After punk became commercialised and then imploded in the late ‘70s, a whole new generation of ne’er-do-wells started looking for other forms of rowdy music to light their fires, and they found it in Oi!. Born (and taking their name) from the famous outfitters on London’s Goulston Street, The Last Resort were the physical embodiment of Oi!, delivering a sound that was as subtle as a Dr Marten to the crotch. Released in 1982, Skinhead Anthems: A Way Of Life did exactly what it said on the tin and served up eleven terrace ready anthems that sound as visceral and violent as they did over four decades ago. Now re-released and loaded with bonus tracks, this album gets the loving reissue it so thoroughly deserves.

When The Last Resort dropped their debut album in 1982, there was a feeling that they’d somehow missed the boat. Oi! was always an apolitical movement, but after the Southall riot of 1981 the scene became (unfairly) tarnished as a right-wing entity and subsequently many record shops and concert halls wouldn’t haven’t anything to do with the genre. Not that The Last Resort cared, and opening track ‘Freedom’ was probably the best retort to give (a two-fingered repose, naturally). If there was one thing that united punk and Oi! then it was the fight against totalitarianism (of any hue) and ‘Freedom’ offers a frightening glimpse of a not-too-distant future. To really understand the nature of OI!, it needs to be taken in context of the early ‘80s; it was a time of social unrest, three-million unemployed, police brutality and the systematic dismantling of British industry, and it was against this background that its adherents railed and is best exemplified by ‘Skinheads In Sta-Press’. The whole attitude was one of; if you have no jobs or future for us, then we’re going to be a thorn in the nation’s side, and that’s exactly what they were, and Skinhead Anthems was the perfect soundtrack to civil disobedience.

While punk claimed to have its roots in the proletariat, in reality it was conceived in the top universities and with bands originating in the leafy suburbs; think Crass (Epping Forest), The Jam (Woking) and The Stranglers (Guildford) and Oi! was viewed as a vehicle to take punk back to its original vision. Oi! was an alternative to the alternative, a harsher brand of music that dispensed with all the art school trappings, and cuts like ‘Violence In Our Minds’ and ‘King Of The Jungle’ were the real sounds of the street; the musical manifestation of the mob with their collective back to the wall and fighting for their lives. Favouring a riff heavy attack, The Last Resort had a kind of de-constructivist approach to punk and filtered out any unnecessary frills until what was left was left was the purest distillation of punk, so that even a sniff of ‘Rose Of England’ will leave you intoxicated.

Adding an impressive thirteen bonus tracks makes this the definitive edition of Skinhead Anthems, and those baker’s dozen include the legendary cassette single, compilation appearances, an out-take and demo tracks. The accompanying booklet is the only place where this collection falls a little short; it includes lyrics and rare photographs but no sleeve notes. Even finding information online about this mob can be a struggle, so an insiders view to the band’s history would be appreciated. Likewise, bonus cuts ‘Horror Show’ and ‘Wicked Women’ were released under the moniker The Warriors, but the sleeve makes no mention of this and, for a pendant like me, can be quite infuriating. But that’s only a minor complaint, and if you want to hear the definitive sound of Oi!, then here’s the definitive version of Skinhead Anthems.

• Skinhead Anthems: A Way Of Life is released via Cherry Red Records/Captain Oi! on 14th June 2024.
• Connect with The Last Resort on Facebook

Track List:

1. Freedom
2. Skinheads In Sta-Press
3. Rebels With A Cause
4. King Of The Jungle
5. We Rule O.K.
6. Changing
7. Lionheart
8. Rose Of England
9. Violence In Our Minds
10. Resort Boot Boys
11. Red, White And Blue

Bonus Tracks:

12. Violence In Our Minds (Cassette Single Version)
13. Held Hostage (Cassette Single Version)
14. Soul Boys (Cassette Single Version)
15. Eight Pounds A Week
16. Stormtroopers In Sta-Press (Demo)
17. Resort Boot Boys (Demo)
18. King Of The Jungle (Demo)
19. Johnny Barden (Strength Thru Oi!)
20. Working Class Kids (Strength Thru Oi!)
21. King Of The Jungle (Carry On Oi! Version)
22. Horror Show (Oi! Oi! That’s Your Lot)
23. Wicked Women (United Skins)
24. Oi! Oi! Skinhead (Album Out-take)