Skrewdriver

Skrewdriver

 

History

Was a Rock Against Communism (R.A.C.) band from the north-west of England, United Kingdom. Starting in 1975 as Tumbling Dice, Ian Stuart Donaldson formed what was to become the infamous Skrewdriver in 1977. By 1979 the band had stopped playing and later reformed in 1982. After many successful albums, singles, projects, and concerts the band ceased to exist after the death of the singer Ian Stuart Donaldson in a car crash in 1993.

 

1957

Ian’s father, Arthur Donaldson, grew up in the northern industrial town of Wigan and became an engineer by trade, later owning a family tool‑making business. He married Irene, who came from Hyde in Greater Manchester, in 1953. The couple set up home in a three‑bedroom semi‑detached house on Hawthorne Grove, Poulton‑Le‑Fylde, near Blackpool, Lancashire. Ian Stuart Donaldson was born at Victoria Hospital in Blackpool on 11 August 1957.

Next door to the Donaldson family lived the Grintons. Their son, John, became Ian’s first childhood friend at the age of two, and the two remained close throughout their lives.

Ian was not an only child. At age five he gained a younger brother, Anthony, although the two drifted apart as they grew older. Ian loved to tease his younger brother, as many brothers do. Their parents would often come home to find that Ian had locked Tony in the coal shed or frightened him with ghost stories.

Ian grew up as a typical, active child, always out on some adventure—tree climbing, pranks, and other cheeky scrapes. His number‑one pastime was football. A young athlete and a Manchester United supporter, he excelled at the sport.

After joining the local Baines Grammar School in Poulton in 1968, he was immediately chosen for the school football team. Nicknamed “Don,” he spent many hours training and was considered a talented player for his age. Several club scouts even approached him, but once Ian felt he had reached his peak, he became bored and looked for a new challenge. He also performed well academically, leaving Baines Grammar School with five high‑grade O‑levels. Proud and fearless, Ian developed a reputation for not being a push‑over. During a Cub Scout trip to Switzerland, he even got into a fight with an American boy. Ian enjoyed fighting and became skilled at hitting hard and dodging blows.

By 1969, skinheads were appearing on the streets and in newspaper headlines. Ian knew his parents would never allow him to adopt the skinhead style. The first skinheads emerged in the summer of 1969 at a free Rolling Stones concert in Hyde Park, London, and the cult was in its infancy. The following year, Richard Allen published a novel about a young skinhead named Joe Hawkins. The book became a youth bible, selling in the thousands and pushing the cult further into the mainstream.

As the skinhead movement gained momentum across major towns and cities, Ian—already known for being a handful—knew his parents would disapprove of the boots, braces, and shaved head. But once a rebel, always a rebel. Ian rescued a pair of old steel‑capped boots from the school bonfire, and with some spare cash from his grandfather, he had his hair cropped for the first time.

On weekends, Ian and his mates—the McKay brothers from across the road, John Grinton, and the school gang—would jump on a bus to Blackpool promenade. They swaggered along the Golden Mile, bumping into tourists, hanging around the Blackpool Tower, and stomping through the arcades in their boots and Harrington jackets. Eating chips, having a drink, and usually finding “bovver” became their routine.

After a few years, as skinheads moved out of fashion, Ian grew out his crop and became what was known as a Suedehead among the ex‑skinheads. With glam rock becoming the latest trend, Ian and his friends preferred the harder rock of the Rolling Stones and The Who.

1975

Ian and his mates had been messing around with musical instruments for a while. Ian’s friend Sean McKay was learning guitar, Grinny was getting into drums, Ian had picked up a few chords on an acoustic at home, and Phil Walmesly—an old schoolmate from Baines School—liked the bass and wasn’t a bad singer. Talk of forming a band soon became a reality.

After doing a few cover versions together at home, the lineup shifted in 1975: Phil moved to lead guitar, Sean switched to bass, Ian took on vocals, and Sean’s brother Kev joined on bass. By December, the lads officially formed a band and named themselves Tumbling Dice, after the 1972 Rolling Stones song from the album Exile on Main Street.

 

1976

New Year’s Day 1976 marked the first gig for Tumbling Dice, held at the Newton Hall Holiday Camp. Playing for half an hour, the band performed cover versions by the Rolling Stones, Free, and The Who. It was a decent debut, with the only complaint being that they played too loud. Two weeks later, on Thursday the 15th, they were booked to play a private disco at the Cleveleys Philharmonic Society. They played two half‑hour sets and earned their first wage of £3. They were well received, though still inexperienced. During the second set, the police were called due to complaints—again—that the band was too loud.

Their next gig was Saturday the 31st at the Hambleton Disco. Despite a small stage and a poor PA system, their covers of “Riot in Cell Block No. 9” and “All Right Now” went down well, earning them £10. On 5 February, the band entered a talent competition at the Brunswick Club in Blackpool. Three bands competed, and Tumbling Dice came second. Ian thought they were the best of a bad lot, and many people felt they should have won.

They returned to the Hambleton Disco on 28 February, facing the same tiny stage and a lacklustre crowd. It was Phil’s first night with a new guitar, and when someone complained the band was too loud, Ian gave him a slap. Their next gig was on 3 March at an under‑18s Teanlowe Disco in Poulton. They played two half‑hour sets, performed well, and were well received. Two weeks later they played the venue again, once more earning no money. They returned yet again for a Baines Grammar School 6th Form Association event. The first set was average due to a bad PA, but the second set had the place going wild to Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid.” Grinny put on a strong performance and even put his snare skin through by kicking his drums over as a finale—all for £8.

On the first Saturday of April 1976, the lads had a falling‑out with Grinny over something trivial. A friend of the band, Steve Gaiter, stepped in on drums, and they were back gigging on 14 April, entering another talent competition at the Welcome Inn. Out of seven acts, Tumbling Dice came sixth. Steve played well for his first gig, but Ian thought the whole thing was a hassle. The organisers gave the band no time to tune up, leaving all the guitars out of tune and the band sounding awful.

A week later they played Papa Jenks, sharing the bill with Eager Beaver and Jenks Revolution. The lads went down fairly well, though the turnout was small, and someone complained—believe it or not—that the band wasn’t loud enough. They earned £7.50. The landlord of the Dixon Bar was in the audience, liked what he saw, and arranged a booking.

On 14 May, the band travelled to The Mill House Rock Club in Blackburn. Ian had a few pints before the gig and ended up dancing around on stage. Someone in the crowd joined in on harmonica, and the band pulled off one of their best gigs yet, earning £20. Their next show was the following Sunday at the Carters Arms Social Club in Preston. The first set wasn’t loud enough but was tight; the second set was louder, better, and well received, earning them £18.

The landlord of the Dixon Bar kept his word, and Tumbling Dice played his venue on 21 May. They didn’t play spectacularly, but the place was full of older patrons who weren’t keen on Rolling Stones covers. The landlord still promised more bookings, and they earned £20. Just over a week later, they played the Grange Park Community Centre in Blackpool. The band expected a good turnout due to advertising, but someone had given the Gazette the wrong date—Friday instead of Saturday—so only a small crowd appeared. On the positive side, a man impressed with the band offered to manage them and proved he was serious by throwing £100 into the pot. The band earned £25.

On Wednesday 2 June, the band travelled up the M6 to The Red Well Pub in Carnforth. They played well and pleased the audience, who danced and clapped, though Ian was annoyed at getting electric shocks from the microphone. They earned £20.

Three days later they were back at the Carters Arms Social Club. They played three sets and came across very professionally. Chris from Eager Beaver joined them on “Johnny B. Goode,” and they earned £20. Next was the Knott End Social Club on Friday 11 June. The crowd was small at first but grew as the band played. They performed excellently, with everyone singing and dancing. Ian got a bit carried away and fell off the stage. They earned £20.

On Sunday 20 June, the band travelled to Burnley to play The Crossed Keys. They went down averagely to a modest crowd. Ian complained they needed a bigger PA amp. The next month they played the Louise Anna Bell Disco at the Grand Hotel in St Annes. The PA amp blew twice, and afterwards the lads caused a bit of a riot when things kicked off with a gang of Soul Boys—all for £15.

Three days later they were back at Grange Park Community Centre. The crowd danced and applauded, and the band went down well. A week later they embarked on a two‑day mini‑tour of Whitehaven in the Lake District, bringing a few mates along. The first night at Lowca Social Club went well, with everyone dancing through both sets. The band received three encores and earned £35. The second night at the Whitehaven Social Club was another strong performance. People from the previous night returned, dancing and standing on tables. The band received three more encores. The venue manager initially refused to pay them, claiming their followers had disrupted the club, but after a quiet word, the band persuaded him to hand over £40.

A demo tape had been made a few weeks earlier and sent to recording labels. When the band returned home, they found a reply waiting: a London record label was offering them a deal. The future looked promising, but after discussing it, some band members had doubts. Ian was all for it, believing this was the break they had been waiting for. In less than a year, they had gone from amateur musicians earning nothing to a tight band with a loyal following, commanding £40 a gig, and now attracting interest from a London label. But the rest of the band weren’t convinced, and Sean McKay refused to move to London. By the summer of 1976, Tumbling Dice was finished.

After Tumbling Dice ended, Ian formed a new group with Grinny, Kev, and Phil. Ian had played a little rhythm guitar in Tumbling Dice, but now he wanted to write his own material and saw becoming an accomplished guitarist as the first step. Previously, most of the band’s songs had been written by Sean McKay. Ian drew musical inspiration from The Who, The Rolling Stones, Free, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Led Zeppelin.

In the 1960s, when times were good, young people gravitated toward heavy, progressive rock that carried messages of protest and revolution. By the mid‑1970s, times were harder, and music with a message had declined. Radical statements were out. In 1975, Britain’s biggest group was Queen—university‑trained musicians whose albums took thousands of hours to produce, with stage lighting as complex as a theatre production. Freddie Mercury was hardly controversial. For young people like Ian, nothing original was emerging. Rock music was stagnating, and the industry was ripe for a wake‑up call. Sid Vicious was ready to capture the rebellious spirit of the youth.

The kids were bored, and it was time for a change. They had no intention of waiting for politicians to tell them what they already knew. History had taught them that the establishment was hard to budge, but not immovable when numbers were behind you. The year was 1976, and with it came the birth of a new sound—punk—arriving loud, raw, and furious.

A few weeks later, Ian and his new band travelled to Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall to see the Sex Pistols, supported by the Buzzcocks and Slaughter and the Dogs. Johnny Rotten, with his spiky red hair and green teeth, shouting “Fuckin’ anarchy!” to hundreds of sweating, pogoing youths, was something entirely new. Punk was fresh, aggressive, and full of raw rebellion. The boys returned home, and Ian began writing punk tracks. He continued learning guitar, and the band kept playing pub gigs. When they felt they had found their sound, they recorded another demo tape and sent it out. A few places replied with interest but wanted a more professional recording—likely because the tape had been recorded in a metal factory.

Chiswick Records replied, and a representative travelled to Blackpool to see the band. After meeting them, he offered a recording contract. Chiswick invited the band to London for a studio session. Ted Carroll, former manager of Thin Lizzy and chairman of Chiswick Records, signed the lads. The band now needed a name. Chiswick provided a list, and Ian chose Skrewdriver.

