Here is an excellent release by French Oi! band Maraboots. This thing is so freaking good, I just wish I knew what the hell they were saying. Maybe it's because I've been listening to the Templars for too long who are heavily influenced by French Oi!, but it seems hard for me to find French Oi! that I don't like. The music and vocals on this are phenomenal, and these dudes can hang with any American Oi! band musically. Shit like this reminds me why I've always been an Oi! boy at heart in the first place. How many times have I said Oi! in this post? Hah. Check out this sweet music video below:
When Sydney Town Records puts out a new Oi! record, I have learned my lesson that it's time to sit up and pay attention. Although a small label, they are not to be trifled with. They only put their stamp on top tier Oi! and nothing less. Lion's Law is a French Oi! band but they sing in English, and it sounds more like traditional American brickwall Oi! to me. Unfortunately not many American bands can pull off that sound anymore, so it seems you have to look across the pond from time to time to get the job done.
I was lucky enough to score one of the color copies of this, only /50 pressed on gold vinyl. I'm real excited about this band and they are definitely on my radar. Some limited research has shown that they are one of the bigger Oi! bands in Europe right now, but they haven't really caught on in the states yet. All in all, this is a fantastic release and has really been in some heavy rotation for me.
Came with a nice poster. Listen to "Watch Em Die" below:
I am a bit embarrassed and upset with myself that I had never heard this before until lately. I have grown up on Oi! and have kind of steered away from alot of European Oi! (excluding the UK) for a long time. My friend Robbie has always loved that international Oi! flavor and has tried on several occasions to get me into different groups, and I think he showed me these guys years ago but since I couldn't understand them I lost interest very quickly.
Recently when I went to Sydney Town Records to buy that Sydney Ducks tour demo, this caught my eye. Sydney Town repressed this 1985 French Oi! release and called it a "classic"... Interesting. Figured I would throw it in my cart and go search for a free download while I was at it. Boy was I blown away. What an incredible album, I have no idea what they are saying, but the music is just so amazing and ahead of its time. These guys were light years ahead of most of the American and UK Oi! of the time, really having their whole on style and being far from cookie cutter. Sydney Ducks being one of my favorite bands right now, go figure that they sound super similar to these guys and that they re-released this album. It comes on a beautiful coke bottle clear (out of /500) and on 200 gram vinyl. This is a must own for all the Oi! boys out there. Go pick this and the Sydney Ducks demo up right here!
Just listen to how dark and awesome their title track is. It reminds me of "Disco Riot" by the Anti-Heros. Fuck yeah! There is no cheesy corn ball bullshit Oi! on this bad boy, only the realest. Now, if I only spoke French. Damn.
