The clever theft.
I remeber it at it was yesterday. when Tom Robinson band released the Power in the darkness,With its smash hit 2,4,6,8 Mototway. It was a kind of rock with a punky wibe. It was labeled as punk or rather New Wave. It was the first time I heard the chant chorus that I later would hear in Sham 69 and likes chorus. But the best song from the Album was however Up against the wall.
Punk was becomming the new trend, espesially under the new name New Wave that was muck more sellable. Tom Robinson was by some "real" working class kids considered as a trendy wanker. Not least that he was telling he was gay in an era you didn´t do that.
A few years later the working class, the low educated London east end bands came along as a second or a third wave of Brittish bands. Tom Robinson was an easy target, gay as he was. The Business* was aiming their frustration at bands as TRB among others. And it was done with a song stealing the Up against the wall riff.
Surburbian rebels was as catchy as the original, up against the wall. By listening to the lyrics you understand its about the reds, trendy wankers and TRB. I wonder how the hell they got away with it. I mean, its an obvious theft. But very clever done. So I guess it both an tribute to a good song as well as it is a critisism against the one that wrote it originally. If you leave out the childish complaining against TRB its an exelent song. So I guess its why they got away with it.
*The Business was from South London but the whole Oi! movement was bundled as east end cockneys.
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