Bold, loud, and still swinging after four decades, Cockney Rejects remain one of the most influential and uncompromising voices to ever rise from London’s East End.
When it comes to pure, unapologetic street punk, few names carry the weight and history of Cockney Rejects. Formed in 1979 in the working-class districts of London’s East End, the band quickly became the soundtrack of a generation growing up between factory noise, football terraces, and concrete estates. With a sound that was loud, direct, and fiercely proud of its roots, Cockney Rejects helped define and ignite the Oi! movement, pushing punk back toward the raw energy and everyday struggles that shaped it.
In the early ’80s, their anthems from “Oi! Oi! Oi!” to “The Greatest Cockney Rip-Off” spread far beyond the East End, creating a global cult following that still grows today. Their music resonated with listeners who had never set foot in London, yet felt an immediate connection to the honesty, attitude, and street-level storytelling the band delivered.
More than four decades later, Cockney Rejects remain exactly what they were at the start: loud, fiery, and utterly uncompromising. The London they came from may have changed beyond recognition, but the band’s identity remains rooted in Canning Town and Custom House, in the people and places that shaped every riff and every shout.
This November, Balkanrock conducted an exclusive interview with Cockney Rejects ahead of their upcoming show at Zappa Barka in Belgrade on 29th of November, where they will be joined by local punk force PogonBGD as the opening act an ideal pairing for a night built on raw energy and street-level spirit. It was the perfect moment to talk about legacy, rage, and what still drives them after all these years.
Balkanrock: Your music has always carried that raw, working-class pride. Do you feel the same fire today as you did in the late ‘70s, or has that anger evolved into something different over the years?
Cockney Rejects: The anger is still there, but it’s difficult to replicate nowadays. As we get older, so many things change.
BR: When you first started, punk was a rebellion. Now it’s history. How does it feel to be the part of something that went from street chaos to cultural heritage?
CR: Punk has cult status in 2025. I’m lucky I was around when it started. That it has lasted over 50 years is truly something to behold.
BR: If the young Cockney Rejects were just starting out in today’s music industry—streaming, social media, and all—do you think you’d survive it, or burn the whole system down?
CR: I honestly don’t think we would’ve made it in today’s music industry. Record companies are now more or less obsolete. Band life now is putting a new song or video up on YouTube and gathering a following on Facebook, Instagram, etc. We wouldn’t have stood a chance.
BR: London has changed massively since your early days. When you walk through the East End now, what’s the first thing that makes you nostalgic and the first thing that pisses you off?
CR: East London—especially where I grew up (Custom House / Canning Town)—is a totally different place. The only thing that makes me nostalgic is my mum’s house. She moved there in 1941 and is still there at 93 years old. What pisses me off is that there are no more pubs, nobody I grew up with lives there anymore, and the regeneration of massive apartments that now blot the skyline.
BR: There’s a lot of talk today about “authenticity” in music. Do you think punk can still be authentic in 2025, or is it something that only truly existed back then?
CR: I’m not sure punk is authentic in 2025. The glory days have been and gone.
BR: Your songs have inspired generations who never set foot in London. What’s the wildest or most unexpected place you’ve seen your music resonate?
CR: I would say Medellín in Colombia and San Salvador in El Salvador. Crazy but great.
BR: If you could go back and play one of your early gigs again—same venue, same crowd, same chaos—which one would it be, and why?
CR: It would be the Bridge House in Canning Town in East London. We played our first-ever show there, and another four or five after that. A truly special venue with special people. A legendary place.
BR: Many bands mellow with age, but you’ve stayed fiercely energetic on stage. What’s your secret—anger, adrenaline, or pure love of the noise?
CR: I try to keep myself as fit as possible for Rejects shows. I truly believe that paying fans deserve nothing less than 100 percent commitment from any performing band. The adrenaline from the anger of those early songs is what fires me up.
BR: Looking at the current political and social climate, do you ever feel tempted to write another ‘Oi!’ anthem for today’s generation, or have the streets gone too quiet?
CR: I believe that writing a true classic Oi! anthem today would be very difficult. I’m a 61-year-old grandfather now, as opposed to a 14-year-old football hooligan when I started out. Also, in this age of cancel culture, you have to be careful about what you say or sing.
BR: After all these years, what keeps Cockney Rejects alive—friendship, the fans, or the refusal to grow up?
CR: I would say the fans first—without them, we are nothing. The friendship within the band is amazing. Olga, JJ, and Ray are the best bandmates I could ever wish for. And thirdly, definitely our refusal to grow up!
