View source for Oi Polloi

{{Short description|Scottish punk rock band}}
{{about|the Scottish punk band|the Greek expression|hoi polloi}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox 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             = {{hlist|[[Anarcho-punk]]|[[Oi!]]|[[hardcore punk]]|[[crust punk]]|[[Scottish Gaelic punk]]}}
| label             = Campary Records, Ruptured Ambitions, Words of Warning, Oi! Records, Green Vomit
| associated_acts   = [[Aberfeldy (band)|Aberfeldy]]<br/> [[The Apostles (band)|The Apostles]]<br /> [[Disorder (band)|Disorder]]<br/> [[The Exploited]]<br/>[[Political Asylum (band)|Political Asylum]]<br/> Kansalaistottelemattomuus<br/>[[Kling Klang (band)|Kling Klang]] <br/> [[Bus Station Loonies]]<br/> Gin Goblins<br/> Newtown Grunts<br/> Divide & Conquer<br/> Moniack <br/>In Decades Decline <br/> Rocka Ragnarok
| current_members   = Deek Allen<br/>Cameron Tongs<br/>Oigridh<br/>Olsen
| past_members      = Ade (drummer)<br/>Matt Finch (guitar)<br/> Dirty Dave Campbell (guitar)<br/>Yaga (guitar)<br/> Derek Reid (bass) <br/> Riley Briggs (guitar)<br/> Murray Briggs (drums)<br/>Grant Thorburn (drums)<br/>Chris Low (drums) Kev McInally (drums) <br/>Grant 'Muz' Munro (bass) <br/> [[Chris Willsher]] (drums)<br/>Goz (bass)<br/>Calum Mackenzie (bass)<br/> Brian Tipa<br/>David Connolly (“Rat”)
<br/>others
}}

'''Oi Polloi''' are a [[punk rock]] band from [[Scotland]] that formed around 1981. Starting as an [[Oi!]] band, they are now generally more associated with the [[anarcho-punk]] [[genre]]. The band has become notable for their contributions to the [[Scottish Gaelic punk]] subgenre.<ref>[http://www.scotsman.com/gaelic/an-d-224-ch-242-mhlan-punc-a-tha-a-seinn-sa-gh-224-idhlig-1-740236 "An dà chòmhlan punc a tha a' seinn sa Ghàidhlig"]. ''The Scotsman'' (18 March 2005)</ref> The name comes from the Greek expression "οἱ πολλοί", Anglicized ''[[hoi polloi]]'', meaning "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-language television.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eventseeker.com/artist/4621-oi-polloi|title=Oi Polloi - Artist Profile|website=eventseeker.com|language=en|access-date=2020-02-27}}</ref> The band has included [[punk (subculture)|punks]] 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 sabotage]], as well as resistance to racism, [[sexism]], [[homophobia]], fascism and [[imperialism]]. They are also supporters of [[Linux]] and criticized [[Microsoft]] in their song, L.I.N.U.X.

==Career==
[[Image:Polloi Lindeberg bhon eisteachd.jpg|thumb|left|Oi Polloi performing at Augustibuller festival in Lindeberg, Sweden in August 2005.]]
After gigs in the Edinburgh area and the recording of the band's self-recorded first cassette demo, ''Last of the Mohicans'', drummer Stu "Doccy" Dunn left to become a karate instructor. A second studio demo, ''Green Anarchoi'' and their first vinyl EP, ''Resist the Atomic Menace'', followed.

Oi Polloi started singing in [[Scottish Gaelic]] in 1996, recording the ''[[Carson?]]'' EP, (2003), then recording and releasing the full-length LP ''[[Ar Ceòl Ar Cànan Ar-A-Mach]]'' in 2006.<ref>[http://www.scotsman.com/gaelic/ar-a-mach-c-224-nain-a-chiad-chl-224-r-fada-roc-gu-tur-sa-gh-224-idhlig-1-1116823 "Ar-a-mach cànain: a' chiad chlàr fada roc gu tur sa Ghàidhlig"]. ''The Scotsman'' (5 May 2006)</ref> The band members also use Scottish Gaelic in day-to-day communications.<ref>[http://www.scotsman.com/news/gaels-must-look-to-the-radical-fringe-1-1402698 "Gaels must look to the radical fringe"]. ''The Scotsman'' (30 July 2005)</ref>

In 2013, they collaborated with [[CLÀR]], a Scottish Gaelic publisher, to launch ''[[Air Cuan Dubh Drilseach]]'', a Gaelic science fiction novel by Tim Armstrong, the singer of Mill a h-Uile Rud, at events at Elvis Shakespeare on Leith Walk and on The Cruz Boat at the shore in Leith.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://drilseach.net/2013/04/29/bogadh-punc-ann-an-dun-eideann/ |title=Bogadh Punc ann an Dun Eideann |author= Armstrong, Tim |date=April 2013 |publisher= DRILSEACH  |access-date=29 April 2013}}</ref>

