4-Skins, Skinfull, Code 1, 16 Guns.

Lev 2 Esquires Bedford. 6th February 2010.

Anyone who doubts the pulling power of old skool oi punk bands should have been at Esquires tonight. At £14 advance, tickets are not cheap. However, for fans of the premier eighties skinhead band THE 4-SKINS, it was the perfect chance for us all to recreate and, above all, wallow in oi nostalgia.

Founded in August 1979, the band made good steady progress, singing of working class strife and lifes all-too frequent injustices. The events of 3rd July 1981 changed all that. This gig and subsequent 4-Skins history would always centre around Southall. After numerous line-up changes, the band broke up in the mid-eighties. The clamour for them to reform grew to such an extent that founder member Gary Hodges is now keeping the memory alive. Joining him in 2010 are Tom Brennan (guitar), Graham Bacon (bass) and Sedge Swatton (drums). As the band arrive on stage, there is a fanatical cheer. Level 2 is packed. Everyone is squeezed together and oxygen and space are at a premium! Late arrivals for a ticket are turned away. This gig is sold out. Fan worship is there for all to see and rarely does it overstep the mark. The de riguer attire this evening is plain and simple. Tattoos, piercings of the imaginable kind, cropped hair and, of course, DM boots and braces. You are sorted mate! The 4-Skins motto has, and I suppose always will be, "We don't incite violence, we only sing about what happens"! To be fair, their lyrics are as relative today in Brown's Britain as they were in Thatcher's country nearly thirty years ago.

The set culls from the band's glorious past. "Yesterdays Hero" may be, in Hodges words, about "old bastards". That's true, it comes to everybody I'm afraid! Despite the bands notorious past, "I don't wanna die" is about anti-fascists. The crowd lap it up enthusiastically, enjoying everything that The 4-Skins perform. "Jealousy", "Wonderful World" and "Shout it Out" prove that the skinhead oi culture is alive and kicking. There is however, a surreal departure as bizzarely the band perform a cover. It just happens to be Slade's "Cum on feel the noize"! With "Evil" followed by my personal favourite, a superb "Clockwork Skinhead", a few minor disturbances result in a couple of likely lads being yanked out for an early bath. The 4-Skins philosophy is still true to us tax paying citizens - "We're not going to take this shit!". "Thanks for the Memory" is a suitable conclusion to an unforgettable night.

The support bands are all well received. I particularly enjoyed SKINFULL, a young and highly energetic street punk band from Coventry. Formerly known as The Aids, they comprise Russ (vocals), Captain (guitar), Bacon (guitar), Spritza (bass) and Dom (drums). Their songs about social issues, namely "Smash em", contrast well with the self-explanatory "Mr Bouncer" (we've all got them haven't we!). The politically sensitive "Suicide Bomber" is heavily influenced by The Ruts. They may cater for the old skool, but on a few of their songs there is a sumptious visceral hardcore driven guitar sound.

CODE 1 are, in their own words, "telling it like it is". With bands such as these, it proves that punk in the 21st century is still a social commentary. A most 'in yer face' incendiary and nihilistic look at life's issues. The material smacks of Sky News, gangster culture and the vile individuals known as "Pervert Scum". Code 1 sing angrily "Paedos, we're going to hang em, hand em high". Lyrically in touch with us ordinary citizens, it makes me wonder why more MP's don't attend punk gigs to find out what's really happening at grassroots level.

16 GUNS open. "Evil Man" is their single. There are gritty songs aplenty, especially "Child Batterer" - a sad indictment of today. "Can't pay won't pay" is also a reflection on the modern world. The mood lightens as the final song of 16 Guns set is a tribute to Sir Cliff Richard - a punk cover of "Move it"!