1977

The new lineup performed for the first time in February 1977, supporting French artist Lil Bob Storey at Manchester Polytechnic College. The band—Ian, Grinny, Kev, and Phil—soon moved to London to be closer to their record label and began promoting their name through regular gigs. At one of these shows, a London Weekend Television researcher spotted Skrewdriver, and a few days later the band was interviewed in a café by Janet Street‑Porter for a programme called Year of Punk.

The plan was now to record their first single in London. Titled “You’re So Dumb,” it was an attack on drug use, which was already widespread in the music scene. Although the single didn’t go down well with everyone, it gained support among working‑class council‑estate punks who saw drug‑taking as something middle‑class kids did to appear rebellious. The single established Skrewdriver’s credentials as a punk band, and Chiswick Records updated their deal to two singles and an LP.

The local press began taking notice. Three weeks after the single’s release, Chiswick boss Ted Carroll told Melody Maker he was delighted with the 7-inch and believed strongly in the band: “Skrewdriver is a band we like. They have had no press coverage and it is not yet available in the bigger stores, but more than four thousand copies have already been sold.”

Skrewdriver played their first London gig at Andrew Czezowski’s club The Roxy, Neal Street, WC2, on 16 April 1977. They were warmly received and reviewed in punk fanzines. On 30 June 1977, they shared the bill with 999 and the Boomtown Rats at the Music Machine in Camden. The crowd of mixed punks didn’t appreciate the Boomtown Rats’ more polished new‑wave sound. Bob Geldof strutted around the stage imitating Mick Jagger, which annoyed Ian, who was talking with “Big Vince,” a hardcore punk with a violent reputation. Ian told Vince to “dock that wanker Geldof.” Bottles were already being thrown, and when Vince walked up the stairs, Geldof assumed he was joining him onstage—until Vince knocked him out cold.

As Skrewdriver played more gigs, more skinheads began attending, sparking a revival of the original cult. One regular was 16‑year‑old Graham McPherson—later known as Suggs. Ian often drank with his “North London Skinhead Elite,” which included Suggs, Chas Smash, Toakes, Chalky, and many of the faces who later appeared on the first Madness LP. Ian even gave Suggs an unpaid roadie job in exchange for free gig entry.

In a 1977 Melody Maker interview, Ian was asked whether Skrewdriver were a non‑violent band. He shocked the reporter by replying: “No, no, I actually enjoy fighting. Fighting was the only thing to do in Blackpool. There were no rock concerts; you had to travel to Manchester or Liverpool for that. Blackpool is for pensioners.”

Their next release was a double A‑side single, “Anti‑Social / 19th Nervous Breakdown,” in October 1977, the latter being a Rolling Stones cover.

A few weeks later, in November 1977, the LP All Skrewed Up was released for £2.50, containing twelve original tracks and one Who cover. Media reviews were generally positive. Sounds gave a good write‑up, NME offered a decent review, and even Melody Maker and Record Mirror said it was worth a listen. Things looked promising. One of the band’s roadies, Graham McPherson, even tried his own hand at fame, joining a local band called The North London Invaders.

Demand for All Skrewed Up and Anti‑Social soon outstripped that of their debut single. Shortly after the LP was recorded, guitarist Phil Walmsley quit and was replaced by Ron Hartley, an old friend from Fylde.

Around this time, the band was invited to the BBC studios in Maida Vale to record tracks for the John Peel Sessions. They recorded four songs: “Anti‑Social,” “The Loner” (about football violence), “Streetfight,” and “Non‑Believer” (an anti‑religion song). The band was impressed by the engineering and sound quality.

Soon after Ron joined, the band decided to abandon their punk image in favour of the smart, hard skinhead style. Grinny cropped his hair first, and the others followed. They were fed up with poseurs claiming to be punks. Punk had become plastic and trendy, losing its raw street appeal. It was turning left‑wing, mainstream, and fashionable. Most of the band’s friends at gigs were skinheads, and the band members themselves had been skinheads a few years earlier.

With regular gigs around London, Skrewdriver built a solid following. They supported Siouxsie and the Banshees, 999, and the Boomtown Rats. They often drank with Jimmy Pursey of Sham 69, and on one occasion, after playing with The Police, they got drunk with Sting at the bar and ended up lending the band their PA system.

As Skrewdriver became known as a skinhead band, more skinheads followed them. A skinhead revival was underway in the late 1970s, and the National Front capitalised on it by forming the Young NF in 1977.

The band acquired a reputation for violence. When a near‑riot broke out at the Vortex during a Skrewdriver gig, the music press seized the opportunity to label their audience as “thugs” and “National Front supporters.” With increasing media claims that many skinheads were involved with the National Front or British Movement, the left‑leaning music press demanded that Skrewdriver and Sham 69 denounce their audiences as racists. Skrewdriver refused to condemn their loyal followers—many of whom were friends—and were subsequently banned: banned from playing, banned from advertising, banned from press coverage, banned from radio play, and banned from gig promotion. Sham 69, fearing loss of income, complied with the press demands.

The band’s planned third single, “Streetfight,” never made it past the planning stage. Whether due to Skrewdriver’s growing violent reputation or Chiswick’s disillusionment, the label told the band—especially Ian—to condemn the right‑wing skinhead element that had attached itself to them. They warned that this reputation could destroy the band. Ian, himself a skinhead, refused. Although not connected to any political party at this stage, he shared many of the same attitudes and often used racist language.

 

1978

Early in 1978, Ian attended a Fairport Convention concert where he became involved in a fight with bouncers and received a severe beating, requiring thirty‑two stitches in a back wound. Soon after, the band played their first European gig, headlining at the Gibbs Club in Paris.

Chiswick Records continued telling Ian that Skrewdriver would get nowhere as a skinhead band, and music journalists kept pressuring him to distance the group from their skinhead following. By late 1978, Chiswick asked the band to change their image and sent them to a farm in Peterborough to prepare for a new LP. When they returned, a major argument broke out with management, and the band told Ted Carroll to “fuck off.”

Chiswick’s management disliked Skrewdriver’s refusal to bow to media pressure and denounce the racist skinhead supporters who were increasingly attending their gigs. With venues unwilling to book them, no press support, and no chance of securing a new recording contract, the pressure mounted. Eventually, Skrewdriver split.

1979

By 1979, Ian and some of the band were based in Manchester. Chiswick Records sent Roger Armstrong to see the band before agreeing to a second album deal. He was disappointed that the new material was not “punk enough” and that the band had abandoned their punk image. This meeting marked the final breaking point between Chiswick Records and Skrewdriver.

Ian was furious at what he saw as the left‑wing, liberal dominance of the London music scene and began taking an active interest in nationalist politics. He wanted to understand for himself what the music industry was so afraid of and why they were terrified of the National Front’s involvement in music. Ian enjoyed being a skinhead and saw nothing wrong with being patriotic. One of his friends was a Lancashire skinhead known as “Scully of the Eastend” because of his dodgy Cockney accent. Ian disliked black people, and his experiences in London had done nothing to change his views. Almost all the skinheads he knew were racist. Ian joined the emerging Young National Front and soon became an active member. With no future for Skrewdriver at that moment, he reluctantly returned to Blackpool.

In 1997, The Sun ran a small article titled “DJ Drum Secret,” revealing that Radio One Breakfast DJ Mark Radcliffe had once drummed for Skrewdriver. Radcliffe had occasionally filled in for Grinny when John was visiting family—hardly a major revelation, as drummers were difficult to find.

Back in the Fylde, Ian worked as a clerical assistant at the Premium Bonds office. Still a skinhead, he quickly returned to the occasional fight. Poulton and Blackpool had a long history of rival gangs, and clashes were common on weekends. On one occasion, a group of Poulton lads—including Ian—went on a rampage through Blackpool, attacking people and smashing windows. The following week, The Ramsden Arms pub on Talbot Road displayed a photo of Ian behind the bar with the words “Wanted Dead or Alive” written above it. His reputation from school had never faded.

On another occasion, some NF supporters Ian knew—Tweety and the Cannon brothers—invited him to see The Stray Cats at the Norbreck Castle in Bispham. The band was popular at the time, but Ian thought they looked like “a bunch of puffs.” After the gig, a confrontation broke out in the pub car park between the band, their roadies, and Ian’s group. The Stray Cats were beaten, and Ian slashed their van tyres.

Ian soon grew bored, and he and Kev McKay moved back to Manchester, renting a rundown, rat‑infested one‑room bedsit in Cheetham Hill, Salford.

Toward the end of 1979, Ian and Kev met two local musicians: drummer Martin Smith and a talented young guitarist named Glen Jones. The four set about reviving Skrewdriver. Early plans were made for a live LP to be recorded at Tony Wilson’s venue, the infamous Factory. Ian continued visiting London and spending time with Suggs and his friends. Madness were just getting started, and the band often borrowed Skrewdriver’s gear. Grinny had left Skrewdriver and joined The Nipple Erectors.

Ian prepared to record new tracks and struck a deal with Manchester‑based independent label TJM (Tony Johnson Music) to release a new single. The lineup for this release was Ian, Kev, Glen Jones, and Martin Smith. They gigged frequently around the city, supporting Motörhead at King George’s Hall in Blackburn and playing regularly at the Mayflower Club near Belle Vue, building a solid local following.

On the TJM label, Skrewdriver released the Built Up, Knocked Down EP, featuring “Breakout” and “A Case of Pride.” Glen Jones’s musicianship shone throughout the EP, and although he remained with the band only briefly, he left a lasting mark on their sound. These four tracks showed clear musical and lyrical progression. The music media ignored the release—unsurprising, given that the title track was a direct attack on the music business.

After the EP’s release, Skrewdriver continued gigging at the Mayflower and other local venues. Any chance of mainstream exposure was fading, as the music press still hadn’t forgiven them for refusing to criticise their own fans two years earlier. Unable to advertise gigs in the music papers, the band struggled to gain traction outside Manchester. Disillusioned, Skrewdriver split again in autumn 1980.

The late 1970s saw a major rise in support for the National Front. Membership reached around 18,000, and in the May 1976 local elections the NF contested 174 seats, with 80 candidates polling more than 10% of the vote. By October 1977, the NF had 44 London branches and 187 provincial chapters. In the 1977 Greater London Council elections, NF candidates beat the Liberals in 33 of 91 districts and won 119,000 votes. In November 1977, the NF organised a 6,000‑strong flag parade through London for Remembrance Day. In the 1977 local elections, the NF gained 250,000 votes.

Ian began buying NF publications and attending meetings in Blackpool. Convinced by what he heard, he wrote to NF headquarters at Excalibur House, 73 Great Eastern Street, London EC2, and joined as a full member in April 1979.

As the NF grew, opposition groups formed. Skins Against the Nazis began in Hackney in July 1978, and the Anti‑Nazi League (ANaL) was also created. ANaL was financed and secretly run by the Trotskyist Socialist Workers Party (SWP), which openly called for a communist dictatorship. ANaL occasionally organised concerts under the banner of Rock Against Racism (RAR). In response, the Young National Front created its own counterpart: Rock Against Communism.

After denouncing their skinhead followers as racists and NF members, Sham 69 were invited to play RAR benefit gigs. They agreed, performing at a Central London Polytechnic show with reggae band Misty in February 1978. In April, Jimmy Pursey joined The Clash onstage at an ANaL carnival. By the end of the year, Sham declined further invitations, fearing their former skinhead fans might show up in anger.

