Geoffrey Oi!cott: Motorheadingley
(Self released)
LP/DL
Out Now
Geoffrey Oicott return to the crease with their 5th cricket pun themed Oi! album. Umpire’s decision by Nathan Brown
A new Geoffrey Oicott album? How could they possibly find any more sporting double entendres to write about I asked myself? The truth is, on the brilliantly titled Motorheadingley they have allowed, to quote Ben Elton “a liddle bit of politics” to sneak in. You know the country is really up shit creek when fun loving bands like Geoffrey Oicott are compelled to comment on the state of the nation. However they do approach it in their typical bawdy humorous fashion.
They’ve hit a boundary with the title and cover art – Motorhead’s famous snaggletooth donning a cricket helmet backed by crossed bats and a ball hitting the face guard.
Musically this album continues down the same path as their previous innings. If you know them, there are no surprises. if you don’t the best I could come up with is modern Oi with clear hardcore influences. Were it not for their name I might have just called it upbeat gruff punk but I can hear influences from Angelic Upstarts (always a punk band, not an Oi band) and even French metallic Oi outfit Lion’s Law. Truth be told they’re a bunch of DIY punks who like having a laugh and like their Oi too.
The Gammon Stake is first up to bat – bouncy with a touch of the Angelic Upstarts only gruffer. The target of this song would appear to be former PM Boris Johnson. The puns are back in place for the self deprecating number Titus, A Yorkshireman (Oicott being Yorkshire lads themselves). It’s got a bit of a twang to it with a few tight breaks – not the plodalong Oi of the old days.
Not many bands can say they managed to combine cricket and onanism but that’s what you get with Knock One Out. A touch of Fat Wreck style whine on the guitar adds variety to the Oi formula. Scary Mary, Quite Contrary is driven by floor toms with plenty of stops, twists and turns to keep you on your toes and has internet conspiraloons in its sights.
Collateral Damage lays bare the class system by way of the Post Office scandal and Grenfell as examples. It’s reminiscent of the Upstarts in their Bullingdon Bastards era both musically and lyrically.
“White collar criminals never go to prison
Big CEOs never got to jail
They find another sucker further down the food chain
Look at Royal Mail”
Ball Power has a punchy chorus and takes Oicott back onto the field of cricket pun play. Meanwhile, People Made Of Lego is a great metaphor for identikit people with no personality and sterile lives. The ones who buy a generic picture of a baby they’ve never met for their beige front room. It genuinely made me laugh. Chuggy with a soaring guitar line to back up singer Kilvo’s ire, most importantly it has a singalong chorus, which is the secret to a good Oi song.
“People made of Lego – interchangeable hair
People made of Lego – get stuck on the stairs
People made of Lego – you know it’s true
People made of Lego – we’re nothing like you”
Listen to People Made of Lego by Geoffrey Oicott
A descending brooding start and even some Stooges style guitar start off Swinging From The Hip before a tune kicks in that could have come from a Lions Law album. Aside from cricket and beer, Oicott love the arrows so When I’m Sixty-Floor is all about their antics at the oche. With a little internet detective work I was able to deduce that On Halton Moor, Baht ‘At is the Geoffrey Oicott take on an old Yorkshore folk song. Again the politics slips in, challenging Tory voters and people fooled by the distraction politics of focusing all attention on “small boats”.
Just when your think the pun machine has reached it’s limit they manage to weld together Sparks and cricket! Step up This Crease Ain’t Big Enough for The Both of Us I wasn’t aware cricket hooliganism was a thing but if you let the skinheads watch cricket what do you expect?
If you don’t want to take the skinheads to cricket, take them bowling as Camper Van Beethoven once sang. Starting with a RATM piss take Vacaciones Bajo El Sol (full title only for the die hard Oicott fans) is a tribute to Rebellion and Punk Rock Bowling festivals. It also catches the 10CC “I don’t like cricket, I love it” and runs with it, applying it to the skinheads, bowling, Rebellion and Blackpool. After all that, Oicott stop for tea.
The CD was rushed out in time for Geoffrey Oicott’s annual appearance at Rebellion’s pre show and main event. The vinyl is due out any day now so can be pre-ordered. They also had a limited 50 run lathe cut 7″ for sale in Blackpool. With Fucked Up’s Jonah Falco mixing that 7 inch, it has probably sold out by now, and being flipped to gullible hipsters for twelvety hundred pounds.
I’m genuinely amazed that Captain Oi! haven’t snapped up this bunch to add something new to their re-release roster.
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Words by Nathan Brown. His Louder Than War author archive can be found here.
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