Cock Sparrer () is an English

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

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! Oi! is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads, and other disaffected working-class youth. The movement wa ...

subgenre. Their songs have been covered by many punk, Oi!, and

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

bands. Their style is influenced by

pub rock Pub rock is a subgenre of rock music that emerged in the early to mid-1970s in the United Kingdom. A back-to-basics movement, which incorporated roots rock, pub rock was a reaction against the expensively-recorded and produced progressive rock ...

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was primarily defined by the flamboyant clothing, makeup, and hairstyles of its musicians, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists d ...

and raw 1960s

beat music Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music Music genre, genre that developed around Liverpool in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from British rock and roll, British and Music of the United St ...

as delivered by bands like the

Small Faces Small Faces were an English Rock music, rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966 ...

and

The Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...

. Their lyrics mostly deal with topics related to the daily lives of

working class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

people. Their name derives from their original name, Cock Sparrow, a

Cockney Cockney is a dialect of the English language, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by Londoners with working-class and lower middle class roots. The term ''Cockney'' is also used as a demonym for a person from the East End, ...

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

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

s in and around London, they developed the style that was later to be known as streetpunk or

, 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 Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren (22 January 1946 – 8 April 2010) was an English fashion designer and music manager. He was a promoter and a manager for punk rock and new wave bands such as New York Dolls, Sex Pistols, Adam and the Ants, and ...

, who was considering managing Cock Sparrer alongside the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...

. In 1977, the band secured a deal with

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

, 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 The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

' "

We Love You "We Love You" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones that was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Their first new release of the summer of 1967, it was first released as a single on 18 August in the United Kingdom, with "D ...

"), 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 Shock troops, assault troops, or storm troops are special formations created to lead military attacks. They are often better trained and equipped than other military units and are expected to take heavier casualties even in successful operations. ...

'' in 1983. It included the songs "

Where Are They Now "Where Are They Now" is a song recorded by English Oi!/punk rock band Cock Sparrer in 1982, from their album ''Shock Troops (album), Shock Troops''. The lyrics comment on the previous six years of the punk subculture. The song portrays the ea ...

", "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 Riot Fest is an annual three-day punk rock music festival held at Douglass Park in Chicago, Illinois. It is known for booking reunions, guest performances, and full album performances. Riot Fest is one of the largest independently-owned music fe ...

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 Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything but the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as w ...

. 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 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

fighter

Dan Hardy Daniel Mark Hardyhttp://boxing.nv.gov/2012%20Results%20Web/05-26-12%20MMA.pdf (born 17 May 1982) is an English former mixed martial artist who fought in the welterweight division. During his professional MMA career, which began in 2004, 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 Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

supporter groups, including the

Empire Supporters Club The Empire Supporters Club, or ESC, is one of the oldest supporters clubs in Major League Soccer and the largest supporters club dedicated to the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer. History The club was founded in 1995 by members of the N ...

, Garden State Ultras And Viking Army Supporters Club for the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conferenc ...

and the

Emerald City Supporters Emerald City Supporters (ECS) is an independent supporters' group for Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders FC. The ECS is known for large choreographed tifo displays. History and name Emerald City Supporters was founded in 2005 by the sup ...

for the

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...

. In 2022, the Seattle supporters ceased using the song after the

Robb Elementary School shooting The Uvalde school shooting was a mass shooting on May 24, 2022, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, United States, where 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, a former student at the school, fatally shot 19 students and 2 teachers, while inju ...

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" ne-sided flexidisc(2008), Pirates Press Records *"England Belongs to Me" 30th Anniversary Split w/ Rancid (2012), Pirates Press Records *Contender" b/w "Up With This"

References

External links

* {{Authority control English punk rock groups Punk rock groups from London Oi! groups Street punk groups Musical groups established in 1972