Pursey declared in interviews: “Every gig we play is a Rock Against Racism gig.” Once their allegiance was clear, right‑wing activity and violence increased at Sham gigs, especially in London, where NF and British Movement support was strongest. Promoters began avoiding Sham 69 for fear of trouble. Despite appearances on Top of the Pops, the band’s days were numbered. They couldn’t play in the UK without violence, and Pursey refused to play abroad, so they split. Their final gig took place at the Rainbow Theatre in London.

The two support bands, Little Roosters and The Low Numbers, had already endured abuse, but the worst was saved for Sham. They opened with “What Have You Got?” and by the fourth song, “Angels With Dirty Faces,” things fell apart. A skinhead tried to get onstage and was stopped by security. A scuffle broke out, and Pursey, trying to calm things down, let the skinhead join them onstage. This encouraged others to storm the barriers. The security curtains dropped, and Sham fled. Over 200 skinheads—allegedly organised by the British Movement—surged through the crowd, while others chanted “Sieg Heil” and “Skrewdriver” from the stage. The next day, a hundred skinheads smashed a Young Socialist “Jobs for the Youth” gig featuring The Ruts and Misty.

1980-1981

Ian and Kev returned to Blackpool. Back in Poulton, Ian worked as a machine operator at his father’s tool‑making shop and increased his involvement with the local NF branch. Before long, the pull of the city drew him back. He returned to London after receiving an invitation from Suggs to stay at his mother’s flat in Warren Street. Suggs had moved to a new house, leaving the room empty, and Ian gladly accepted the offer, staying there for over three months.

By late 1980, Ian was once again socialising with London’s National Front. After discussions with Young National Front leader and Bulldog magazine editor Joe Pearce, Ian said he would consider reforming the band and joining the newly launched Rock Against Communism, the NF’s answer to the Anti‑Nazi League’s student‑driven Rock Against Racism.

Ian agreed to play at RAC’s debut gig at Conway Hall in Holborn but failed to show on the night. Melody Maker sent journalist Vivien Goldman to review the event. The bands performing were White Boss and Dentist, both punk groups loyal to RAC. Goldman was told that Skrewdriver were supposed to appear “but had to bow out due to record company pressure.” This marked yet another end for Skrewdriver.

Ian threw himself into NF activism, organising newspaper sales and recruiting for demonstrations. His most notorious moment came when his branch attacked a busload of IRA sympathisers heading to a “Troops Out” demonstration. The bus was destroyed, several passengers were injured, and the attackers escaped arrest. Ian was gaining a reputation as a hardline activist.

With no Skrewdriver income, he needed support. The DHS became his next step, and unemployment benefit was his only steady income for the time being. Ian began writing new patriotic‑themed songs and toyed with forming a band called simply Britain.

During one London NF march, Ian and five friends needed somewhere to stay for the weekend. While walking around Argyle Square in King’s Cross, a man approached them after noticing their Union Flag patches and asked if they were NF supporters. When they said yes, he recommended the Ferndale, the cheapest hotel in the area and, according to him, the only one still under British management. The man was Maurice Castle, the hotel manager. From then on, whenever Ian stayed in London, he stayed at the Ferndale, eventually arranging a deal with Maurice to live there permanently for the next eight years.

Meanwhile, Madness were enjoying major success with eight top‑ten hits. When Ian met up with his old roadie Suggs over a few pints, Suggs told him he had been reading a script for a full‑length Madness film and asked if Ian wanted a small part. In October 1981, Madness released their third album Seven, which reached number five in the charts. That same month, the film Take It or Leave It was released. It covered the band’s early days, ending before their first hit, with a scene filmed in the Dublin Castle pub in Camden Town.

Suggs told Melody Maker: “We don’t want to come across as anything we aren’t and that’s why we’re doing it in this pub. We gave out tickets to as many original people as we could remember and everybody will get pissed and smash a few glasses.”

Ian’s role in the film was tiny—less than a minute on screen. First he appeared drunk on a garden wall outside a house party, and later he was seen chasing the Nutty Boys out of a pub. Blink and you’d miss it.

1982

Ian began visiting the skinhead shop in Petticoat Lane Market called The Last Resort, where he reconnected with old comrades and got to know the shop’s owners, Mickey and Margaret. The shop had become the central meeting point for London skinheads. Ian wanted to reform Skrewdriver for the NF’s Rock Against Communism project, but he never received the level of commitment from the NF that he felt he needed.

It had been four and a half years since the All Skrewed Up LP, and in that time a new generation of skinheads had emerged. Young skins visiting The Last Resort regularly asked Mickey and Margaret how they could get hold of Skrewdriver material. Mickey French, the shop’s proprietor, often discussed Skrewdriver’s music with Ian and encouraged him to put a new group together. At first, Ian was reluctant—not only because of his past experiences with the music industry, but also because he lacked the backing needed to commit to such a project.

However, after being asked repeatedly to reform Skrewdriver, Ian reconsidered. By the summer of 1982, he decided to restart the band. Mickey persuaded him that there was still strong support for Skrewdriver and a healthy demand for their music. Mickey also promised to help financially or in any other way if Ian reformed the group. With the growing interest in Oi! and skinhead culture, and with patriotic sentiment running high due to the Falklands War, Ian felt the time was right. Backed by The Last Resort shop, he set about rebuilding Skrewdriver.

His first task was assembling a new lineup, and word spread quickly through the skinhead grapevine. Martin Dean, a freelance photographer who frequented The Last Resort, told Ian he knew a bass player who might be interested: Mark “Frenchy” French, formerly of the skinhead band The Elite, who had also been involved with the NF. Frenchy then introduced Ian to The Elite’s former drummer, Geoff Williams. The band was taking shape, but they still needed a guitarist.

An advertisement was placed in Sounds magazine: “Skrewdriver Needs YOU!” The ad promised a European tour and a record deal. Within days, the position was filled by Mark “Lester” Neeson, who passed the audition with ease.

With Mickey French’s support—and a line of Skrewdriver T‑shirts already prepared—the band entered Workhouse Studios in south London to record new material. The result was the Back With a Bang maxi‑single, released on Last Resort Sounds, which reached the independent charts.

Two songs, “Boots & Braces” and a revamped “Anti‑Social,” were recorded for the compilation LP United Skins. Two more tracks—“Back With a Bang” and a new version of “I Don’t Like You”—were recorded for a new single.

Riding the success of Back With a Bang, the band returned to the studio for the United Skins compilation. They recorded “Anti‑Social” and a new track, “Boots and Braces.” Although “Boots and Braces” became a crowd favourite, Ian disliked it, finding it bland and boring to play. Sounds gave Back With a Bang a favourable review, though the band’s political leanings were again questioned. Despite Ian’s deepening involvement with the NF, he was still reluctant to turn Skrewdriver into an openly NF band. Nevertheless, Back With a Bang became a skinhead anthem of the early 1980s, and The Last Resort shop sold the 12-inch single in large numbers.

Skrewdriver played their first gig in nearly three years at the 100 Club on Oxford Street on 7 October. It served as a warm‑up for the widely advertised “Back With a Bang” concert two weeks later at the same venue. Both gigs went well and earned the band regular bookings. Nationalist‑themed tracks like “Don’t Let ’Em Pull You Down” showed the direction Ian was taking the band. He also altered older songs to include more nationalist lyrics—for example, changing the line in “Government Action” from “You’ve got to be old to get money” to “You’ve got to be black to get money.”

The band wore Union Jack patches on their flight jackets, and after a few gigs Ian had them wearing all‑black uniforms. Much to his annoyance, he soon discovered he wasn’t the only one rewriting Skrewdriver songs: Sounds reported that Manchester band The Urban Rebels had reworked “Anti‑Social” into “Anti‑Nazi.” Ian was not impressed.

Skrewdriver then travelled to Holland for a three‑date tour organised by Mickey French. It turned into a disaster, culminating in the band escaping a large fight by climbing out of a toilet window. The organisation was chaotic, and the band and crew were relieved to return home. They ended 1982 with a sold‑out Christmas show at the 100 Club.

At the start of the new year, Ian introduced new material during rehearsals in the basement of an east London studio. These songs left no doubt about the band’s political stance: “Tomorrow Belongs to Me,” “White Power,” “Smash the I.R.A.,” and “Soldier of Freedom.” Ian also adopted a more openly nationalist presence at gigs. At the 100 Club, he raised his right arm and announced, “This one’s called Tomorrow Belongs to Me,” to loud cheers. This moment marked the beginning of Skrewdriver’s lasting legacy.

The music press continued to criticise the band and pressured venues to ban them. Once again, Skrewdriver faced gig bans and no media coverage. But this time, Ian was an active NF member with strong connections. Remembering his earlier conversations with YNF organiser Joe Pearce at the Hoop & Grapes pub in Farringdon Street, Ian met with him again, and together they reactivated Rock Against Communism.

1983

In early 1983, the NF publicly relaunched Rock Against Communism and organised a gig in Stratford, east London. On 2 April 1983, more than 600 people turned up to see Skrewdriver, supported by The Ovaltinees and Peter and The Wolf. The event was advertised only by word of mouth. Dressed in black Ben Shermans, sta‑pressed trousers, red braces, and a Union Jack worn as a cape, Ian opened the evening with a speech attacking the IRA and what he called traitors in the government. Between songs he delivered short speeches against the CND, the left, and immigration, all of which were met with loud applause and shouts of “Hail Victory!” The atmosphere was electric. Ian singled out Sounds features editor and self‑proclaimed “godfather of Oi!” Gary Bushell: “This one is about a bloke who’s tried to stop us,” Ian announced. “Gary Bushell is a cunt. This one’s called I Don’t Like You.”

The NF was delighted and quickly declared Skrewdriver the champions of their new musical movement. NF organisers Joe Pearce and Patrick Harrington joined the band at one of their regular Tuesday rehearsals to discuss recording a single. The NF had no experience in music production and needed help. Scotty set up a four‑track studio and recording began. The end result was rough, but the power of the songs’ messages ensured success within their intended audience.

White Noise Records—founded by Pearce and Harrington—released the White Power EP, featuring “White Power,” “Smash the I.R.A.,” and “Shove the Dove.” It was the band’s first explicitly political release. The EP sent shockwaves through the music industry, with one paper calling “White Power” “the most evil record of all time.”

The song became Ian’s favourite and an anthem for nationalist groups for years to come. “The lyrics, for me—apart from Tomorrow Belongs to Me—mean more to me than any other song we’ve done. It’s such a stark statement. It’s there. It’s very direct.”

Around this time, Ian travelled to Islington to watch a young punk band called Brutal Attack, fronted by tattooed skinhead Ken McClellan. The band had previously played nationalist‑leaning material in their punk days and were now mostly skinheads. Ian was impressed by their set and Ken’s stage presence. He asked if they would support Skrewdriver the following week. Ken agreed, but other members objected, leading to a scuffle and two members quitting. Replacements were quickly found, and a week later Brutal Attack were performing alongside Skrewdriver.

