Cock Sparrer/Michael McColgan & The Bomb Squad/No Time @ Brooklyn Paramount, Brooklyn, NY 3/29/26

Although they have been active since 1972, Cock Sparrer made their biggest impact in the first half of the 80's as one of THE faces of British Oi punk. They issued music on Decca before that the 1982 album Shock Troops has many of the songs in the show. You want an idea of what sums it all up? "England Belongs To Me" the 1982 single which didn't make the cut of the initial Shock Troops but was reissued later on. Sunday night also got the B-side "Argy Bargy." "Working" was dedicated to the people that work with their hands using shovels and working on scaffolding as they put it.

Although they are the statement the Blue Collar side of the coin, what struck me was how time made them damn near Grandfatherly. Their newer stuff like "Here We Stand" aims to comfort everyone. When everyone's preaching at you and you need a helping hand, the Cock Sparrer of today stand at your service. Boston Firefighter Michael McColgan went to work in that field between singing for the Dropkick Murphys and the Street Dogs. His new band does career hits from the Dropkick Murphy's Do or Die album, Street Dogs material and covers like "T.N.T." by AC/DC.

I got there while No Time were on, so I missed Dark Thoughts from Philly. No Time are 10 year vets from the other side of the state in the PGH. In this scene ten years with a few titles release is but a blip. When you think of it Cock Sparrer needed all that time and more to put out the music they are mostly known for. Interestingly the Saturday night in the weeks leading up to the show were selling in the 70 dollar range so I bought the cheap night not knowing Oi buzz band (if there is such a thing) Beton Arme from Montreal was on that bill.

I thought I was getting a big deal at $21 but it dropped all the way down to $4 maybe $7 with fees. You could never tell on the actual night of the show, that room was packed out and a big "Sold Out" notice was on the digital marquee in lights. Not the sort of industry trappings you think of for a band like Cock Sparrer, which elicted a giant "WHO?" from the bartender down the street when asking who was playing. Scarcity sells and people want the real deal in this case working class British Oi done by actual Britons who normally would be collecting their pensions and nursing their backs. It seems like this was being advertised as the end, but at least in NYC the band is bigger than when they played CB's in 2000 or even a three night stand at Warsaw in 2015 & 2017. They apparently never made it out of the UK until a European tour in the 90's, so this is a fairly recent turn of events. Don't underestimate the selling power of a curated CD jukebox at the punk rock bars. They still call it "word of mouth."

Search This Blog

NYC Show Obsessive

Cock Sparrer/Michael McColgan & The Bomb Squad/No Time @ Brooklyn Paramount, Brooklyn, NY 3/29/26

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Outlaw Music Festival: Willie Nelson & Family/Bob Dylan/Wilco/Lucinda Williams @ Northwell at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY 8/1/25

Margo Price/Pearl Charles @ Webster Hall, New York, NY 2/19/26

Dinosaur Jr./Snail Mail/Easy Action @ Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY 7/17/25