The Business
Suburban Rebels

THE REVIEW

There was talk of "rock against racism," now with the Business we talk about "OI! against racism." A London-based band formed in the late seventies, they made their recording debut in 1983 with "Suburban Rebels." Having learned the lessons from the first wave of street punk, the Business bring their "studies" to light by recording this enjoyable album produced by Secret. Given the fluidity and quality material contained within, the band keeps the flag of the second punk Oi! wave flying high, achieving notable success even in the U.S.A. As I was saying earlier, the topics discussed are, like the vast majority of Oi! bands, close to anti-racism and factory workers, also showing a real obsession with football, to the point of recording in the future "England 5 - Germany 1."

The album in question is played mainly with four chords, with some "refined" strumming from time to time and very rare rock solos. Instrumentally, it is simple and direct, with the drums and bass recorded at monstrously high volumes, almost overshadowing the guitar parts. This denotes a much more stadium-like impact in these tracks, also considering the widespread group chants everywhere. The music is not particularly fast (considering current punk) and relies heavily on the vocal part, with Fitz's excellent voice executing vocal lines that are not predictable and ordinary with his impartial tone. Close to the people, they don't fail to spell out some classic "folkloric" ballads like in "drinking and driving," but the entire rest of the album plays entirely with the distorted channel.

"Suburban Rebels" is a good listen, we can find classic tracks like "Nobody Listened" whose fury immediately involves the listener, "Mortgage Mentality," an extravagant track that starts like a pop song and then continues more furious than ever, or "Blind Justice" where we find an embarrassing resemblance to their cousins Angelic Upstarts. Nothing more to add, the tracks are all good, all marked by the same imprint and all equally valid and fresh.

Recently, this work has been reissued (also on vinyl) by Captain Oi!, enriched with bonus tracks, I don't want to be intrusive but it seems like an essential purchase for enthusiasts and a great way to get closer to this music for the curious.