Club owners were happy to book Skrewdriver because they filled venues, so media pressure initially had little effect. However, by summer, Skrewdriver clashed with the Rock Against Racism band Infa Riot and their roadies at the 100 Club. The music press used the incident to warn venues that booking Skrewdriver would result in a media blackout and loss of advertising. The 100 Club caved and banned them. Much to the press’s frustration, the Skunx club in Islington continued booking Skrewdriver, who were their biggest draw. But police pressure eventually forced Skunx to stop hosting them as well.

Gary Bushell became one of Ian’s most vocal enemies, loudly condemning any venue that booked Skrewdriver and threatening them with a total advertising blackout in Sounds. He also began heavily promoting left‑wing causes, further fuelling the feud.

Skrewdriver added more nationalist songs to their set. From an earlier demo tape, they selected material for the next White Noise release. The tape included “N****r, N****r” (later retitled “When the Boat Comes In”), “Midnight Train” (about their Dutch tour), and the White Power tracks. The release of the Voice of Britain single was met with full approval from the skinhead scene.

Ian’s opponents were now using every tool available to undermine him. The left‑leaning music press wanted to destroy the band and its supporters. But sales of the White Power EP were enormous—selling out in Britain and performing strongly in France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Sweden, the USA, and Australia. Its success inspired other new bands to enter the nationalist music scene.

Skrewdriver played several more Rock Against Communism gigs around London, with average attendances of around 500—remarkable considering the concerts could not be advertised and supporters learned of them only through word of mouth. This underground success infuriated the music press, who had tried to crush the movement.

With regular gigs and Ian continuing his NF activism—leafleting, selling newspapers, and serving as NF organiser for Central London—he even received a branch recruitment cup from Chairman Andrew Brons.

In the studio, Skrewdriver recorded “When the Boat Comes In,” released on WN3 – The This Is White Noise EP, alongside tracks by The Diehards, Brutal Attack, and ABH. Skrewdriver ended the year with a RAC gig in Kensington on 19 November and a “White Xmas” show in Barking on 16 December.

1984

By early 1984, Lester said his farewells, soon followed by Frenchy, who left the band to join the Parachute Regiment. Their positions were quickly filled by two Australians: Adam Douglas on guitar and Murray Holmes, formerly of Quick and the Dead, stepping into Frenchy’s role on bass.

Skrewdriver now had an international lineup and was rapidly gaining an international reputation. Interest was coming from across Europe and even the United States. Willis Carto’s ultra‑conservative newspaper The Spotlight interviewed Ian in its March 1984 issue under the headline “UK White Youths Proud of Heritage.” Ian was now receiving fan letters from across the white nationalist world. The NF decided that coverage in Bulldog magazine was no longer enough and launched White Noise magazine along with an organisation to run it.

On 10 June 1984, the Greater London Council held the Jobs For A Change festival in Jubilee Gardens on London’s South Bank. The event drew around 18,000 people—students, left‑wing activists, and festival‑goers. Acts included The Redskins, Aswad, Billy Bragg, and The Smiths. Around 80 Skrewdriver skinheads and a firm of Chelsea Headhunters also turned up. Skrewdriver were banned from performing, while the other bands were encouraged to take the stage and promote their political views.

During The Redskins’ performance of “Lean On Me,” a beer bottle narrowly missed singer Chris Dean. This triggered a stage invasion. Skinheads stormed the stage, and violence erupted. Instruments were smashed, band members were beaten, and chaos spread through the festival. Running battles continued through the surrounding streets, Waterloo Station, and even St. Thomas’ Hospital, where injured left‑wing activists had been taken.

With the new lineup in place, the NF sought investment for their White Noise Records branch. They viewed the bands as short‑term money‑makers rather than long‑term projects. Meanwhile, the enormous success of the White Power EP across Europe attracted the attention of West German label Rock‑O‑Rama. Its chairman, Herbert Egoldt, saw Skrewdriver’s potential and contacted Ian with an offer for an LP and a single. At the same time, the NF arranged a deal with Rock‑O‑Rama to supply material for a compilation LP and take a cut of the profits. Officially, it would be a Rock‑O‑Rama release.

Ian already had enough material for an album and went straight into the studio. All the songs they had been performing live were recorded, and Ian selected fourteen tracks for the Hail The New Dawn LP, two for the White Noise/Rock‑O‑Rama compilation, and two for the Invasion single (Invasion / On Our Streets). Ian accepted Herbert’s deal, as Rock‑O‑Rama could offer far greater international exposure than White Noise Records. The partnership opened the door to the rapidly growing German skinhead scene, expanding the market for Skrewdriver’s past and future recordings.

Hail The New Dawn was released in the summer of 1984. It featured nearly all the songs Skrewdriver performed live in the early 1980s and showcased their evolution from punk to Oi! to a more rock‑oriented sound. Mad Matty Morgan of Skrewdriver Security contributed by writing track five, Race and Nation. Nicky Crane created the LP’s cover artwork and wrote the lyrics to Justice, a song about his own experiences with the British legal system after receiving a four‑year sentence following a violent confrontation with black youths.

Many consider Hail The New Dawn to contain some of Ian’s strongest work, including what many fans regard as Skrewdriver’s greatest song: Free My Land.

 

1985

By 1985, Skrewdriver’s lineup gained an additional member from Italy. Steve Roda, a skinhead from Bologna, played his first show with the band at a RAC gig in East Ham, London. Soon after, the new lineup entered the studio to record two tracks for the compilation LP No Surrender, a joint White Noise Records / Rock‑O‑Rama project featuring eleven bands. With Steve on second guitar, the band developed a heavier, fuller sound. Skrewdriver contributed “Don’t Let Them Pull You Down” and “Tearing Down the Wall” to the LP.

Shortly after the album’s release, bassist Murray Holmes left the band. Steve temporarily filled in on bass until Paul Swain joined. Swain—formerly of the Oi! band The 4‑Skins—was no stranger to the nationalist scene. The 4‑Skins had been involved in the 1981 race riot at the Hambrough Tavern in Southall, where they were performing alongside The Last Resort and The Business when the venue was attacked by over 2,000 Asian youths throwing bricks, bottles, and petrol bombs. Their manager, Gary Hitchcock, was also a former British Movement member.

By the mid‑1980s, Ian’s musical direction had shifted again. If the 1950s had been the era of rock ’n’ roll, Ian now referred to his own sound as White Rock. Skrewdriver had evolved from punk to street punk to Oi!, and now toward a heavier rock style. This new direction was showcased on the band’s third album, Blood & Honour.

With their Rock‑O‑Rama debut still selling strongly, the label requested more material. Ian already had enough songs for another album and went straight into the studio. Scotty assisted with engineering and production, improving the professionalism and clarity of the recordings. The new tracks were slower in tempo, which enhanced the melodies and allowed Ian’s vocals to dominate. Ian was extremely pleased with the final result, aware that any shift in musical style risked alienating the band’s traditional skinhead following.

Blood & Honour was recorded in autumn 1985, along with two additional tracks intended for a single. The album showcased the band’s newer White Rock sound and reflected Ian’s strong belief in National Socialism. Standout tracks included “Blood & Honour,” “The Way It’s Got to Be,” “Prisoner of Peace” (dedicated to Rudolf Hess), “The Jewel in the Sea,” and the anti‑drug anthem “Needle Man.” The cover artwork was created by Bugs Tattoo Parlour on Caledonian Road, north London, inspiring many skinheads to get the “Blood & Honour” Viking tattoo.

The album received an enthusiastic response from Skrewdriver’s established supporters. Ian sang about drugs (“Needle Man”), Soviet oppression (“Poland”), Rudolf Hess (“Prisoner of Peace”), and everyday life (“One Fine Day”), blending these themes with broader messages of racial pride.

While travelling home from the studio, Ian and several band members and crew became involved in a fight at King’s Cross Underground station with a group of black youths. Violence broke out until Transport Police intervened. Ian and his flatmate Des Clarke—who helped organise Skrewdriver merchandise and the White Noise fanzine—were singled out and arrested. Charged with violent disorder, they stood trial on 11 December 1985. The youths involved failed to appear in court for three consecutive days, but police brought them in from their homes to ensure the case proceeded. The judge was unsympathetic, and both Ian and Des Clarke received 12‑month prison sentences.

Here are some reports from various tabloids on what “allegedly” transpired:

David Brown in the Sunday Observer:

‘Led by Ian Stuart who was jailed for 12 months in 1986 for a street attack on a Nigerian in the King’s Cross area of London, Blood and Honour is planning to tour Holland, Belgium, France, Sweden and the United States later this year’.

Garry Bushell in The Sun, 6 March 1986:

Stewart, 28 – who changed his name from Donaldson – is serving 12 months in Wayland Prison, Norfolk, for attacking a West Indian’.

Chris Dignan in a local Derby newspaper, 1993:

‘He was jailed for 12 months in 1986 for attacking a Nigerian woman on a London Street’.

1986

On Ian’s first night in London’s HMP Wormwood Scrubs, he recognised Joe Pearce in the dining hall. The two had worked together on several NF projects, and this was Joe’s second prison sentence for his involvement with the Young National Front paper Bulldog. Sitting alone in his cell, Ian had plenty of time to reflect on the NF and his situation. The NF had promised to make his imprisonment high‑profile. Meanwhile, Ian was receiving large amounts of mail from skinhead fanzines and international publications. Prison was a new experience—one he was determined not to repeat.

Ian received five times more mail than the average inmate and had regular visitors who brought him news from outside. He wrote an article for National Front News and penned lyrics for many new songs. Books were sent in regularly, and Ian passed around pro‑white literature among inmates. When not writing or listening to the radio, he read extensively. He found David Irving’s books engrossing, but his favourite author was J.R.R. Tolkien. Ian spent hours reading The Lord of the Rings. One of the book’s central characters, Gandalf the Grey, becomes known as The White Rider in The Two Towers. Ian wondered whether this inspired the title of a future Skrewdriver album.

Ian’s muscular build and notoriety helped him avoid being targeted inside. Being a racist in a prison with a large number of Black inmates was not an easy situation, but he managed to stay out of serious trouble. He spent Christmas 1985 in Wormwood Scrubs working on the hot plate, serving porridge. Early in 1986, he was transferred to the comparatively more comfortable HMP Wayland in Norfolk as prisoner L25818, and was relieved to find that most inmates there were white. The lower‑security environment allowed him access to an acoustic guitar, and he continued writing new material and answering his large volume of correspondence.

On Thursday, 6 March 1986, Wayland Prison awoke to see prisoner L25818 on the front page of The Sun. Under the headline “Rock Star’s Nazi Pal” was a photo of Ian and Suggs from Madness, taken years earlier at Suggs’ mother’s house. Unknown to Ian, someone had broken into his King’s Cross bedsit and stolen the photo, later selling it to Gary Bushell for £2,000. The article claimed Suggs had given Ian money, helped with recordings, and sheltered him in his flat. While Ian and Suggs had indeed been close friends in the late 1970s, the claims about financial or musical support were false.

Ian refused to exploit his past friendship with Suggs for publicity or money. In a later White Noise interview, he said: “The article was just an attempt to blacken the name of Suggsy. We did used to be mates, but we haven’t seen each other for a few years and that’s all there is to it.” In another fanzine he added: “As far as I know we’re still on good terms. He just wants to make a living. I’ve got nothing against the bloke.”

