The Business

Few bands were more closely tied to the Oi! scene than The Business, the English punk group formed by school friends in Lewisham, South London, in 1979. Built around frontman Micky Fitz, they lasted four decades, and they set themselves apart by opposing political extremism even as the movement was tarred as far right.

Their debut single, "Harry May", released in November 1981, spent over three months in the UK Indie Chart and peaked at No. 13, while the Smash the Discos EP reached No. 3 in the indie listings. Their 1983 album Suburban Rebels was a re-recording, made after master tapes went missing amid a dispute between the label and the studio, and its promotion was hampered by the label's financial troubles. The band split, then reformed in 1992 to play a benefit for Bobby Moore. The 1994 album Keep The Faith followed, then The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But The Truth (1997), produced by Lars Frederiksen of Rancid. Their football anthem "England 5 - Germany 1", inspired by a 2001 World Cup qualifier, featured in the 2004 film EuroTrip. Micky Fitz died from cancer in December 2016.