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Cock Sparrer
Cock Sparrer live in Berlin, 2017
Background information
Also known as	Cock Sparrow
Origin	London, England
Genres	Punk rock, Oi!
Years active	1972–1978, 1982–1984, 1992–present
Labels	Decca, Carrere, Razor, Bitzcore, Captain Oi!, Pirates Press, Cherry Red Records
Members	Colin McFaull Mickey Beaufoy Steve Burgess Steve Bruce Daryl Smith
Past members	Gary Lammin Chris Skepis Shug O'Neill
Website	cocksparrer.co.uk

Cock Sparrer (/ˈkɒk spɑːrə/) is an English punk rock band formed in 1972 in the East End of London. Although they have never enjoyed commercial success, they helped pave the way for the early '80s punk scene and the Oi! subgenre. Their songs have been covered by many punk, Oi!, and hardcore punk bands.

Their style is influenced by pub rock, glam rock and raw 1960s beat music as delivered by bands like the Small Faces and The Who. Their lyrics mostly deal with topics related to the daily lives of working class people. Their name derives from their original name, Cock Sparrow, a Cockney term of familiarity.

Career

Cock Sparrer was founded by Colin McFaull, Mick Beaufoy, Steve "Burge" Burgess and Steve Bruce – who had known each other since the age of 11. Playing in nightclubs in and around London, they developed the style that was later to be known as streetpunk or Oi!, mixed with pub rock/R&B influences. In 1976, Garrie Lammin (Burge's cousin) joined as second guitarist, and the band met with Malcolm McLaren, who was considering managing Cock Sparrer alongside the Sex Pistols.

In 1977, the band secured a deal with Decca Records, who were hoping to cash in on the now blooming punk movement. The first Cock Sparrer single was "Runnin' Riot", released in May 1977. It did not sell well, nor did the following single (a cover of the Rolling Stones' "We Love You"), and Decca dropped the band in 1978. The band members had already recorded an album's worth of material, which was only released in Spain as Cock Sparrer and was not officially issued in the UK until Razor Records released it in 1987 as True Grit. Cock Sparrer ceased activity in late 1978, with Lammin leaving the group.

In 1981, old Cock Sparrer songs were included on several Oi! compilation albums, and interest in the band began to rise again. They reformed in 1982 – with Chris Skepis replacing Gary Lammin as second guitarist – and signed to Carrere Records, which released the "England Belongs to Me" single. The next release was the band's debut album Shock Troops in 1983. It included the songs "Where Are They Now", "I Got Your Number" and "Riot Squad". Beaufoy then left the band and was replaced by Shug O'Neill. Third album Running Riot in '84 was released in October 1984, after which the band ceased activity once more, although a "live" album recorded around this time was released in 1987.

The band performed several reunion concerts in 1992 (with Beaufoy returning and Daryl Smith coming in as long-term replacement for O'Neill), and in 1994 they released a new album, Guilty as Charged. In 1997, they released the album Two Monkeys. Since then, Cock Sparrer has occasionally toured and has performed sporadically at punk festivals including the Wasted/Rebellion festival. The band released their sixth studio album, Here We Stand, in November 2007. In April 2008 they headlined Rebellion Vienna and also headlined Rebellion Blackpool in August 2008. The following year Cock Sparrer headlined the Punk & Disorderly-Festival in Berlin. They also played Riot Fest in Chicago playing at the Congress Theater on 10/10/09 and headlined at the Metro on 10/11/09. They returned to play Riot Fest again in 2014.

In 2012, Cock Sparrer marked their 40th anniversary along with Rancid who were celebrating their 20th anniversary. They played five sold-out concerts in the United States (two in Philadelphia, one in Boston, and two in San Francisco) and headlined the Christmas Bash in Birmingham as part of the Rebellion Festival on 8 December 2012.

The band's seventh album Forever was released in mid-2017.

In December 2023, it was announced Cock Sparrer would release their eighth studio album Hand on Heart in April 2024 on Cherry Red Records. The album was produced by James Bragg, who also produced their previous record Forever. In the run up to the album's release, the band released music videos for the songs "Here We Stand", "With My Hand on My Heart" and "I Belong to You".

In popular culture

UFC fighter Dan Hardy has used the song "England Belongs to Me" as his walk-out music. "Take 'em All" has a long history of being sung by Major League Soccer supporter groups, including the Empire Supporters Club, Garden State Ultras And Viking Army Supporters Club for the New York Red Bulls and the Emerald City Supporters for the Seattle Sounders FC. In 2022, the Seattle supporters ceased using the song after the Robb Elementary School shooting.