Ian and Suggs had not fallen out—they had simply drifted apart, moving in very different directions. Ian had no interest in Madness, and Suggs likely felt the same about Ian’s increasingly political band. The Sun story deepened Ian’s hatred of the press and its “build them up, knock them down” mentality. He despised how the media manipulated people’s lives like pieces on a board.

Upon Ian’s release, White Noise magazine was launched. It featured an interview with him, giving him the chance to discuss his prison term and the events leading up to it. Another open‑air festival was organised in Suffolk, and White Noise was officially underway. T‑shirts, badges, and records were advertised, and membership money poured in. Ian wanted the funds used effectively, but although he was the White Noise organiser, the finances were controlled by Patrick Harrington, Derek Holland, and Nick Griffin of the NF.

More nationalist‑leaning bands were forming, and White Noise seemed capable of fulfilling Ian’s ambitions. International attention grew. Ian appeared in various newspapers and magazines, including a four‑page article in the widely circulated American paper The Spotlight. One U.S. organisation was so impressed that it sought to honour him. The Church of Aryan Nations, based in Idaho, made Ian Stuart a Reverend. He knew nothing about it until he received a certificate in the post addressed to Reverend Ian Stuart.

1987

The new year began on 3 January 1987 with a White Noise gig featuring Skrewdriver, south London’s No Remorse playing their debut show, Croydon’s Sudden Impact, and a German band called Boots & Braces. Around this time, the NF began experimenting with what it called a Third Way. Race was no longer the central issue, and this shift would ultimately contribute to the National Front’s decline. Ian was unhappy with the direction things were taking. White Noise was bringing in new recruits, but the funds were being used for NF political efforts rather than reinvested into White Noise as promised. Skrewdriver’s record royalties also became a point of contention. The NF blamed Rock‑O‑Rama, who in turn blamed the NF. Ian had enough and submitted a resignation letter.

Realising they had pushed too far, the NF leadership promised that Ian’s royalties would be paid directly from Germany and pledged more funding for White Noise. Ian believed them, retracted his resignation, and returned to work with the NF.

It didn’t last. Ian and the NF leadership were soon arguing again. They frequently criticised his writing, spelling, and grammar. Ian’s distrust of Patrick Harrington and Derek Holland grew, and it became clear he would eventually have to leave the NF and White Noise. At the same time, the NF leadership—seeking greater public respectability—attempted to water down Skrewdriver’s National Socialist image by censoring Ian’s lyrics and dictating what he could sing about. Harrington, Griffin, and Holland insisted there be no “Hail Victory” chants and no derogatory references to Black people.

Soon after, the NF split into two factions. It gradually emerged that the White Noise Club had failed to pay royalties owed to bands, had been ripping off supporters who ordered records through their mail‑order service, and owed Rock‑O‑Rama around £3,000 for merchandise. Herbert, chairman of Rock‑O‑Rama, refused to release any new material or supply further records until the debt was paid in full.

By summer, disgusted by the dishonesty of Harrington, Griffin, and Holland, Ian once again resigned from White Noise and the NF. Most of the other White Rock bands followed him. Ian never joined another political party again.

1987 also marked Skrewdriver’s 10th anniversary. Ian decided to produce a book. Independently published, it was a modest project. Joe Pearce, the author, spent a night at Ian’s bedsit, recording the Skrewdriver story on tape. Meanwhile, the NF wrote to Skullhead’s Kev Turner—then in prison—trying to ensure his loyalty to White Noise. They also contacted Ken McClellan of Brutal Attack, who had been working in the NF’s Croydon office, telling him Skrewdriver’s time was over and that, with White Noise’s help, Brutal Attack would surpass them. A dirty‑tricks campaign was underway. Ian’s sick mother even received threatening phone calls. His departure had wounded them deeply.

By early summer, Ian decided something new was needed—an organisation representing the music scene and its bands, free from the control of any political party. RAC supporters came from various far‑right groups, and an independent organisation could unite them. In response to widespread frustration with White Noise’s incompetent leadership, Ian launched a new independent organisation run by the people it served. He named it Blood & Honour, and within a year nearly all nationalist bands and their supporters had joined. Harrington and his allies were left with only a handful of members and a few bands to exploit. Blood & Honour was an instant success, quickly becoming a stable organisation. Circulation of Blood & Honour magazine soared, and the number of gigs increased dramatically.

Blood & Honour took its name from the motto of the Hitler Youth—also the title of Skrewdriver’s latest album. The organisation called itself “The Independent Voice of Rock Against Communism.” The first issue of the magazine featured an interview with Ian, who used it to explain the state of the RAC scene. Skrewdriver played their first independent concert on 4 June 1987, greeted by hundreds shouting “Sieg Heil.” The walls were decorated with Union Jacks and Celtic Cross banners made by Skrewdriver and Brutal Attack guitarist Martin Cross. Skrewdriver’s backdrop banner had been commissioned when Ian returned to the scene in 1982 and was designed by leading members of the Essex British Movement.

On stage, Ian resumed delivering short speeches between songs before launching into the next track. His speeches targeted government immigration policy, current news stories, and frequent enemies such as the CND, Gary Bushell, Ken Livingstone, Nelson Mandela, and almost anyone on the left. His influence over the crowd was immense.

Meanwhile, the White Noise Club struggled on, pursuing a strange ideological path they called National Revolution. Within the NF, some leaders were turning toward pre‑Hitlerite national revolutionary and Strasserite ideas. Michael Walker’s magazine Scorpion became a forum for these discussions. In the USA, a group of white extremists formed The Order, carrying out robberies and murders in the mid‑1980s. In Italy, the Armed Revolutionary Nuclei (NAR) carried out bombings that killed over 100 people. These acts inspired some within the NF. Italian fugitives connected to NAR were sheltered in Britain with help from the League of St. George. Led by Roberto Fiore, they made contact with Nick Griffin, Derek Holland, and Joe Pearce. Fiore, Holland, and others produced a magazine called Rising, promoting this new ideology. Holland later wrote The Political Soldier, which became their guiding text.

This faction pushed drastic changes: abandoning public racism, supporting Black nationalists like Louis Farrakhan, and even travelling to Libya, where Colonel Gaddafi became an unlikely hero. NF News appeared with a Black Power fist on the cover and the slogan “Fight Racism!” Many supporters were horrified to see what they had fought for collapsing from within. Rumours circulated that NF leaders were involved in sexual misconduct.

The new Blood & Honour scene mocked Harrington, Holland, and Griffin as the “Nutty Fairy Party.” Internal conflict continued for months. The NF survived only because the Newcastle‑based Odinist band Skullhead refused to believe the organisation was collapsing. Skullhead, formed in 1984, had a strong northern following. Their vocalist, Kev Turner, was in HMP Acklington during the NF turmoil, but upon release remained loyal to White Noise. Much to the outrage of local MPs and the anti‑fascist magazine Searchlight, Kev even managed to gig with Skullhead while on weekend leave.

Patrick Harrington travelled to Brühl, Germany, to address rumours of corruption. He paid Rock‑O‑Rama the overdue £3,000, then had the audacity to ask for more records on credit. He was refused. Harrington also requested a letter confirming the debt had been paid so he could deny wrongdoing. Herbert agreed, but insisted on noting the eleven‑month delay.

In a final attempt to salvage credibility, the White Noise Club was shut down and rebranded as Counter Culture. This new organisation mixed nationalist bands like Skullhead and Violent Storm with opera and classical music. Bands were told to smarten their image and abandon boots and white‑power shirts. This was the last straw for Skullhead, who quit the NF and formed Unity Productions, an independent association similar to Blood & Honour. Soon, Unity and Blood & Honour were cooperating and holding joint gigs.

Disillusioned NF members left as the party reinvented itself as a Third Way organisation. Around the same time, Ian—having resigned from the NF for the second time—continued the original NF ideals through the NF Flag Group, which remained active on the streets. By early 1990, the Flag Group, led by Ian Anderson, had reclaimed the National Front name.

All the turmoil within White Noise could have been avoided if the scene’s leaders had united and communicated honestly. Instead, rumours and counter‑rumours ran rampant.

Ian continued dealing with NF attempts to sabotage his new project. Blood & Honour magazine frequently criticised the NF. Harrington and Holland even became subjects of Ian’s lyrics. One song, “The New Boss,” drew inspiration from The Who’s Won’t Get Fooled Again. Although Ian spent time attacking the NF leadership, they spent twice as much time attacking him. The NF declared it a disciplinary offence to read Blood & Honour. Ian mocked White Noise supporters who criticised Blood & Honour but still wanted to read the magazine. Harrington later claimed they were “purging Nazis” and even contacted the Board of Deputies of British Jews to announce that NF membership was now open to Jews.

Meanwhile, Skrewdriver’s popularity continued to grow. More record shops stocked their Rock‑O‑Rama releases, and gig offers poured in from across Europe.

Skrewdriver returned to Europe with a show in Gothenburg, Sweden. The 24‑hour ferry trip was spent drinking heavily. Upon arrival, they were welcomed by members of the band Dirlewanger. Despite a few problems at the gig, the weekend was a success. The trip later inspired the song “Land of Ice.”

With growing European interest, Blood & Honour organised a Scandinavian gig. Sweden’s nationalist scene had gained momentum since the mid‑1980s. Skinheads had first appeared in Stockholm in 1979, meeting at a rock club called The Underground, later replaced by a venue near the Gamla Stan subway station called the Shopter Plate. After extensive planning, Skrewdriver finally reached Stockholm on 29 November 1987.

The PA failed to arrive, and the original venue cancelled. Police applied pressure, but a small PA was eventually found and the gig went ahead. As a result, Blood & Honour established new divisions in Stockholm and Gothenburg. Supporters from Finland, Denmark, Germany, and Holland attended, seeing bands such as Dirlewanger, Vit Aggression, Agent Bulldog, and Skrewdriver. Many bought copies of Blood & Honour Issue 2 and carried the message of independent unity back home.

Ian remained busy with British nationalism, touring Europe, writing for zines, and recording albums. He had his share of female admirers, but no lasting relationship—until he met Agnetta in Gothenburg. What began as a casual fling quickly became serious, with some speculating Ian might move to Sweden. However, the relationship ended abruptly.

Rock‑O‑Rama was given the go‑ahead to produce the new Skrewdriver LP White Rider. The album showcased a new level of musical skill and professionalism. Many songs were written while Ian was in prison. “Where Has Justice Gone” and “Behind the Bars” attacked the legal system. The LP blended gritty rock anthems—such as Ian’s favourite Skrewdriver track, “I Can See the Fire”—with ballads like “The Snow Fell,” about the Waffen‑SS on the Eastern Front. The song “Strike Force” had the line “Watch out n****r!” removed before release. The cover artwork was drawn by Christian from Germany, reflecting the band’s growing global influence. The album’s back cover thanked supporters from across Europe, North America, Africa, and Australasia.

1987 also saw the release of two Skrewdriver mini‑LPs: The Voice of Britain on White Power Records and Boots & Braces on Rock‑O‑Rama. These were collections of singles, released to meet the growing demand for Skrewdriver material.

Another gig took place on 5 September 1987 in Morden, Surrey, featuring Skrewdriver, Brutal Attack, Sudden Impact, and newcomers No Remorse, performing before a crowd of 500 that included French, Italian, and German supporters. Skrewdriver’s lineup had changed again and now consisted of Ian Stuart on vocals, Merv Shields on bass, Martin Cross on guitar, and John Burnley—brother of No Remorse’s Paul Burnley—on drums. At the same gig, Skrewdriver performed a five‑song guest set that was filmed for Belgian television.

