That is the question which provokes an in depth didactic discussion of modern youth cult mores between GARRY BUSHELL and Dagenham drongos, THE EJECTED
Article published in Sounds, 11th September, 1982
The Ejected | Ten Pee Or Not Ten Pee? | ONCE IN every few years punk produces a band with the ability to write lyrics that are dumb to the point of genius. I’m thinking of the Ramones, the Lurkers, Crass and now, of course, Dagenham’s own Ejected, whose masterly moronic ‘Have You Got 10p?’ is one of the few punk anthems to creep past Peel’s latent bad taste.
Currently storming up the indie charts, this dinky slice of sulphate singalong copped an unjust thrashing from Sounds reviewer Sandy Robertson who is obviously far too comatose to realise that you can’t go anywhere in the West End without getting some snotty brat trying to ponce two bob off ya to see ’em through their next tube of Airfix.
It used to be just winos under the arches at Charing Cross, easily dispatched with a swift toecap to the jacksie. But now their evil-smelling ranks have been swelled by legions of lost skinz’n’punx busy harassing all-comers with that wretched whining refrain.
The Ejected | Ten Pee Or Not Ten Pee?
As a universal street cry ‘ten pee’ might lack the suss of ‘Give us the right to work’ or ‘Charlton for the cup’, but it’s a sign of the times just as surely as its new musical setting is proof positive of the Ejected’s superior yobbo prowess.
Historical investigation reveals similar advanced poetic sensibilities at work on the band’s first recording, ‘Carry On Oi’s ‘East End Kids’ which included the memorable missive, ‘East End kids are hard and fast, East End kids are working class’.
Similarly, a delve through the band’s yet-to-be-recorded gear uncovers such gems as ‘We ‘ate the f***ing Germans/We ‘ate the f***ing Dutch/We ‘ate the f***ing Riot Police/Who kick you in the crutch’ (‘Football Song’). By Ross and Halfin! This is lyrical sensitivity of a hitherto undreamt of non-existence! But it does seem a trifle xenophobic, chaps.
“Nah!” says singer/guitarist Big Jim Brooks. “It’s just that when our supporters go out there we always get the shit beaten out of us by the Old Bill, but their supporters wander round Trafalgar Square falling about and no-one cares.”
24-year-old married man and warehouse worker, Jim might have come to your notice before through one of the twenty-four letters he’s had printed in Sounds since 1978. In between all this frantic correspondence Jimbo somehow found time to team up with 22-year-old bassist/shouter and rag-cutter Gary Sandbrook.
The dodgy duo’s first ‘name’ band was Dawn Patrol, who they left in early ’81 due to (blaring trumpets) ‘musical differences’ to form the Ejected. Four drummers later they’re now completed by 22-year-old Ilfordite coffee machine servicer, the peroxide Paul Griffiths.
The Ejected | Ten Pee Or Not Ten Pee?
While Gary’s in the bog, Jim tells me he thought of the band name and writes most of the songs. While Jim’s in the bog Gal tells me the same thing. Either way their two tantalising ‘Carry On Oi’ tracks helped secure a deal with Riot City this year, leading to ’10p’s release.
It sold 2,000 in its first week on the market and Peelie is apparently considering offering them a session. What he oughta do is wonder why the more serious B-side opener ‘Class Of 82’ nicks the riff from the Rejects’ I’m Not A Fool’.
“Aw only the rift at the beginning,” says Jim indignantly. “Nah it’s our tribute to ’em. Now they’ve gone HM we’ll fill the gap.”
“I never realised it was the same till Total Chaos said so,” says Gary.
“I did,” Jim grins, “but I never said nothing to you. Actually we still do ‘Police Car’ on stage.” The Rejects obviously count as an inspiration then?
Gary: “Yeah, the Rejects and Motorhead.”
Jim: “Early Rejects, early Subs, the Gonads.”
What taste!
Jim: “We’ve just wrote a song called ‘Hard And Fast’ and that sums up what we’re about. We like things to be catchy terrace chant things.”
But that’s the sort of music guaranteed not to appeal to music Press trendies.
The Ejected | Ten Pee Or Not Ten Pee?
Jim: “Who cares about the NME? They’re only a bunch of Hampstead poofters. And Sandy Robertson’s a bloody idiot. I challenge him to a lager top drinking contest! He only likes singles from LA, bloody Kim Fowley and the Beach Boys.”
Gary: “Yeah, big if you were reviewing LA singles you’d be as bad.”
Jim: “I’d give em more of a chance! I can listen to anything. That’s what I like about Sounds, you cover loads of different factions. And Gary can’t talk, he’s got some c***ish records, like the Commodores!”
What d’you reckon on the state of punk?
Jim: “It’s getting better again, it’s coming up again. There’s a lot of good bands, but very few outlets for them. That’s why we support that Campaign For Punk Radio. If people could get to hear the new punk records they’d sell loads more.”
Gal: “Punk’s got more down to street level again.”
Jim: “Except in London where there’s still a load of posers who just wanna be on 20th Century Box. But, yeah, we’re optimistic about everything. It’s great, we’ve got a record out, Peel’s playing it, people are buying it . . . if we could get a few more gigs we’d be well away.”
Gal: “We really wanna play Scotland, we get loads of letters from up there.”
Jim: “One last thing, we’re not racist or political in anyway.”
Gal: “We just love Derek and Clive.”
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