ALBUM REVIEW: Cock Sparrer – Hand On Heart
(Cherry Red/Pirates Press/Randale Records)
So this is it then, the end of the road for Cock Sparrer, formed as a pub rock band way back in 1972 and now rightly regarded as legends of the street-punk scene.
Age does not weary them; in fact they’re more popular now than ever, packing out festivals and club shows wherever they go. Music fans tend to love ’em or hate ’em. I’m firmly in the former camp.
Hand On Heart is the follow-up to 2017’s Forever, one of the best late-career highs I’ve ever heard, and for me the equal of their classic 1982 debut Shock Troops.
Trademark sound
It’s fair to say Sparrer have a trademark sound; big riffs, even bigger hooks, pounding drums, singalong melodies and huge mob choruses. All are present and correct here, the latter courtesy of a gang of mates dubbed Oi The Choir. That’s a nice touch, as Sparrer are all about family, community and looking after your own.
They’re still the same four fellas who got together 52 years ago: Colin McFaull (vocals), Mick Beaufoy (guitar), Steve Burgess (bass) and Steve Bruce (drums), plus, of course, ‘new’ guitarist Daryl Smith, who has been in the band a mere 31 years!
Things kicks off with (almost) title track With My Hand On My Heart, a typically anthemic slice of Sparrer goodness, about living your dreams, and knowing that those you love have got your back if it doesn’t work out.
There’s even a cheeky little reference to the boys’ beloved West Ham United in the chorus “And I hope you cross the land and sea/And become all you wanna be/And bring the world back to me.“
From the opening lines it’s almost like they’re laying out their manifesto, as if it needed any explaining. I’d certainly vote for them.
Mind Your Own Business, up next, is the angriest song on the album, about the sort of chancer who’s always looking for the main chance, and stirring up bother while he’s at it – “always talking shit, spreading lies like it’s some kind of game“.
I Belong To You sounds like a close relation of Gonna Be Alright, one of the standout songs on previous album Forever. It’s about missing the one you love when you’re far away from home and the black dog of depression keeps calling. The subject matter might be morose, but the song’s nothing but, with another of those singalong choruses that you’ll be joining in with by the second time it comes around.
Rags To Riches is one of my favourite tracks here, a biting piece of social commentary about struggling to keep your head above water financially as the cost of just everything goes up.
You can almost hearing the bailiffs knocking as Colin sings: “I worked all hours what was it for?/They’re banging on my door..“, but in true Sparrer style despair turns to defiance: “The cost of living leaves people dying/Put us down but we won’t stop trying/Rags to riches but then back again.”
No Way Out is another barrelling song about offering a helping hand to friends suffering a hard time with alcoholism, mental health, or some other adversity, with Col promising “Just reach out i’m there for you/Just turn round for a better view.”
Take It On The Chin sees that trademark driving double guitar attack again, about taking responsibility for your own actions, or, as the boys put it, “grow a pair and deal with it”.
One Way Ticket sounds like a very personal song about an absent father, while Nowhere To Be Found sounds like it is about politicians who are conspicuous by their absence when we need them most.
We’re almost at the end, and here comes a real curveball. My Forgotten Dream is a real departure from what you expect – almost a pop song! Featuring acoustic guitar and a string section, it’s a nostalgia-steeped number about how idyllic life seemed when you’re young.
It would have made a good if atypical closer, but instead the album reaches its climax with Here We Stand – about being there for your mates through thick and thin, which pretty much sums up what Cock Sparrer are all about.
For me, the 10 tracks here don’t quite reach the Shock Troops/Forever level of greatness, but ask me again in a couple of months, as Hand On Heart grows on me with every listen. As a swansong from a band who always deliver, it’ll do quite nicely, thanks. 8.5/10.