1988

By early 1988, Blood & Honour was firmly established. Concerts were being organised on a fortnightly basis, many of them in the Midlands. In London, skinheads gathered in various King’s Cross pubs that had become popular meeting spots for RAC band members and supporters. Issues of the Blood & Honour magazine were now being released every three months, and the page count had increased from eight to sixteen. The magazine featured gig reports, band interviews, readers’ letters, RAC charts, and a “White Whispers” column. Within months, the subscription‑only publication had reached a circulation of 5,000. A complementary mail‑order service—Skrewdriver Services—was soon set up, selling nationalist albums, flags, loyalist tapes, T‑shirts, and swastika/Celtic cross pendants.

The sale of nationalist merchandise quickly became a booming business, attracting opportunistic businessmen eager to profit. Shops in London’s fashionable Carnaby Street began stocking neo‑Nazi regalia and Skrewdriver albums. One such shop was Cutdown, owned by Andrew St John. Originally a mail‑order outlet, it expanded to sell skinhead, ska, mod, and Oi! merchandise. Cutdown even organised its own Oi! concert at the Astoria Theatre called The Main Event. Police allowed the gig to proceed only if tickets were sold by mail order and limited to one per person per address.

The lineup included Section 5, Vicious Rumours, The Magnificent, Condemned 84, Judge Dread, The Business, and the Angelic Upstarts. The Upstarts had played numerous Rock Against Racism gigs in the 1970s, and their singer Mensi was now a vocal communist. Back in 1979, the Upstarts had been attacked at a Wolverhampton gig by around 50 National Front members, leaving their manager Keith Bell needing six stitches. Nearly a decade later, Mensi and the band were still performing at Anti‑Fascist Action events and Socialist Worker functions. At The Main Event, with 1,500 people in attendance, Blood & Honour supporters in the crowd attacked the Upstarts as soon as they took the stage. The Astoria management called the police, who shut down the gig and arrested sixteen people.

Despite the chaos, Blood & Honour continued to grow. Ian was pleased with the progress, but left‑wing opposition intensified. Demonstrations were held outside his Argyle Square home. When Ian complained, police told him to stay inside—and warned that if he appeared at the protest, he might be arrested. On several occasions, Ian walked out of his flat to find anti‑fascists waiting to attack him. None succeeded. In one ambush, Ian knocked a man down and smashed out his teeth with a single punch. The left attempted to portray him as a monster, but even hardened activists were wary of the reputation they themselves had helped create.

Ian often received visits from Chelsea football supporters he had known since their skinhead days. One night, after returning from a burger bar at King’s Cross station, a fight broke out with a group of men from the Bell pub. During the brawl, one of them was stabbed. Ian and three others were arrested and charged with violent disorder. Ian spent nearly three months on remand in Wormwood Scrubs.

While he was inside, Brutal Attack continued organising gigs, and Blood & Honour was temporarily run by Joe Pearce. Ian spent his time writing letters and working on fiction. By the time he was released, he had completed a 100‑page novel set in the fictional land of Valaria, titled The New Dawn, inspired by Tolkien. Ian hoped to publish the book and perhaps record an accompanying LP. Unfortunately, he lent the manuscript to a member of Skrewdriver Security, Del O’Connor, and it was never returned.

The CPS eventually admitted they had insufficient evidence. Much to the disappointment of the Searchlight representative in court, Ian was freed at Islington Magistrates. It was clear the authorities were eager to keep him imprisoned. The media remained hostile, publishing headlines such as “On Tour With Britain’s Sickest Band” and “The Nazi‑Loving Group Out to Corrupt Our Kids.”

Concert venues were becoming harder to secure, but some owners were still willing to take the risk. Ian employed a strong team of bouncers—Skrewdriver Security—to ensure gigs ran smoothly. Rock‑O‑Rama was pleased with the momentum, and in early summer 1988, Skrewdriver, Brutal Attack, No Remorse, Sudden Impact, and Vengeance all signed deals during a session at the Prince Albert pub in King’s Cross. Each band would record two LPs per year, and Ian would also begin recording as a solo artist.

Ian’s only income came from record and T‑shirt sales, which was enough to sustain him. He had no interest in material possessions and was content living in a tiny bedsit. His daily routine was simple: he rose at 8 a.m., collected the newspapers, and read them over breakfast at a local café. Around 11 a.m., he wrote letters, worked on new songs, and then watched his favourite TV shows—Neighbours and Emmerdale Farm. In the afternoon, he visited his PO Box in Holborn, collected mail, and sat in a café reading letters from supporters worldwide. New bands sent demos hoping for coverage in Blood & Honour. Ian received around twenty letters a day. After processing merchandise orders and banking cheques, he often played new songs for visiting friends. Every other day he trained, lifting weights and running. After being attacked while running outdoors, he took to running up and down the five flights of stairs in his building. Evenings were spent with visitors and listening to records. Although guests expected RAC music, Ian preferred rock—Motörhead, The Cult, and The Rolling Stones. He drank only lager, though he often said nothing beat a good cup of tea. His evening meal was usually pie and chips.

In May 1988, RAC and nationalist bands travelled to Brest, France, for a major event featuring No Remorse, Legion 88, Skin Korps, Brutal Combat, and Bunker 84. The French police cancelled the gig an hour before doors opened, leaving around 300 skinheads—some from Italy, Germany, and the UK—stranded. Violence erupted in the town as angry skinheads attacked people in the streets.

A new compilation LP, Gods of War, was released on White Power Records, featuring four bands. Skrewdriver contributed “Land on Fire,” “I’m a Free Man,” and “The New Boss.” Soon after, guitarist Ross McGarry joined, restoring Skrewdriver to a five‑piece lineup. By autumn, the band was in the studio recording a new LP, After the Fire, and the hard‑hitting single The Showdown (also known as Race War). The Showdown was the last single independently financed by Ian and Cutdown.

By Christmas 1988, After the Fire was released by Rock‑O‑Rama. The album was slightly more aggressive than White Rider. Standout tracks included “46 Years” (about Rudolf Hess), “Retaliate,” “Win or Die,” and “Land of Ice.” The LP also featured two cover songs: the ballad “Green Fields of France” by Eric Bogle, and “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Much to Ian’s annoyance, a poor‑quality live bootleg titled We’ve Got the Power was also released in 1988 by Viking Records, using an anonymous London PO Box.

1989

At the beginning of 1989, Blood & Honour organised a private function in Swiss Cottage, north London. The gig was held at the North Star pub on Finchley Road, a small venue with an upstairs hall that had hosted many rock concerts and private events.

Before the show, Ian and Brutal Attack vocalist Ken McClellan met in a nearby pub to discuss plans. While they were having a quiet drink, a group of around 12–15 Red Action members burst through the doors and attacked them with CS gas, knives, and bottles. Ian was struck over the head, and despite their injuries, both he and Ken fought back fiercely, sending their attackers fleeing with bloodied faces. Ken, who was stabbed in the face, acted quickly and prevented Ian from receiving far worse injuries. Ian later required 26 stitches, though the wounds looked worse than they were.

Rather than go to hospital and disappoint the crowd, they went straight to the gig. When Ian returned to the North Star, he was surrounded by concerned friends ready to seek revenge. Instead, Ian launched into a furious speech against his attackers—whom he believed to be Red Action—before delivering a powerful set. He refused to wipe the blood dripping from his shaved head onto his We’ve Got the Power T‑shirt, using it as a symbol of defiance. The attack only strengthened his standing among nationalists, who saw him as both a martyr and a street fighter.

To National Socialists worldwide, 1989 marked what would have been Adolf Hitler’s 100th birthday. Celebrations were planned across the globe. In Britain, the media focused heavily on Ian Stuart. While many BNP and NF members wanted to mark the occasion publicly, they feared the political fallout. Ian had no such concerns. In a full‑colour photograph taken in his cramped King’s Cross flat, he stood surrounded by white nationalist regalia, holding a swastika flag. Keith Dovkants of the London Evening Standard visited him for an article titled “The Man Who Loves Hitler.”

Opponents continued devising new tactics. One plan backfired spectacularly and embarrassed the media. No Remorse sent out demo tapes of their less controversial songs under the false band name Valhalla. Clubs responded positively and offered them bookings. When asked if they knew another band who could play alongside them, No Remorse suggested Strike Force—a false name for Skrewdriver. Ads soon appeared in major music papers: “Valhalla and Strike Force live at The Cave.”

The Cave, a disco in Islington owned by Paul Solomon, hosted the gig. Once the bands and roadies were inside, it was difficult for the promoter to stop the event. The show went well, with a lively atmosphere, and Solomon even expressed interest in booking them again. Ian assumed he was being polite until he later received a genuine offer for a second gig. However, the truth soon emerged. New Musical Express was humiliated to discover they had advertised a Skrewdriver show. Solomon was threatened with the loss of his entertainment licence if he ever hosted a RAC gig again, and the second booking was cancelled.

Outside London, gigs were easier to secure. Skrewdriver began appearing regularly around Nottingham—a city that would soon become Ian’s permanent home.

As part of the 1989 Break the Chains Tour, Skrewdriver were scheduled to play in Eskilstuna, Sweden. A week before the gig, Gerry Gable of Searchlight and his associate Graham Atkinson travelled to Sweden and held a press conference. Gable falsely claimed Skrewdriver were not playing a concert but holding a political meeting. His lies convinced the police to close the Eskilstuna venue, and 120 extra officers were brought in from Stockholm to deal with what turned out to be only 24 anti‑fascists led by Gable and Atkinson.

Meanwhile, Blood & Honour organisers had booked a backup venue. Gable’s stunt wasted thousands of Swedish taxpayers’ money, while Skrewdriver performed a successful concert in Stockholm for over 300 supporters from Sweden, Finland, and Germany—without trouble or arrests.

The Break the Chains tour continued across Europe. Sweden and Germany were especially popular. At Nieheim, over 1,000 German nationalists attended. Concerts abroad had a different atmosphere from those in Britain. At home, Ian knew most of the audience personally. Abroad, supporters treated him like a hero. Long queues formed for autographs, but Ian never let the attention go to his head—he saw it as a chance to channel enthusiasm into the movement.

By spring 1989, Ian’s project band The Klansmen was in full swing. Many thought the move into rockabilly was a good idea, though it might have been more successful with stronger backing from Rock‑O‑Rama. After completing the Break the Chains tour, Ian released his solo album No Turning Back in May. He was writing so much material that a solo record was the best way to release it. The album followed the style of previous Skrewdriver releases, with tracks like Triumph of the Will, Red Flags Are Burning, and Firepower, but it was more personal. Ian included covers of It’s a Hard Road and The Who’s Behind Blue Eyes, reflecting the difficulties of continuing in a white rock band under constant pressure and intimidation.

By now, Ian had become a cult figure in Carnaby Street. Shops attracted large numbers of skinheads and white youths buying Skrewdriver merchandise. Anti‑racist groups—including Lady Porter of Westminster Council, Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Gerry Gable, and Liz Kafete of Anti‑Fascist Action—tried to shut down the Cutdown shop. The Board of Deputies of British Jews even declared Ian Stuart “the worst antisemite in Britain.”

