The Burial
Encyclopedia
The Burial were an Oi!
band that incorporated ska
, northern soul
and folk
influences into their music. Formed in 1981 in Yorkshire
, England
, they released one album, A Day On The Town in 1988, and worked with Bradford
‘s anarchist
rant-poet Nick Toczek
on various projects under the name Britanarchists. They split in 1988.
Two of The Burial's earliest recordings, "Backstreet Child" and "I Just Can’t Forget", appear on the compilation album Oi! The Demos (80-83), whose liner notes describe the band as "the prototype Skacore band". They have three songs on the compilation Oi! of Sex — two as The Burial ("Old Mans Poison", "Friday Night") and one as Nick Toczek's Britanarchists ("Stiff With a Quiff"). Their song "Sheila" appears on the compilation The Sound of Oi!, and their song "Holding On" appears on Oi! Glorious Oi!.
Their sound is described in Spirit of ‘69 A Skinhead Bible as a "volatile Punk and Soul cocktail." In his article "Oi!: The Truth", Garry Bushell
wrote: "Scarborough’s Burial cited Oi and 2-Tone as forebears and mixed the sounds of ska and rowdy bootboy punk
in their set." A song by Bushell's band The Gonads, "Joys of Oi!", included the lyric "Burial at number one". i-D
magazine described The Burial as "probably the first skinhead band to ever play ska". The band were regularly featured in the traditional skinhead
fanzine Hard as Nails, and were described in Issue 4 as "Great Streetpunk hopes".
influence on the band. He was an active member of the Militant tendency
, and he vigorously supported the National Union of Miners in its year-long strike action
, as well as supporting working class
revolutionary socialist
groups such as Red Action
, to whom The Burial gave an interview in which guitarist Chris said: "I’ve got short hair doesn’t mean I’m a frigging Nazi. Don’t mean I’m a Commie either." Barnes told i-D
magazine:
i-D
wrote: "They formed six years ago, emerging at the same time as The Redskins
, but whereas the later responded to boneheads by moving into the student circuit, a strong feature of The Burial’s gigs was the Nazi-bashing." The article includes a quote from Paul McGinn of the Glasgow Spy Kids: "They were the first band to stand up and say what a lot of people felt". The book Spirit of ‘69: A Skinhead Bible included a quote from singer Mick Hall at a concert in Stockton in 1985, in which he said to the audience: "You read in the papers all Skinheads are thick fascist thugs. I’m not a thick fascist thug. Are there any thick fascist thugs in here?"
Oi!
Oi! is a working class subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads and other working-class youths ....
band that incorporated ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
, northern soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
influences into their music. Formed in 1981 in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, they released one album, A Day On The Town in 1988, and worked with Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
‘s anarchist
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
rant-poet Nick Toczek
Nick Toczek
Nick Toczek is a British writer and performer working variously as poet, journalist, magician, vocalist, lyricist and radio broadcaster. He was raised in Bradford and then took a degree in Industrial Metallurgy at Birmingham University where he began reading and publishing his poetry...
on various projects under the name Britanarchists. They split in 1988.
Two of The Burial's earliest recordings, "Backstreet Child" and "I Just Can’t Forget", appear on the compilation album Oi! The Demos (80-83), whose liner notes describe the band as "the prototype Skacore band". They have three songs on the compilation Oi! of Sex — two as The Burial ("Old Mans Poison", "Friday Night") and one as Nick Toczek's Britanarchists ("Stiff With a Quiff"). Their song "Sheila" appears on the compilation The Sound of Oi!, and their song "Holding On" appears on Oi! Glorious Oi!.
Their sound is described in Spirit of ‘69 A Skinhead Bible as a "volatile Punk and Soul cocktail." In his article "Oi!: The Truth", Garry Bushell
Garry Bushell
Garry Bushell is an English newspaper columnist, rock music journalist, television presenter, author and political activist. Bushell also sings in the Oi! band The Gonads and manages the New York City Oi! band Maninblack. Bushell's recurring themes are comedy, country and class...
wrote: "Scarborough’s Burial cited Oi and 2-Tone as forebears and mixed the sounds of ska and rowdy bootboy punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
in their set." A song by Bushell's band The Gonads, "Joys of Oi!", included the lyric "Burial at number one". i-D
I-D
i-D is a British magazine dedicated to fashion, music, art and youth culture. i-D was founded by designer and former Vogue art director Terry Jones in 1980. The first issue was published in the form of a hand-stapled fanzine with text produced on a typewriter...
magazine described The Burial as "probably the first skinhead band to ever play ska". The band were regularly featured in the traditional skinhead
Trojan skinhead
Trojan skinheads are individuals who identify with the original British skinhead subculture of the late 1960s, when ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul music were popular, and there was a heavy emphasis on mod-influenced clothing styles...
fanzine Hard as Nails, and were described in Issue 4 as "Great Streetpunk hopes".
Political views
Eric 'Barney' Barnes was the chief leftistLeft-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
influence on the band. He was an active member of the Militant tendency
Militant Tendency
The Militant tendency was an entrist group within the British Labour Party based around the Militant newspaper that was first published in 1964...
, and he vigorously supported the National Union of Miners in its year-long strike action
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
, as well as supporting working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
revolutionary socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
groups such as Red Action
Red Action
Red Action is a small British leftist political group formed in 1981. It became known for violently confronting racist and fascist opponents on the streets, and for supporting Anti-Fascist Action...
, to whom The Burial gave an interview in which guitarist Chris said: "I’ve got short hair doesn’t mean I’m a frigging Nazi. Don’t mean I’m a Commie either." Barnes told i-D
I-D
i-D is a British magazine dedicated to fashion, music, art and youth culture. i-D was founded by designer and former Vogue art director Terry Jones in 1980. The first issue was published in the form of a hand-stapled fanzine with text produced on a typewriter...
magazine:
I come from an iron ore mining village near Middlesbrough and a strong trade union background. A lot of my family were original skins and to us SkinheadSkinheadA skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
was a working class movement and fascism is totally opposed to that. The strong grounding in working class politics has given Northern Skins an abhorrence of the National Front that London skins never had.
i-D
I-D
i-D is a British magazine dedicated to fashion, music, art and youth culture. i-D was founded by designer and former Vogue art director Terry Jones in 1980. The first issue was published in the form of a hand-stapled fanzine with text produced on a typewriter...
wrote: "They formed six years ago, emerging at the same time as The Redskins
The Redskins
The Redskins were a 1980s English band, notable for their left-wing politics and catchy, danceable songs. Their music combined influences from soul, rockabilly, pop and punk rock.- History :...
, but whereas the later responded to boneheads by moving into the student circuit, a strong feature of The Burial’s gigs was the Nazi-bashing." The article includes a quote from Paul McGinn of the Glasgow Spy Kids: "They were the first band to stand up and say what a lot of people felt". The book Spirit of ‘69: A Skinhead Bible included a quote from singer Mick Hall at a concert in Stockton in 1985, in which he said to the audience: "You read in the papers all Skinheads are thick fascist thugs. I’m not a thick fascist thug. Are there any thick fascist thugs in here?"
Line-up
- Michael 'Mick' Hall - vocals
- Chris Weston - lead guitar and vocals
- Eric 'Barney' Barnes - rhythm guitar and vocals
- Ashley Bell - bass guitar and vocals
- Charlie Seymour - drums and vocals