==Legacy and influence==
[[Steve Von Till]] of American [[avant-garde metal]] group [[Neurosis (band)|Neurosis]] cited the band as an influence, along with other British [[Anarcho-punk]] bands of the early 80s.<ref name="Deller1">{{cite web |last1=Deller |first1=Alex |title=Neurosis: 'Crass were the mother of all bands' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/nov/03/neurosis-crass-bands-anarcho-punk-steve-von-till |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=27 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129004419/https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/nov/03/neurosis-crass-bands-anarcho-punk-steve-von-till |archive-date=29 November 2022 |location=[[Kings Place, London]] |language=British English |date=3 November 2016}}</ref>

==Discography==
[[Image:Oi Polloi 2006.jpg|thumb|right|Oi Polloi live in 2006.]]

===12" LPs===
*''Skins 'N' Punks Volume Two'' (Split w Betrayed) 1986
*''Unlimited Genocide'' (Split w A.O.A.) 1986
*''Mad As...'' (Split w [[Toxik Ephex]]) 1987
*''[[Unite And Win]]'' (Oi! Records) 1987
*''[[In Defence of Our Earth]]'' (Words of Warning Records) 1990
*''You've Heard It All Before'' (Track on The [[Crass]] Covers Compilation album) (Ruptured Ambitions Records) 1993
*''[[Fight Back! (Oi Polloi album)|Fight Back!]]'' (Re-Release of Old Split Material) 1994
*''[[Total Anarchoi]]'' (Live/Studio Collection – CD/LP) 1996
*''[[Fuaim Catha]]'' (Skuld Records) 1999
*''Outraged by the System'' (Step-1 Music) 2002
*'' Heavenly Peace ''(split 12-inch EP w/ Nikmat Olalim, Campari Records) 2006
*''[[Ar Ceòl Ar Cànan Ar-A-Mach]]'' (self release/Campari records/[[Nikt Nic Nie Wie]]) 2006
*''[[Gaidhlig na Lasair]]'' (compilation of underground Gaelic punk and techno) (Problem? Records) 2006
*''Total Resistance to the Fucking System'' (Plastic Bomb) 2008
*''[[SS Politician (album)|SS Politician]]'' (Chaosrurale Records/Active Rebellion) 2010
*''Duisg!'' ([http://www.plasticbombshop.de Plastic Bomb]/Active Rebellion) 2012
*'' Saorsa ''(Ruin Nation Records) 2016

===7" EPs===
*''Resist the Atomic Menace'' 1986 (re-released 1994)
*''Outrage'' 1988
*''[[Omnicide (album)|Omnicide]]'' 1991 (Words of Warning Records)
*''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)
*''[[THC (album)|THC]]'' (Campary Rec.) 1998
*''Let the Boots Do the Talking'' (Ruptured Ambitions Records) 1999
*''[[Carson?]]'' (Nikt Nic Nie Wie) 2003
*''Ceòl Gàidhlig mar Sgian nad Amhaich'' (compilation with [[Mill a h-Uile Rud]], Atomgevitter and Nad Aislingean) (Problem Records) 2005
*''Mind the Bollocks'' (Kämäset Levyt Records) 2007
*''Cyklopen'' split EP with Kansalaistottelemattomuus 2010
*''Split EP with Appalachian Terror Unit'' Profane Existence (US)/NNNW (Europe) 2011
*''Split EP with [[Na Gathan]]'' (Limited May Tour Edition) Problem Records 2012

===DVD===
''Oi Polloi: The Movie''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://oipolloithemovie.bigcartel.com/|title=Oi Polloi - The Movie DVD|first=Oi Polloi-The Movie|last=DVD|website=Oipolloithemovie.bigcartel.com|access-date=2020-06-10}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Mill a h-Uile Rud]]
* [[Dominic Waxing Lyrical]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Facebook|pages/Oi-Polloi-Official/204143832251|Official page}}
*[http://louderthanwar.com/featured/oi-polloi-live-review Live review] by [[John Robb (musician)|John Robb]], Manchester July 2011
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071024194942/http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/gaelic.cfm?id=295942005 Article on Gaelic punk in ''The Scotsman'' newspaper] {{in lang|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]
*[http://drilseach.net/2013/04/29/bogadh-punc-ann-an-dun-eideann/ Air Cuan Dubh Drilseach website – Tim Armstrong/CLAR literary collaboration]
{{Oi Polloi|state=expanded}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Anarcho-punk groups]]
[[Category:Oi! groups]]
[[Category:Street punk groups]]
[[Category:Skinhead]]
[[Category:British anti-fascists]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1981]]
[[Category:Scottish punk rock groups]]
[[Category:Rock music groups from Edinburgh]]