With this notoriety, Andrew St John and two other businessmen—operating as The British Performance Company—asked Skrewdriver and other Blood & Honour bands to perform at the 1989 Main Event concert. Ian had concerns about security from the start. The previous year’s Oi! event had been shut down by police due to crowd trouble. This was not a B&H‑run event; the promoters handled all planning. Still, the gig was accepted for the publicity it could generate for Blood & Honour. The lineup included Skrewdriver, Brutal Attack, Sudden Impact, No Remorse, Squadron, Vengeance, and Bunker 84 from France. Tickets cost £7.50 and were sold only through The British Performance Company.

Over 1,200 tickets were sold. The promoters booked three venues under different names and warned that troublemakers would be filmed and reported. Concert‑goers were told to meet at Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park for redirection. Ian insisted the rendezvous point be changed to Euston Station to avoid clashes with Reds gathering in Hyde Park. The organisers agreed—but never sent the leaflets.

As Ian feared, anti‑fascists discovered all three venues and pressured owners to cancel. B&H staff learned of the cancellations on the day of the gig, Saturday 27 May. Through hard work and luck, they secured a small venue in north Kent. Most supporters heard by word of mouth to meet at Euston, but a few went to Hyde Park and were attacked by Reds—including a 15‑year‑old girl. Despite everything, the gig went ahead, and lessons were learned: never work with outside promoters again.

Afterwards, it emerged that Andrew St John was actually Andrew Benjamin, a shady businessman running Cutdown purely for profit. Ian and Skrewdriver immediately severed all ties with him.

1990

With Skrewdriver guitarist Stigger now based in the Midlands and the new bassist, Smiley Jon, also living in the north, Ian no longer needed to remain in London. Combined with constant harassment from left‑wing activists, he decided it was time to move. In London, Ian had faced protestors outside his local café, placard‑waving demonstrators outside his flat, and refusals of service in pubs and shops—not out of personal dislike, but out of fear of reprisals from his political enemies. As Ian put it:

“It got to the point where Commies were following me around every pub. They had demonstrations outside my house every three to four weeks. I wasn’t bothered about the Commies—it was when the police tried to stitch me up. There’s not a great deal you can do.”

So Ian packed up his belongings and moved north. Most gigs were now being held in the East Midlands, an area that had become fertile ground for nationalism. Arriving in Ilkeston, he stayed with the family of a skinhead known as Cat. Ian and Cat later moved into a house in Ripley. Ian already knew the area from previous gigs, but what struck him most was how friendly everyone was. The two became close—almost like brothers. From this point on, the East Midlands became Ian’s base. Free from the pressures of London, nearly all UK gigs were now centred around Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire, with occasional trips to Newcastle.

Around this time, Skrewdriver released what many consider their weakest album, The Strong Survive, followed by Ian’s second solo LP, Slay the Beast, and the second Klansmen album, Rebel With a Cause. Slay the Beast continued the style of No Turning Back as Ian’s second solo project. With the compact disc format becoming popular after its 1983 launch, Rock‑O‑Rama invested in CD production. Among the first batch was Skrewdriver’s sixth album, Warlord.

Skrewdriver had returned to a four‑piece lineup. Martin Cross left to join Paul Burnley and others in the No Remorse side‑project Public Enemy (not to be confused with the earlier nationalist band of the same name). He also joined the Mitcham crew and played bass for Brutal Attack.

Following the success of Fetch the Rope, Ian collaborated with rockabilly band The Krewmen to record the second Klansmen album for Rock‑O‑Rama, Rebel With a Cause. Ian dedicated the album to Robert Jay Mathews, founder of The Order—a violent white supremacist group responsible for robberies and killings in the United States. Mathews died in 1984 during a federal siege on Whidbey Island, Washington, after agents set fire to the house he was barricaded in. Ten members of the group later received sentences ranging from 40 to 252 years. (Note: The Order was a violent extremist organisation responsible for multiple murders, robberies, and acts of domestic terrorism.)

The previous few years had been highly successful for the Blood & Honour movement in terms of gigs, record releases, and sales. To allow Ian to focus more on broader B&H objectives, editorial control of the Blood & Honour magazine was handed to Cat, who became responsible for publishing it. Issue 10 of the sixteen‑page, 50p magazine appeared in early 1990. It included a Blood & Honour gig report from Germany, an account of No Remorse playing in Italy, an interview with Sweden’s Division S, a fact file on New Jersey band Doc Marten, and features on Dirlewanger and the Irish group Celtic Dawn. Regular sections such as RAC charts, notices, advertisements, and the popular “White Whispers” column also appeared.

1991

Ian began, for the first time in many years, to put his own life before the band. He was enjoying himself. Learning to drive turned out to be easier than he expected, and soon he proudly owned a Volkswagen Golf—chosen partly for its German engineering and partly for Volkswagen’s historical links to the Third Reich. Around the same time, Ian found himself in a steady relationship with Diane Calladine, the sister of guitarist Stigger. Diane was one of only a handful of girlfriends Ian had ever taken seriously. Later that year, he announced their engagement.

The couple visited Ian’s family in Blackpool, where the news was met with excitement, and then went on holiday to Yugoslavia—likely Ian’s first holiday as an adult. He hated it, returning with stories of rats running around the hotel and distant gunfire echoing through the night. Not everyone approved of the relationship. Some locals believed Diane was using him for the gifts he bought her, or that she was distracting him from his “mission.” The relationship was turbulent—often off as much as it was on—but there was clearly something strong between them. Despite having no shortage of admirers, Ian always gravitated back to Diane.

In August, Skrewdriver were invited to play for Italian skinheads at the Ritorno Camelot concert, alongside Italy’s leading RAC band, Peggior Amico. Keen to build on the success of The Klansmen, Ian returned to the studio to record a rock LP under the name White Diamond. He also recorded an album of acoustic ballads with Stigger titled Patriotic Ballads, completed in just two days.

Meanwhile, Germany was experiencing a surge in political activity and a growing skinhead scene. Ian followed developments closely. Skrewdriver’s next album, Freedom, What Freedom?, included One Land, about German reunification in 1989, and Stolz, sung in German about national pride. The band were invited to perform at an anniversary concert for German reunification, scheduled for 3 October 1991 in Werben.

Upon arriving in Germany, the band received a warm welcome. With several days before the concert, there was plenty of time for drinking and socialising. But with members of a well‑known white‑power band present, some locals—fired up on beer—decided to prove their dedication. What began as high spirits turned violent when skinheads attacked a youth club used by left‑wing groups. Baseball bats were swung, and a long‑haired man was stabbed. Police arrived quickly and arrested whoever they could. For locals, this was nothing unusual; for the British visitors, it was a disaster.

Six people were arrested—five of them British, including three band members. Ian, however, had been asleep in an apartment with Diane, completely unaware of the chaos. In the middle of the night, he was jolted awake by hammering on the door. Before he could respond, police smashed their way in and pointed guns at him. Unlike in western Germany, almost no one spoke English, and Ian didn’t learn what had happened until he reached the police station. After six hours, both he and Diane were released. The rest of the band were not so lucky.

The situation escalated dramatically. Around 300 skinheads gathered outside the police station, armed with knives, pipes, and firearms, intent on freeing the detainees. The station was briefly under siege, with police barricaded inside. Order was eventually restored after around 50 arrests.

The British tabloids seized on the story, claiming British Nazis were forging links with German extremists to start a race war. Garry Bushell wrote his usual attacks, declaring:

“Swastika junkies like Skrewdriver disgrace our flag and our country—they even manage to disgrace skinheads.”

In The Daily Star, he added:

“If they love the Krauts so much, why don’t they move there for good?”

Back in Cottbus, police prepared for trouble. The concert went ahead, with Ian backed by Störkraft, and 400 police deployed to control the 2,000 skinheads who had travelled from across Germany.

When Ian’s plane landed back in Britain, he was relieved to be home. He immediately set to work on a protest recording. Gathering local musicians, he produced a six‑track mini‑LP titled Ian Stuart and Rough Justice – Justice for the Cottbus Six, highlighting the plight of the British comrades still imprisoned in Germany—men he believed were guilty only of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

1992

By 1992, the British nationalist scene was steady, if somewhat predictable. The London‑based organisers of Blood & Honour decided it was time to stage a show bigger than anything attempted before. Concerts in Europe were proving far more successful than those in England, and they wanted to change that. The date was set for 12 September 1992, and massive efforts were made to advertise the event—on a scale not seen since The Main Event three years earlier.

Posters featuring a pair of Doc Martens and the slogan “Skrewdriver – Back in London” were plastered across the UK. The meeting point was listed as Waterloo Station in central London. Word spread quickly, and within days left‑wing and anti‑fascist groups were demanding the concert be stopped. The organisers focused on securing the venue and keeping its location secret—even Ian Stuart didn’t know where it was.

Ian and the band met Blood & Honour organisers at a motorway service station before heading toward Eltham in south‑east London. Meanwhile, trouble was already erupting at Waterloo. Kirk Barker, B&H Chief of Security, had been arrested upon arrival—an enormous blow, as he was central to the gig’s security plan. Confusion spread among arriving skinheads, who were soon attacked by a mob of left‑wing activists throwing bottles and bricks.

On Waterloo Bridge, the skinheads regrouped with football casuals also heading to the concert. Catching the anti‑fascists off guard, the nationalists charged and pushed them back before police intervened. All trains to and from Waterloo were cancelled, and the bridge came to a standstill as running battles broke out. One police officer told the press:

“It was like General Custer’s last stand.”

Two policemen were hospitalised, 33 arrests were made—mostly left‑wing demonstrators—and two cars were badly damaged. The incident made national news. An estimated 2,000 supporters had travelled to London for the concert—the largest turnout for an RAC event in Britain. Only a quarter of them reached the venue.

Those who did found Ian in top form. The other bands on the bill were No Remorse and Dirlewanger from Sweden, both fresh from playing in California. Ian delivered one of his most fired‑up performances in years, each song preceded by tirades against the police, the demonstrators, and the left‑wing activists who had attacked him in Nottingham the night before. Later, Ian said:

“It was a shame the police acted so illegally again by shutting down the mainline station and trying to stop people getting to the concert. They shouldn’t have allowed the left‑wing demonstration on the day—it was obvious they were only there to cause trouble.”

Few names struck fear into anti‑fascists like Nicky Crane. A notorious skinhead enforcer, he had been involved in the scene since before Skrewdriver’s reformation in the early 1980s. Based in south‑east London, he ran the Crayford branch of the British Movement. In 1981, he received a four‑year sentence for his role in a race riot in Woolwich, where a black street gang was ambushed after stepping off a train.

After his release, Crane joined Skrewdriver Security. His reputation earned him respect across London, and he rallied east‑end skinheads for the 1984 Jubilee Gardens clash where The Redskins were attacked. He also designed the cover art for Hail the New Dawn and After the Fire.

Rumours began circulating in 1988 that Crane had been seen at gay pride events. Ian refused to believe it—there was no proof, and Crane had always denied it. He claimed his work for the security firm Gentle Touch required him to be present at gay clubs. But in 1989, Crane vanished from the scene. Security duties passed to Cat.

