Oi Polloi
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Oi Polloi are an anarcho-punk band from Scotland that formed around 1981, also notable for their contributions to the Scottish Gaelic punk sub-genre.
History
Oi Polloi's first studio recording was a demo entitled Destroi the System, which is believed to have been released in 1984 or 1985. After the now defunct music weekly Sounds gave their previous home-recorded demo a favourable review, demand increased for gigs further afield. A second studio demo, Green Anarchoi followed before the release of the first vinyl offering, Resist the Atomic Menace. The line-up of the group has starred an impressive fifty members since their formation, making up the countless incarnations of the band. The band is currently based in Scotland.
The band holds a political view which some call ultra-hardline ecologism, with the motto "No compromise in defence of our earth". They support direct action in defence of the environment, and endorse resistance against racialism, fascism and imperialism. They are considered by many to be one of the premier faces of anarcho-punk. They have recently started singing in Scottish Gaelic and use the language in day to day communications. They see the use of Gaelic and other endangered languages as important to maintaining the biocultural diversity of life. They recently toured Europe with Seattle-based punk band Mill a h-Uile Rud who sing entirely in Scots Gaelic. Singer Ruairidh has recently become involved in Gaelic television and has appeared as Moses on a Gaelic comedy programme. Despite what some believe, the band did not start out as a "skinhead band" but was in fact formed by a bunch of teenage schoolkids who played their first gig at Stewarts Melville College in Edinburgh in late 1981. After numerous other gigs in the Edinburgh area and the recording of the group's first cassette demo "Last of the Mohicans" on a home hi-fi, drummer Stu "Doccy" Dunn left to become a karate instructor and was replaced by Muz who later recorded with the Apostles. Apostles and Political Asylum original drummer Chris Low also did a stint on the kit for a time while various other one time Oi Polloi members went on to play in such varied bands as Disorder, Exploited, Gin Goblins, Newtown Grunts, Moniack and In Decades Decline. Drummer Murray Briggs who played on several of the band's 7" records as well as the "Fuaim Catha" LP now plays in Scottish Indie band Aberfeldy along with brother Riley who himself had a brief spell as Oi Polloi guitarist back in the '90s. Brian Tipa was instrumental in writing a great deal of material for the band in the mid-1990s. He was a member of the American band Blownapart Bastards who later formed Uwharria. David 'Rat' Connolly was the guitarist through much of the early years, playing his last gig and album in 1991. Rat wrote the music for classic songs such as Pigs for Slaughter and Boot down the Door, he went on to become an Archaeologist and Middle Eastern adventurer.
The name Oi Polloi is a pun on the English loan of the Greek phrase hoi polloi (Greek:Οι πολλοί) which means literally "the many", but is extended to mean "the masses" or "the common people". Oi! refers to a form of punk music.
Discography
DEMO TAPES
- ''LAST OF THE MOHICANS(released 1984)
- ''DESTROY THE SYSTEM(released 1985)
- ''GREEN ANARCHOI(released 1986)
- ''87 DEMO(released 1987)
7\" EPs
- Resist The Atomic Menace 1986 (re-released 1994)
- Outrage 1988
- Omnicide 1991 (Words of Warning Records)
- Guilty (Ruptured Ambitions records) 1993
- Oi Polloi / Blownapart Bastards (Split) 1994
- Oi Polloi - s/t (Nikt Nic Nie Wie)
- ''Bare Faced Hypocrisy Sells Records The Anti-Chumawamba EP w/Riot/Clone, The Bus Station Loonies, Anxiety Society, The Chineapple Punks, Love Chips and Peas, and Wat Tyler 1998 (Ruptured Ambitions Records)
- THC (Campary Rec.) 1998
- Let The Boots Do The Talking (Ruptured Ambitions) 1999
- Carson? (Nikt Nic Nie Wie) 2003
- ''Ceòl Gàidhlig mar Sgian nad Amhaich (compilation with Mill a h-uile rud, Atomgevitter and Nad Aislingean) (Problem Records) 2005
12\" LPs
- Skins 'N' Punks Volume Two (Split w Betrayed) 1986
- Unlimited Genocide (Split w A.O.A.) 1986
- Mad As... (Split w Toxic Ephex) 1987
- Unite And Win (Oi! Records) 1987
- In Defence Of Our Earth (Words Of Warning Records) 1990
- You've Heard It All Before Track on The Crass Covers Compilation album (Ruptured Ambitions Records) 1993
- Fight Back! (Re-Release Of Old Split Material) 1994
- Total Anarchoi (Live/Studio Collection - CD/LP) 1996
- Fuaim Catha (Skuld Records) 1999
- Outraged By The System (Step-1 Music) 2002
- ''Ar Cànan, Ar Ceòl, Ar-a-mach' 2006
External links
- [Official site]
- ()[Article on Gaelic punk in The Scotsman newspaper]
- [Article in the Scotsman's Gaelic page on Oi Polloi and their Ar Cànan, Ar Ceòl, Ar-a-mach LP]
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