY.
This video of Suburban Rebels is from a gig in London in 1988. Suburban Rebels and Harry May, are probably their two most famous songs. RIP MICKY. We all miss you.
@thewarriorsofficialyoutube5078
Great band Rest in peace Micky Fitz
@Turkishcap
Just found this group today but good stuff, better late than never.
@emmanuelgoldstein2558
Saw 'em in '99 Mickey Fitz was old as shit then lol
@Damageinc-om2lo
Oh man you did well tho! Enjoy OI!
@bessallin459
Bless you. Grew up with this stay true mate many more bands out there for you
@Jennadanger10
@@emmanuelgoldstein2558 saw them that year myself.
Saw them a second time around 2013 or so give or take a year. I know it was within a few years of his passing.
Both times they absolutely brought it and the shows were great though I still wish I had been old enough to see them (and countless other bands) in their primes. I turned 3 the same year this was shot.
@roelhoremans5887
Band sounds tight as hell at this concert. Great atmospheric video.
@fernandocavalcantelopes
Cheers and Oi! from São Paulo, Brazil