In the early days of the Dutch Oi! scene, when the movement was tiny, intense, and defiantly outside the rest of the alternative music world, one name kept turning up both on stage and behind the scenes: Wouter of Razorblade. Through his band and the label Rebellion Records, he helped connect a scattered underground of skins and street-punk fans. In this conversation he looks back on how it all started, the records that still hit hardest, and the projects that keep the fire going.
How did you first get involved in the punk, Oi! or skinhead culture?
It began with cover songs. Discipline and Tech 9 were playing tracks by Last Resort, The Business and Cockney Rejects in their early shows, and that pulled me straight into the Oi! scene. Another big influence was Skanky ‘lil, Mark Foggo’s CD shop in Eindhoven. That place was where I discovered bands, met people, and made the first real contacts. Older skins from the area also passed on records and connections. Once those doors opened, there was no going back.
Which bands shaped you most in those early years?
The Business were the band I saw live more than any other. Condemned 84 left a deep mark as well. Pretty quickly I started Razorblade and Rebellion Records, and through the label I got to know bands from all over the world. Badlands was the first band I released on Rebellion, and they still feel special. Their second album "The Hands of Time" is pure magic to me — every time I put it on, a whole set of memories comes flooding back.
Is there a particular gig or situation with a band that you’ll never forget? And do you have a favourite venue or festival?
One of the first Badlands shows was in a youth centre somewhere in the middle of the country. Someone who worked there had met a band member on holiday and thought it would be fun to book them — without knowing anything about the scene. They looked pretty surprised when the place filled up fast with big groups of skins and a bit of unrest started to brew. Security was scrambled in a hurry. It still turned into a good night, but it was typical of that period. Oi! was tiny in the Netherlands. There were hardly any shows, yet plenty of skins. Whenever a gig did happen, people travelled from all over and things didn’t always stay polite. Still, to me it felt like a genuinely rebellious scene that stood completely apart from the rest of the alternative music world.
What’s one of your favourite projects outside the band, and why?
Right now it’s my band Heathen Peace. It’s where I can pour my passion for extreme metal without holding back.
What are your top four favourite punk albums of all time?
- Böhse Onkelz – Onkelz Wie Wir
It has the raw, aggressive skinhead energy of the early Onkelz mixed with the driving rock feel of their later work. The old Onkelz records were also a big inspiration for Razorblade’s Dutch-language lyrics — you can hear it on a track like “Hard Als Staal.” The “Von Glas zu Glas” video is brilliant, and “Bomberpilot” is a proper hit.
- Condemned 84 – Battle Scarred
The absolute peak of brick-wall Oi! and a major influence on the first Razorblade albums. Released by Roddy Moreno on Oi! Records, it captures the 80s subculture perfectly. I don’t think any other Oi! record from that decade sounds more aggressive — just put on “Gang Warfare.”
- Combat 84 – Orders of the Day EP
Not a full album, but it completely outclasses their debut LP. Those four tracks are, in my eyes, the perfect blueprint of skinhead music. Imitated by many, surpassed by none.
- The Bruisers – Intimidation EP
Another EP that blows their albums out of the water. The open sound, the stiff but driving drums, the simple roaring guitars, the voice full of youthful aggression and urgent, sometimes rushed vocal lines, plus the first hints of the melody Al Barr later took to the top of the scene — this is the perfect American Oi! classic. I can play it endlessly and never get tired of it.
Any final words?
Bedankt voor die bloemen!
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