The Globe, Cardiff
Fri 1 Sept
The name of Cock Sparrer precedes them and has done for some decades, which is why they can charge about the same for their gigs as The Damned, The Buzzcocks, The Undertones and other 1970s UK punk originals. You probably won’t have to be an especially dedicated punk fan to have a passing familiarity with those other three, though. Not so Cock Sparrer, a quintet as ruggedly East End London as their name: broadsheet retrospectives and Nouvelle Vague covers have eluded them, but they’re royalty among the skinhead, Oi! and streetpunk subcultures.
The band predates punk, having formed in the early 70s, and their glam and pub rock influences remained apparent on 1977 debut single Runnin’ Riot and 1978’s self-titled LP (which wasn’t actually properly released until 1987). The definitive Cock Sparrer era, though, is 1982-84, which saw the band thrust back into the turmoil of the Oi! scene and yielded the single England Belongs To Me and the album Shock Troops. While Oi! was already becoming formulaic, Shock Troops contains equal amounts of powerpop, music hall and Count Bishops-style bovver garage, and is rightly adored by those who know the deal.
Cock Sparrer have released five studio albums in the last 25 years, maintained a healthy presence at punk festivals worldwide, and impressively still have an 80% original lineup. Apparently, this will be their first ever Welsh show. Bedlam is likely to ensue.
Tickets: £20. Info: 07590 471888 (NG)