The Business

Loud, proud, and (still) punk

by John O'Neill

With 19 years under their belt, eight albums, and numerous singles, EPs and compilation inclusions, the Business are, more likely than not, the greatest punk band in the world whom you've never heard of. At least not if you live in the United States of America. Check any of the more popular, comprehensive record guides (Trouser Press, Rolling Stone, Music Hound, etc.), and you'll find no mention of the Biz, nor upon further inspection will you find any of their contemporaries (with the exception of Sham 69) listed.

"We were roasted from day one," explains vocalist Mickey Fitz from his home in South London. "All the mainstream was disco. Real disco. Bands like us outsell these bands, but we get no airplay whatsoever. What are record companies looking for? Corporate accountants have a lot to answer for. Not just music, they fuck up employment in general."

The answer to the band's US anonymity probably lies somewhere in the fact that the Business fall into the much maligned, more misunderstood category of Oi!, a form of punk born in the late '70s in the streets of working-class cities and towns like London, Brighton, and Hersham. A natural progression of the first wave of English punk, it was just as much a knee-jerk reaction to the fashion show the scene was rapidly becoming. And while Oi! bands like the Business, Blitz, Cockney Rejects, and Sham 69 were making social commentaries on the working-class inequities, more often than not their music was that of ordinary blokes, playing what they knew as life. Sham's "Hurry Up Harry," arguably Oi's biggest hit, was about going to the pub. Major-label record companies, already leaving punk for the greener pastures of the-next-big-thing, eyed the Oi! movement with stunning indifference, even as bands like the Business routinely racked up sales of more than 30,000 units on independent labels.

The second hurdle Oi! faced was inherent. By bringing the music to a more simplistic, aggressive street level, it attracted an element depicted as thugish. None received more attention than the Nazi faction of the skinheads, who had a peripheral involvement in the scene, though far less than what was being depicted by the media.

"It's a very street music, but no more so that hardcore or rap. I've seen on the Internet about skins, and it's frightening; the right-wing side, which is how people still see it in the States. It's not really like that," Fitz says. "One of those talk shows would never have the guts to put us on, because then kids would see being a skin is okay. We get whites, blacks, Jewish kids.

"Well," Fitz wryly adds, "obviously things change in the southern states."

About to embark on their fourth US tour (they play the Espresso Bar this Saturday) in support of their new album, The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing But the Truth (Taang!), the Business, rounded out by guitarist Steve Whale, drummer Micky Fairbarin, and bassist Lol Proctor (original guitarist Steve Kent still contributes to the group but doesn't tour), find themselves in an enviable position. Although they still aren't a household name, they've produced their finest studio album with The Truth for a very reputable indie label, without sacrificing a shred of credibility or integrity.

Produced by Rancid's Lars Fredrickson, The Truth walks the grimy London streets with songs about the hopelessness of life on the dole, class struggle, drug addiction, and selling out. But while the album takes its socio-political punches, it also has a gentler undercurrent that comes with the wisdom of age. While there are no regrets: there may be a better way. And, like any good Oi! band, the Business load their songs with lots of catchy pop hooks, football-style chant choruses, and a good shit on current trends. The band who railed to "Smash the Discos" 16 years ago is back to send electronica to an early grave with "Death to Dance." In short, not much has changed for the Business.

"We've grown up a bit, but it's the Business. We can't change. I can't change the philosophy of what we write. We believe what we believe in." And they're willing to share their beliefs, as well as their insight, with today's punks who want to take the time and listen.

"I don't want the kids to make the same mistakes we made," offers Fitz matter-of-factly. "Don't let record companies screw you, things like that. I'm enjoying [touring] more because we can offer advice.

"I could make more money at home, working. But I love this. The best feeling in the world is standing up in front of three hundred or four hundred people. I've played soccer at [a full] Wembley Stadium, and that's a close second. But it really is the greatest feeling."

The Business appear at 8 p.m. on February 28 at the Espresso Bar. Tickets are $10. Call 770-1455.