Street punk

Street punk is a working class subgenre of punk rock that developed as a rebellion against the first wave of English punk (UK-77) in the early 1980s. What differentiates street punk from its counterpart Oi! is that it is a generally broader term used in internationally defining punk bands such as The Virus and A Global Threat, whereas Oi! refers moreso to the European street punk sound typified by UK bands like Sham 69 and Cockney Rejects (whose song "Oi! Oi! Oi!" served as a namesake for the genre). Most bands in this genre are typified by a louder, edgier, and faster style than "original" punk rock. The lyrics to most street punk songs are usually about, but not limited to: acts of violence (for or against), drinking and drug use, partying, inner-city turmoil, or personal politics. Most, but not all, street punk bands have a reputation for being devoutly nihilistic in nature. The typical dress for a Street Punk fan is usually in the DIY ethic of self-made clothing, hand-sewn patches, studs and/or spikes, and otherwise altered clothing. Hair styles vary from being spiked to being colored, the important factor being to not "fit in".

Musical style

Street punk is characterized by two main musical aspects: single note guitar lines and short solos. Unlike similar genres such as hardcore punk, street punk bands regularly contain two guitarists, one of which often plays guitar melodies while they're not singing. Street punk also makes frequent use of gang vocals and sing along choruses, one of the many aspects the genre borrows from Oi!.

Examples of street punk bands:

• 4-Skins
• A Global Threat
• Angelic Upstarts
• Anti-Nowhere League
• The Business
• The Casualties
• Cheap Sex
• Clit 45
• Cock Sparrer
• Copyright Chaos
• Dead Boys
• The Distillers
• The Exploited
• Fear
• GBH
• The Gits (Poland)
• The Gits (USA)
• Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards
• Leftöver Crack
• Oxymoron
• Rancid
• Roger Miret and the Disasters
• Street Dogs
• Time Again
• Toxic Narcotic
• The Unseen
• Vice Squad
• The Virus