Glory Days of R.A.C!

30/08/2025

The Old Guard

When you set up your band The Old Guard? Please, present us your members.

The old guard formed just after 2 years ago after being bullied by a friend to play at his birthday party gig. I approached our bassist Mark from the old Last Orders (84) and as he agreed, we set out to find a guitarist and drummer. Our drummer is George. He also plays bass in another band unrelated to what we are doing now more modern rock. Steve is our guitarist. He has lots of experience and previously also played rock.

How many original songs have till now? Give us titles and the subjects you dealing with.

We have about 20 newly written songs by The Old Guard. 'Snitches Get Stitches' speaks for itself. 'Evil Streak' follows the Skinhead's dream of finding a beautiful skinhead girl, only to find she is mentally unstable! 'This Is My England' tells of our pride in our land and heritage and our refusal to give it up without a fight. 'All Hail!' is a salute to the skinheads who still stand after many years of holding the same ideals as they did many years ago. 'It Never Dies' is the thought that we die but we pass the flag onto our sons and daughters to carry it on. 'Stand With Us' speaks of friends who left the Oi! scene through one reason or another who should be welcomed back. 'Fuck About Find Out!' This is what can happen when young bucks challenge old skinheads. There are many more.

How many concerts you have play and with which bands?

We played a few gigs and parties with our mates who have an Oi!/punk covers band, one national scooter rally. Our most recent gig was shared with Kombatants and Sabotage from Sweden. Also British bands, Streetpunk Drunks, Ragged Glory and London Breed....best gig yet!

What about your live cd? You have any other material as demo? What you prepare for the future...a debut album maybe?

The live cd is all we have as demo. All our songs are on our FB page, Oi! it's the old guard. Yes we hope to get in the studio this year and record.

As i understand some of your members have play in the past for one of the many underrated Oi! / R.A.C bands.....Last Orders! Which members of The Old Guard are ex-Last orders?

Mark, the bassist and myself, Pete are the remaining members of the old Last Orders who had the pleasure of sharing the stage in 84 and 85 with ISD, Brutal Attack, Index, Public Enemy, Die Hards and many other greats of the time.

You have recorded one of my favorites songs of the famous 'No Surrender' compilation called 'Just Another Soldier'. Why together with another one and a most collective song called 'IRA' are both the only songs you record properly? I always believe the best R.A.C bands have not the opportunity or luck to make a whole album! Please talk us about this. You have any other demo or rehersal tapes of old days?

Yes 'Just Another Soldier' and 'IRA' were the only songs we recorded for NS Vol 1. They were very current at the time as Britain was still suffering many terrorist attacks on military and civilians. 'IRA' was left off the album as it was decided by the studio to be a bit too 'spicy'. I had the studio tape but donated it to a friend's massive Oi! archive.

How many original songs you had with Last Orders and what covers you play? Why you choose to play 'Just Another Soldier' with your new band? Theres any other old songs played today by The Old Guard?

We still play Just Another Soldier as it is probably the only one people from then would remember. We played IRA at a gig but I don't think anyone realised what it meant. Times have changed. There were about 30 songs with Last Orders, some were written by the drummer so we just left them behind and are moving on.

How many gigs you play in the past and with which bands? Is really you play also with Toy Dolls? Except the open shows in Suffolk in which pubs or clubs you play?

Yes we did play a gig in our town with the Toy Dolls and another punk band. We asked the promoters if we could support them and they paid us 20 gbp. Then they took back the 20 to let us use their p.a. gear. It wasn't our love of the Toy Dolls, just a chance to play. Apart from that it was community centres with local bands and punk nights at clubs.

What caused you to stop Last Orders and what about the other band of Pete that follow up? In which other bands the other members have played?

Last orders died a reasonably natural death. We were 17 or 18 by then, unemployed with no money to travel and as happens with young people, some of the other lads moved to new fashions and recreation.

You recorded the two songs in Mark Sutherlands studio...your experience those days and what about your relationship with the other underrated R.A.C bands such New Dawn, Buzzard Bait, The Die Hards?

The night before recording, we met the members of Public Enemy in Maidsone, Kent and got absolutely slaughtered drinking snakebite. It was great to meet all those bands and see how they did things 'down south' but we really didn't get close links because of the distance. Remember these were the big boys, and we were 16 and 17 year olds! I did however spend the next 30 years chasing ISD, Brutal Attack, Skullhead, Squadron, Celtic Warrior, No Remorse and English Rose all over the uk. They were the best times!

Your oppinion and thoughts about skinhead subculture and music in the '80's and in present days?

And the best of it was, no cctv, no internet, no mobile phones and nobody to stop us. I still think that anyone who was a skinhead in the 80's 90's is and will always be. Nothing better came along. I get that there was a lot of trouble and infighting, but at the time it seemed natural. Everybody else was taking a shot at us anyway.

What about society standards today and problems that England face it?

I have every respect for young people coming into skinhead, Oi!, RAC if they know what it means. Younger men and lads are making it their own, with their ideas in a different world than the one we grew up in. All power to them. You didn't have to be a teenager in the 60's to be a mod or in the 70's to be a punk. It's their world now. We are just The old Guard, set in our ways and unwilling to change or let go. England and I guess the whole of Europe (except Poland) are under siege. The working man is so poor feeding those who enter illegally and refuse to contribute, only take. England has more people in prison due to social media posts than Russia does. Moral decline has accelerated I believe. Free speech is dead, the truth is hate speech and we are under the boot of a communist labour government. It's a time to keep your circle tight.