The Business

The Business

The Business are an English oi! band from Lewisham, South London, active from 1979 to 2016. They are associated with oi, punk, street punk and punk rock, and become closely tied to the oi! scene from the early 1980s.

Formation and early releases

The band forms in 1979 with school friends Steven Kent on guitar, Michael Fitzsimons, known as Micky Fitz, on vocals, Nicholas Cunningham on drums and Martin Smith on bass. Their first gig takes place in February 1980, and they soon perform more regularly after Lol Pryor becomes their manager. Their first recorded appearance is the song “Out in the Cold” on the compilation A Sudden Surge of Sound.

Their first oi! concert comes in 1981, when they support The 4-Skins. Later that year they release “Harry May”, which spends more than three months in the UK Indie Chart and reaches No. 13.

Line-up changes and albums in the 1980s

The original line-up splits in late 1981, with Kent, Cunningham and Smith forming Q-Bow. Fitz continues with Pryor and recruits Graham Ball on guitar, Mark Brennan and Steve Whale from The Blackout, and John Fisher on drums. That line-up plays its live debut in January 1982. Ball and Fisher then leave, and the band becomes a four-piece with Kev Boyce of The Blackout on drums.

This line-up records the Smash the Discos EP, which becomes a No. 3 indie hit. The band then records an album intended to be called Loud, Proud, and Punk, but the master tapes go missing after disputes between the label and studio. The album is re-recorded and issued as Suburban Rebels in 1983. The label later remixes it without the band’s knowledge, and limited promotion follows because of the label’s financial problems.

Frustrated by this, the band splits again. Pryor later issues a retrospective album of demos and live tracks on Syndicate, and its success leads to a reforming of the group. They then record another version of Loud, Proud, and Punk, presented as a live album but actually recorded in a studio with crowd noise added later.

Record labels, controversy and further releases

By late 1985, Pryor has renamed his label Wonderful World and issues several Business albums. The band also tours under the name “Drinking and Driving”, a title that draws tabloid criticism even though it is intended as a joke. In late 1986, Brennan and Pryor found Link Records. Brennan becomes increasingly involved in the label, and the band breaks up again.

In 1992, Fitz sings a few songs with The Elite and then reforms The Business for a benefit concert for Bobby Moore. Brennan does not join this version, having set up Captain Oi! Records. The new line-up is Micky Fitz on vocals, Steve Whale on guitar, Lol Proctor on bass and Micky Fairbairn on drums. The band releases the single “Anywhere But Here” and the album Keep The Faith in 1994.

1990s and 2000s activity

After touring in western Europe, The Business plays its first shows in America in August 1994. In 1997 they release The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But The Truth, produced by Lars Frederiksen of Rancid. In 2000 they work with Dropkick Murphys on Mob Mentality. Their final studio album, No Mercy For You, appears in 2001.

The song “England 5 - Germany 1”, based on a World Cup qualifying result in 2001, becomes one of the band’s best-known later tracks and develops into a football anthem for England. It also appears in the film EuroTrip.

Later years, touring and final line-up

By 2006 Fitz has rebuilt the band after overcoming alcoholism. That year they tour the United States with Fitz, Robin Guy on drums, Daniel on guitar and Trots on bass, with Trots becoming a long-serving member. In September 2006 Fitz brings in Tosh of Section 5 on guitar, followed by Bundie on drums. The band records in Berlin, including three covers and a version of “Mean Girl”, a Status Quo song originally by one of Fitz’s favourite bands. Mitch Harris of Napalm Death guests on the title track. Bad Dog Records issues the material as an EP, with a live set from London’s Marquee Club in 1982 on the B-side.

The group continues touring widely, including visits to Chile, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Japan, Singapore, Bangkok, South Korea, Europe and the United States. It also releases a split 7-inch with Control. The Mean Girl recordings, the Marquee tapes, the split release and a recording from Full Force Festival are later combined for the US mini-album Doing The Business.

In 2010 Tosh leaves and, after a short period with Johny Skullknuckles, Fish of The Skeptix, Discharge and Demon joins on guitar. The band’s last release, Back in The Day, includes the return of original guitarist Steve Kent on guitar and backing vocals. It appears on Randale Records and Sailors Grave Records in 2014.

Micky Fitz is diagnosed with cancer in 2015, and the band plays its final show in Badalona, Spain, in October that year. Fitz dies in December 2016.