For people of a certain age, the fact that Cock Sparrer are still making music is somewhere between wonderful and frightening. Cock Sparrer were punk before Punk, making loud, passionate and aggressive music. Founded in 1972, they were overshadowed by the later Punk bands like the Sex Pistols, Clash, Sham 69 and the like. Later on, they were swept up into the Oi! ‘movement’, a collection of Punk, Skinhead and early thrash bands, essentially the bands whose music was aimed at the disaffected youth and working class subcultures. Cock Sparrer were only peripheral to the Oi! Movement, much closer in their relationship to their influences such as The Who, Dr Feelgood, Small Faces and Slade.
So we come to the new album, ‘Hand On Heart’. It’s their 8th studio album and it shows that they haven’t lost any of the anger, brio and passion of the early days. Every song is played at 120 miles an hour, Colin McFaul’s vocals have that distinct East London brashness, coupled with a musical element that you might not expect and Steve Bruce’s drums hammer a rhythm like a speed induced heartbeat. Steve Burgess plays a mean bass alongside Mick Beaufoy’s riffs and ‘new’ guitarist Daryl Smith (he joined the band over 30 years ago) laying down fine lead. The album was produced by James Bragg and Daryl Smith and, for once, that have taken care to put out a quality album instead of spending the production money ‘down the pub’. Yet, it is an exciting and totally worthwhile listen. It only took a few minutes to dispel any thoughts of the band cashing in on an old rep or playing it by the numbers. 10 songs that all tell stories of political commitment, fighting back against the establishment. Tracks like ‘Here We Stand’ or opener ‘Hand On My Heart’
