The Business, from Lewisham, U.K., have been around for a long time. Formed in the late '70s, the band were an integral part of the second wave of punk bands that were considered to be the ‘real deal’. These working class rebels still have plenty to sing about, which is perhaps fortunate for the punters who love the rawness of the "Oi!" movement, but not so good when you consider that we’re not so far removed from the issues of 40 years ago.

As a venue for punk gigs, The Tote is pretty well up there. The intimacy of the band room (which holds a surprising number of people), the shabbiness of the décor, and the sticky, booze covered floors scream ‘working class’. The punters who attend these nights are almost as interesting as the band. The echo of a controversial (inaccurate) past reputation as a neo-fascist, extremely right-wing unit may have kept some away, and may also have attracted those intent on causing mischief, but the venue was pretty full, and there wasn’t a hint of bad blood to be found. The skinheads and punks were happy to mosh, and let loose their anger with a good dose of head banging.

Evident was the link between this band’s musical style and the huge influence that 'football chants' had and have on this genre. If we’d closed our eyes and used a little imagination, we could have been at any football ground in the U.K., listening to the fans spur on their team. Micky Fitz (vocals) punched through a short set of classic songs, with one or two new anthems thrown in for good measure. Their seminal album, Suburban Rebels, was well represented, and it was brilliant to hear “Drinking and Driving”, though I’m not sure that the punters understood that the lyrics are very tongue in cheek. If you don’t understand that this band is about singing ‘history’, then you might believe they are about stirring trouble... This couldn’t be further from the truth.

If you’ve never heard Oi! punk before, then you’ll just have to conjure this sound scape... It is a fusion of early punk sounds with '60s rock, football chants, glam, and pub rock. In the music, there’s something for most subcultures. In this Oi!-sphere, The Business are iconic, not only because they’ve been around for a long time (despite a bit of a break before reforming in '95), but because they sing songs typical of the genre, and are so genuine in their approach. Fitz may now be more comfortably off than when The Business was first conceptualised, but he has his finger on the pulse when it comes to issues that affect his country today. I guess this politicises the band, but the band is not overtly political. We were there to see this influential band perform on our home soil, and not to be subjected to a political rant. We got what we went to see, and more.