Members

Current members

• Colin McFaull – vocals (1972–1978, 1982–1984, 1992–present)
• Mick Beaufoy – lead guitar and backing vocals (1972–1978, 1982-1983, 1992–present)
• Daryl Smith – rhythm guitar and backing vocals (1992–present)
• Steve Burgess – bass guitar and backing vocals (1972–1978, 1982–1984, 1992–present)
• Steve Bruce – drums (1972–1978, 1982–1984, 1992–present)

Former members

• Garrie Lammin – rhythm guitar (1976–1978)
• Chris Skepis – rhythm guitar (1982–1984)
• Shug O'Neill – lead guitar (1983–1984)

Timeline

Discography

Albums

10" EP

• Run Away EP (1995), Bitzcore

Live albums

• Live and Loud (1987), Link
• Live: Runnin' Riot Across the USA (2000)
• Back Home (2003), Captain Oi!
• Back in San Francisco - Live 2009 (2010), Pirates Press

Compilations

• Sunday Stripper (1980), Oi the Album
• Rarities (1995), Captain Oi!
• Rumours Carry More Weight Than Fact (The Best of Cock Sparrer) (1996), Step-1
• England Belongs to Me (1997), Harry May
• Bloody Minded (1999), Dr. Strange/Bitzcore
• The Best of Cock Sparrer (2004), Recall 2 cd
• The Decca Years (2006), Captain Oi!
• 40 Years (2012), Captain Oi!

7" singles

• "Running Riot" b/w "Sister Suzie" (1977), Decca
• "We Love You" b/w "Chip on My Shoulder" (1977), Decca
• "England Belongs to Me" b/w "Argy Bargy" (1982), Carerre
• "Run Away" (1995), Bitzcore
• "Too Late" b/w "Because You're Young" (2007), Captain Oi!
• "Did You Have a Nice Life Without Me?" b/w "So Many Things" (2008), Dirty Punk (French Import)
• "True to Yourself" b/w "Chip on My Shoulder (Live)" (2008), TKO Records
• "Spirit of '76" (2008), Pirates Press Records
• "England Belongs to Me" 30th Anniversary Split w/ Rancid (2012), Pirates Press Records
• Contender" b/w "Up With This"

References

1. Smith, Oshindele-Smith, Bobby, Margaret (2007). One Love Two Colours: The Unlikely Marriage of a Punk Rocker and His African Queen. Troubador Publishing Ltd. p. 85. ISBN 978-1906221393. Along with The Business and Cock Sparrer, the 4-Skins were the most culturally important of the Oi! Bands, their sound influencing a new host of new American bands such as Rancid and Anti-Heroes.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
2. Steve Huey. "Cock Sparrer | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
3. Image of band's original "business" card Archived 26 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine
4. "Metal Studs for Leather Clothing FREE DELIVERY UK | UK FREE DELIVERY". Studsandpunks.co.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
5. "Cock Sparrer - The original Oi band. A punk history with pictures". Punk77.co.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
6. "Gary Lammin – Bermondsey Joyriders". Uberrock.co.uk. 23 December 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
7. "Captain Oi! Records". Archived from the original on 9 August 2007. Retrieved 10 August 2007.
8. "Rebellion Vienna 2008 Bands". Rebellionfestival.com. Retrieved 27 August 2008.
9. "Blackpool Confirmed Bands". Rebellionfestival.com. Retrieved 27 August 2008.
10. Booth, Tim (28 June 2009). "Sounders make noise". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
11. Punknews.org (6 June 2017). "Cock Sparrer - Forever". www.punknews.org. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
12. Deaux, John (18 December 2023). "Legendary punk band Cock Sparrer announce new album Hand On Heart released 5th April 2024". All About the Rock. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
13. Cock Sparrer – Here We Stand (Official Music Video), 22 March 2024, retrieved 24 March 2024
14. Cock Sparrer – With My Hand On My Heart (Official Music Video), 26 January 2024, retrieved 24 March 2024
15. Cock Sparrer – I Belong To You (Official Music Video), 16 February 2024, retrieved 24 March 2024
16. Wheeler, Shawn (26 May 2022). "I know lots of people will miss this from the forum announcement, so I'll say it here. "Take Em All" has been retired by @WeAreECS" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
17. "Cock Sparrer". Official Charts.

External links

• Official website

• English punk rock groups
• Punk rock groups from London
• Oi! groups
• Street punk groups
• Musical groups established in 1972