The Warriors, The Dilinquents, Rebel City Radio.

Lev 2 Esquires Bedford. 25th July 2008.

Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going. That motto would surely apply to the old gents of old skool oi-punk band THE WARRIORS. Formed out of the remnants of first generation oi punks Last Resort, the band are keeping this particular flame alight. It's ironic to reflect that it was in July 1981 that premier oi legends 4-Skins almost single handedly gave this 'bastard' son of punk the disgraced name that it has never fully recovered from, as the infamous Southall gig went down as the total nadir of oi.

Oi conjured up skinheads, boots and braces, and more worryingly football hooliganism starring the oi crews favourite team West Ham, and the infamous thugs who called themselves 'the inter city firm'. Tonight a few of the old 'boys' turn up for old times sake, but although the band give it maximum effort, it's a set that is tired and dying long before the close. With a few reminders of their past, it's former Gonads frontman Garry Bushell that receives the most flak. A man that The Warriors openly accuse of "selling his soul to The Sun".

Of the rest, "Unite the Scene" is all about the band and followers of oi together. "Compromise your Beliefs" is a bang up to date new song, while the old geezers in attendance are fed an old favourite with "Johnny Bardon". The ironically entitled "Last Resort" is tonight described by the band as a song about "a shit seaside town"! The "Bad Guys" are just that, and the much shouted for encore sees the inflation ravaged "£8 a Week" get a time warped airing. The song gets a singalong crowd reaction, while The Warriors round the evening off with another airing of "Johnny Bardon" because apparently they had not rehearsed any more material!

Supporting are, firstly, DILINQUENTS lads Richard and Jason together with pal Ben. They fill in literally at the last minute to cover for absentees The Juvies. It's an acoustic set that cuts through the blues, country and punk borders. Although at times it seems slightly surreal for some of the old punks in attendance, it is good to see a varied set of covers from this talented trio.

Birmingham quartet REBEL CITY RADIO are a cranked up loud and fast punk band who extract some crowd reaction with "Murphy's Law" and invite a stage invasion at their close.



REVIEW TWO BY Justin Openshaw

Bedford use to be a hotbed of skinhead culture, and their fearsome reputation often left neighbouring towns crumbling in their wake. However, times have moved on, and judging by the meagre attendance at tonights gig, so have the skinheads.

THE WARRIORS have built up their following mainly on the strength of vocalists Graham Saxby connections with Oi legends The Last Resort. For anyone who does not know The Last Resort were shrouded in controversy concerning their political leanings and unfortunately attracted a racist element that led to the bands demise. The Warriors were formed by Saxby in 1982 and have since released several albums and a split live dvd with The Oppressed. Gigs have been sporadic, mainly due to the band continually splitting and reforming.

Tonights support comes from REBEL CITY RADIO who hail from Birmingham. As I walk into Esquires I can almost see the tumbleweed blow through the legs of the handful of people who have bothered turning up. The place is almost deserted , and I`ve seen happier faces at a wake. Out of the gloom, Rebel City Radio hit the stage. They are a youngish energetic foursome of punksters who bounce around the stage like Zebedee on caffeine. The music is fast, and a combination of punk and ska reminiscent of bands like Rancid, and Less Than Jake. They springboard off their monitors, and do all they can to muster some kind of reaction from the pitiful audience. They would have more chance of rising the dead than a handclap, but they seemed a cheerful bunch and played a decent enough set.

THE WARRIORS climb on stage looking like they`ve just walked off a building site. Old, weary and tattooed, they could almost be the Dads of the support band. The singer Saxby has a quite formidable presence as he prowls around the stage like a caged tiger. The music is raw, basic ,street punk with catchy singalong choruses. Theres a distinct lack of tricky guitar solos tonight , what we get is choppy, buzzsaw power chords. This is Oi, circa 1980 and surprisingly enough the crowd starts to respond. The band plays a few songs by The Last Resort, intermingled with both new and old songs by The Warriors. Song titles, such as `Gary Bushell`, ``Horrorshow`, `Burn Down The Discos` and `Warriors` along with crowd favourites such as `Johnny Barden` and a cover version of Cock Sparrer`s `Watch your back`. The place is warming up , Saxby has taken his shirt off and the small crowd is jumping.

By the end of their set, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and the band were even called back to do two encores. All in all ,it was an enjoyable gig, and the people who didn’t turn up are the people who missed out. In times where we are inundated with manufactured pop bands , its good to see a bunch of honest , working class blokes jump up on stage and raise hell.