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Biography
: This article is about the Scottish punk band. For the Greek expression see hoi polloi . Unreferenced|date=September 2010Infobox musical artist| name = Oi Polloi | image = Polloi Lindeberg.JPG | caption = Oi Polloi playing at Augustibuller in Sweden, 6 August 2005 | landscape = yes | background = group_or_band | years_active = 1981–present | origin = Edinburgh , Scotland | genre = Anarcho-punk , punk rock , crossover thrash , Scottish Gaelic punk | label = Campary records, Ruptured Ambitions , Words of Warning, Oi& #33; Records, Green Vomit | associated_acts = Aberfeldy (band)|Aberfeldy Disorder (band)|Disorder The Exploited Kansalaistottelemattomuus Kling Klang (band)|Kling Klang Bus Station Loonies Gin Goblins Newtown Grunts Divide & Conquer Moniack In Decades Decline Rocka Ragnarok | current_members = Deek Allen Cameron Tongs Oigridh Olsen | past_members = Murray Briggs Stu "Doccy" Dunn Calum Mackenzie Muz Riley Briggs David "Rat" Connolly Chris "Felcher" Wheelie/ Chris Willsher Calum Nicholson The Love Doctor Neil Bateman Sned Ethan Buck Davoi Martin ozzy Roland "Roland Wagstaff" Wagstaff Gillie Euan Mckenzie Bulbheid Keith Chugwin Brian "Red" Tipa Peggy Chris Morag Dreamin' Dan Goz Yagga Dave Beards Arthur | website = http://www.myspace.com/oipolloialba Official site Oi Polloi are an anarcho-punk band from Scotland that formed around 1981. Starting as an Oi! band, they are generally associated more with the anarcho-punk genre . More recently the band have become notable for their contributions to the Scottish Gaelic punk subgenre. Their name is a pun on the English language|English loan of the Greek language|Greek phrase hoi polloi (lang-grc|?? p?????) which literally means "the many", but is extended to mean "the masses" or "the common people".
The band has gone through about 50 members since their formation, and their only permanent member has been vocalist Deek Allen who has also been involved in Gaelic television and has appeared as Moses on a Gaelic comedy programme. The band has included punk (subculture)|punk s and skinhead s. The members have been supporters of Anti-Fascist Action and Earth First! , and they use the motto "No Compromise in Defence of Our Earth," which is an adaptation of Earth First!'s motto. They support direct action in defence of the environment, Hunt Saboteurs Association|hunt sabotage , and resistance against racism , sexism , homophobia , fascism and imperialism .
Career
After numerous gigs in the Edinburgh area and the recording of the group's self-recorded first cassette demo, Last of the Mohicans , drummer Stu "Doccy" Dunn left to become a karate instructor and was replaced by Muz, who later recorded with the Apostles. Oi Polloi's first studio recording was the demo Destroi the System , which was released in 1984 or 1985. After Sounds (magazine)|Sounds magazine gave their previous home-recorded demo a favourable review, demand increased for gigs. A second studio demo, Green Anarchoi followed before the release of the first vinyl EP, Resist the Atomic Menace .
Ex Members
Apostles and Political Asylum original drummer Chris Low also did a stint for a time while various other one members went on to play in such varied bands as British Standard, Disorder (band)|Disorder , The Exploited , Kling Klang (band)|Kling Klang , Aberfeldy (band)|Aberfeldy , Bus Station Loonies , Gin Goblins , Newtown Grunts, Divide & Conquer, Moniack, In Decades Decline, Rocka Ragnarok , Firestone: Legend of the Hawk and Austin Lucas 's band The Pressmen. Drummer Murray Briggs, who played on several of the band's 7" records, as well as the Fuaim Catha LP, now plays in Scottish indie pop band Aberfeldy along with brother Riley, who had a brief spell as Oi Polloi's guitarist in the 1990s. Brian Tipa was instrumental in writing a great deal of material for the band in the mid 1990s including the FUAIM CATHA L.P. which was co written with CALUM MACKENZIE two weeks before it was recorded.. He was a member of some small unnotable American bands, and now plays in Robotnicka. David 'Rat' Connolly was the guitarist through much of the early years, playing his last gig and album in 1991. Connolly wrote the music for songs such as "Pigs for Slaughter" and "Boot Down The Door", and he went on to become an archaeology|archaeologist and Middle Eastern adventurer. Former bass player Calum Mackenzie (1992–99) relocated to the United States and now plays in the New York City -based thrash/punk band Death Mold,KRAUT,FINAL CONFLICT and PHOBIA.. On the "Omnicide" 7", bass and some vocals were by Morag Cruickshank from the Aberdeen grindcore band Grunge. Guitarist Ricky Olsen first appeared on 1999 's THC 7" , having replaced Matt "Keith Chugwin" Finch in 1997 . Olsen was replaced in 1999 by Ethan Buck (later of Dread 101 , Guided Cradle & Hellshock , and then by Yaga who left to join Disorder (band)|Disorder with now husband The Love Doctor .
Olsen later rejoined the band & a stable line-up has existed since 2001, with the exception of Calum Nicolson's replacement on bass in 2006 - Deek "Ruairidh" Allan on vocals, Cameron Tongs on drums, Oigridh on Basses & Olsen on guitars.
Gaelic
Oi Polloi started singing in Scottish Gaelic language|Scottish Gaelic in 1996, recording the Carson? EP, (released 2003), then recording & releasing the full length LP " Ar Ceòl Ar Cànan Ar-A-Mach " in 2006. They use the language in day-to-day communications. They see the use of Gaelic and other endangered languages as important to maintaining the biocultural diversity of life. They toured Europe with Seattle -based punk band Mill a h-Uile Rud , who sing only in Scottish Gaelic, and Les Ramoneurs de menhirs , who mostly sing in Breton language|Breton . The band are currently in the process of finishing their second full-length Gaelic LP Duisg! , set to be released on Mayday 2012.
Omnicide (album)|Omnicide 1991 (Words of Warning Records)
Guilty (Oi Polloi EP)|Guilty ( Ruptured Ambitions Records ) 1993
Oi Polloi / Blownapart Bastards (Split) 1994
Oi Polloi - s/t (Nikt Nic Nie Wie)
Bare Faced Hypocrisy Sells Records The Anti- Chumbawamba EP w/ Riot/Clone , The Bus Station Loonies , Anxiety Society, The Chineapple Punks, Love Chips and Peas, and Wat Tyler 1998 ( Ruptured Ambitions Records )
Oi Polloi - Documentary 2 hours of footage and much more (scheduled for release 2011) http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Oi-Polloi-The-Movie/144648902243448
External links
Official website| http://www.facebook.com/pages/Oi-Polloi-Official/204143832251
http://louderthanwar.com/featured/oi-polloi-live-review Live review by John Robb , Manchester July 2011
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/gaelic.cfm? id=295942005 Article on Gaelic punk in The Scotsman newspaperLanguage icon|gd
http://news.scotsman.com/gaelic.cfm? id=679672006 Article in the Scotsman's Gaelic page on Oi Polloi and their Ar Cànan, Ar Ceòl, Ar-a-mach LP
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/alba/radio/rapal/sessions/oi_polloi.shtml BBC Radio nan Gaidheal Rapal session February 2008 with 3 Gaelic tracks
Category:Anarcho-punk groups Category:Scottish Gaelic music Category:Street punk Category:Anti-fascists Category:Musical groups established in 1981 Category:Scottish punk rock groups
