Forty years since Gary Bushell first coined the phrase to describe the music made by a rabble of punks, skins and herberts. Many would have thought that Oi! was just a passing fashion that would die out after a year or two, but here we are, four decades on and it is still going from strength to strength. In fact, bands such as The Last Resort and Cockney Rejects who were there from the outset are still going strong and contribute here, as well as of course the godfathers of the genre, Cock Sparrer. Genres adapt and evolve over time, otherwise they run the risk of being stuck “out on an island” and being condemned to obscurity forever.

 And so whilst you have bands that follow a pretty traditional path (Bishops Green, Doug & The Slugz, Prole) others are happy to add Hardcore into the mix (Lions Law) or dive headfirst into glam rock territory (Old Firm Casuals). The likes of Gimp Fist, Noi!se, Crashed Out and The Drowns have become modern classics in their own right too. Plenty more bands round this compilation out making it a fitting tribute to this big anniversary of music for the terraces. Cheers! Tom Chapman