Then, in July 1992, Channel 4 aired Out – Fascist or Fetish, in which Nicky Crane—now mockingly called “Nichola Crane” within B&H—openly discussed being gay and his attraction to the skinhead scene. Ian was in Belgium at the time. Crane contacted him, apologised, and insisted he would never betray the movement. Ian’s response was a curt “yeah, right.”

They never spoke again.

Ian later said:

“I feel more betrayed by him than anybody else. He was head of our security. I stuck up for him when people said he was queer. I accepted him at face value. I was fooled like everyone else—maybe more. Nationalism and homosexuality don’t fit together. He lived a lie for years. I’ve got no respect for him anymore.”

Eighteen months later, Nicky Crane died of an AIDS‑related illness. Blood & Honour and the skinhead scene erased him from their memory.

Toward the end of the year, Ian visited Blackpool with Diane and became involved in a dispute with a man in a nightclub. Diane complained the man was getting too familiar with her. When he appeared again at a chip shop later that night, Ian confronted him. The fight was minor by Ian’s standards, but police arrested them anyway. Upon release, Ian was shocked to learn he would face charges. He believed it was yet another attempt to silence him.

More bad news followed. Monthly cheques from Skrewdriver Services were shrinking, despite strong business. It was soon discovered that the man running the merchandise operation, Neil Parrish, had vanished—taking £6,000 (£16,000 in today’s value) worth of orders with him. Ian later wrote about the betrayal in the song “Renegade” on the Hail Victory album.

1993

By 1993, the very problems Ian had tried to escape by moving from London to the Midlands had begun to follow him. Local police were now monitoring him closely, sometimes following him from pub to pub. Local Marxist groups attempted to have him banned from Nottingham’s Rock City venue, and the Red Lion pub in Heanor was shut down at the same time Parliament was urging police to close establishments used by what they termed “subversive groups.”

Ian was still living with his fiancée Diane, though no wedding or family plans had been made. The media image of Ian differed greatly from the person his close friends knew. Although politically committed, he was described by those around him as generous, approachable, and loyal to friends and supporters. In July, Skrewdriver recorded what would become their final album, Hail Victory, though Ian would not live to see its release.

By September 1993, many were concerned about Ian’s pending court case, as it seemed likely he might face another prison sentence. Blood & Honour’s East Midlands division had organised a gig for 25 September, and Skrewdriver were also scheduled to perform at a major nationalist festival in Europe.

On the morning of Thursday 23 September, Ian phoned his friend Benny to ask if he was free. Benny warned him not to visit, as police had called and were on their way to “discuss” confiscated beer from the Euro Aryan Fest. Ian mentioned he planned to go that evening to a biker pub, The Durham Fox. Benny declined but promised to see him the next day.

That evening, Ian met with Cat, Dickie, Stephen “Boo” Flint, and another friend named Rob. The five travelled in Ian’s car to Burton‑upon‑Trent, met local skinheads, and spent the evening at the Royal Oak in the market square. They left shortly before 11 p.m., as there was still much to organise for the upcoming Saturday gig. Rob, who had not been drinking, drove the group home along the A38 toward Heanor. Ian sat in the front passenger seat, joking about the BNP’s Millwall election result.

After overtaking a car near the Toyota factory at Burnaston and returning to the inside lane at around 55 mph, something went wrong. The steering wheel slipped from Rob’s hands, and the car veered toward the central reservation. Ian grabbed the wheel and joked, “Don’t try and kill me, I’ve got a gig on Saturday.” There seemed no immediate danger.

Moments later, the car spun out of control, left the road, rolled over, and crashed into a ditch.

Cat, dazed but with only minor injuries, asked, “What’s happened here?” The seriousness of the crash was not immediately clear. Regaining his senses, he saw that Dickie had suffered severe neck trauma. Rob, with a broken arm, said, “Boo’s dead.” When they looked at Ian, the full extent of the tragedy became clear.

The impact had crushed the left side of the VW Polo, where both Ian and Boo had been seated. Emergency services arrived quickly. Boo was pronounced dead at the scene. Ian was cut from the wreckage and rushed to the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham with severe head injuries. He never regained consciousness and died at 10:40 a.m. on Friday, 24 September 1993, at the age of 36.

The following day, more than a hundred Skrewdriver supporters arrived at a Blood & Honour social event unaware of the tragedy. When Stigger announced the news, several collapsed in shock.

Back in Blackpool, the Donaldson family home was inundated with calls from friends seeking funeral details. Ian’s father Arthur, who had buried his wife only two years earlier, now faced the loss of his son. He told the local paper:

“I am frightened of answering the phone. The media have been ruthless.”

Newspapers speculated about clashes between far‑right and anti‑fascist groups at the funeral. To avoid this, the family decided on a small, private ceremony. Arthur Donaldson insisted:

“This should be a quiet funeral with his family, not the scene of a demonstration.”

Out of respect, supporters honoured his wishes. Ian’s remains were cremated to prevent any later desecration. On 5 October, around twenty people attended the ceremony at Carleton Crematorium, including Cat, Diane, Ian’s brother Tony, and his longtime friend and original Skrewdriver drummer, Grinny. Bon Jovi’s Blaze of Glory was played, and Lemmy of Motörhead sent flowers.

Ian’s ashes were scattered in the same rose garden where his mother’s had been placed. Supporters travelled from across the country to pay their respects. Many did not know the exact plot, and soon Celtic cross garlands, English roses, and red‑white‑and‑black wreaths covered the entrance to the cemetery.

An independent investigator was denied access to the wreckage, but at the inquest, Derby coroner Peter Ashworth concluded:

“We are still no nearer finding out what caused this tragic accident. Because of the car’s two defects, it became less easy to control. But there must have been some other factor which contributed to the crash, even if Ian had not grabbed the wheel in a way many others in the same situation would have done.”

The defects were a nail in a rear tyre causing a slow leak and a leaking front shock absorber.

Speculation circulated that the car had been tampered with either by the authorities or the far-left terrorist group Red Action. Some supporters believed Ian had been murdered, citing previous tampering incidents, similarities to other crashes, and the timing—just before he was due to perform at a major European festival. Such theories remain unproven.

Ian had once said in 1991:

“You’ll have to kill me to stop me.”

Official Productions

1977 – You’re so dumb/Better off crazy – Chiswick – Single
1977 – All Skrewed up – keeps them off the streets (45 t) all skrewed up (33 t) – Chiswick – LP
1977 – Antisocial – Chiswick – Single
1979 – Built up, knocked down – TJM – Single

1982 – Back with a bang – Boots´n´Braces – MaxiSingle
1983 – Demo ’83 – ??? – ??
1983 – Invasion – Rock-O-Rama Records – – RRR 47 – 7″ single
1983 – White Power – White Noise Records – WN 1 – 7″ single
1984 – Hail The New Dawn – Rock-O-Rama Records – RRR 46 – LP
1984 – Voice of Britain – White Noise Records – WN 2 – 7″ single
1985 – Blood and Honour – Rock-O-Rama Records – RRR 53 – LP
1987 – Boots and Braces – Rock-O-Rama Records – RRR 67 – LP
1987 – Voice of Britain – White Power Records – WP 3 – LP
1987 – White Rider (Demo) – own production – Demo MC
1987 – White Rider – Rock-O-Rama Records – RRR 66 – LP
1987 – Live in Carlshalton, 04.06.1987 – Gord’s Skin Tapes – MC
1988 – After The Fire – Rock-O-Rama Records – RRR 75 – LP
1988 – Land of Ice/ Retaliate – Street Rock´n´Roll – SR 019 – 7″ single
1989 – Their Kingdom Will Fall / Simple Man(Lynyrd Skynyrd) – Street Rock’N’Roll – SR 027 – 7″ single
1989 – The Evil Crept In / Glory – Street Rock’N’Roll – SR 028 – 7″ Single
1989 – The Showdown – White Pride – Single
1989 – Warlord – Rock-O-Rama Records – RRR 85 – LP
1989 – Alabama – Street Rock`N`Roll – SR 001 – 7″ single – Germany
1989 – Warlord – Rock-O-Rama Records – RCD 103 – CD
1989 – We’ve got the power – Viking/ ROR – LP

1990 – Blood and Honour – Rock-O-Rama Records – RCD 105 – CD
1990 – Boots and Braces/Voice of Britain – Rock-O-Rama Records – RCD 106 – CD
1990 – Hail The New Dawn – Rock-O-Rama Records – RCD 104 – CD
1990 – The early years – Volume 1 – Ian Records – IAN 001 – LP
1990 – The early years – Volume 2 – Ian Records – IAN 002 – mini LP
1990 – Warlord – ROR – CD
1990 – You’re So Dumb / The Only One – Street Rock’N’Roll – SR 038 – 7″ single
1990 – Streetfight / Where’s It Gonna End – Street Rock’N’Roll – SR 039 – 7″ single
1990 – The Showdown/Deep Inside – White Pride Records – Single
1991 – Stand Proud / Backstabber – Street Rock’N’Roll – SR 052 – 7″ single
1991 – Warzone / Shining Down – Street Rock’N’Roll – SR 053 – 7″ single
1991 – After The Fire – Rock-O-Rama Records – RCD 137 – CD
1991 – Live & Kicking – Rock-O-Rama Records – RRR 109 – double LP
1991 – Live & Kicking – Rock-O-Rama Records – RCD 147 – CD
1991 – The Early Years – Rock-O-Rama Records – RCD 155 – CD
1991 – The Strong Survive – Rock-O-Rama Records – RRR 103 – LP
1991 – The Strong Survive – Rock-O-Rama Records – RCD 132 – Germany – CD
1991 – White Rider – Rock-O-Rama Records – RCD 136 – CD
1992 – Freedom What Freedom – Rock-O-Rama Records – RRR 121 – LP
1992 – Freedom What Freedom – Rock-O-Rama Records – RCD 164 – CD
1994 – Hail Victory – ISD Records – ICD 01 – Germany
1994 – Land on fire – ISD Records – ICD 02 – Germany
1996 – Waterloo live ´92 – I.S.D. Records – CD
1998 – 1977-83 / The complete studio collection – Victory Records – CD
1998 – Best of Vol. 1 – I.S.D. Records – CD
1998 – Best of Vol. 2 – I.S.D. Records – CD
1998 – Undercover – ROR – CD
1998 – History – Vol. 1 – Mid Records – Germany – MICD1 – CD
1998 – History – Vol. 2 – Mid Records – MICD2 – CD
1998 – History – Vol. 3 – Mid Records – MICD4 – CD
1998 – History – Vol. 4 – Mid Records – MICD5 – CD
1998 – History – Vol. 5 – Mid Records – MICD6 – CD
1999 – History – Vol. 6 – Mid Records – MICD7 – CD
1999 – History – Vol. 7 – Mid Records – MICD8 – CD
1999 – History – Vol. 8 – Mid Records – MICD9 – CD
1999 – History – Vol. 9 – Mid Records – MICD10 – CD
1999 – The faith, the Legend – Hate Society Records – LP

2000 – All skrewed up – keeps them off the streets – Chiswick – LP
2000 – Rockumentary – Midgard Records – CD
2001 – Back with a bang (Singles Collection) – Bootleg – LP
2002 – All skrewed up – Brunswick Records (Bootleg) – LP
2005 – Our Pride is our Loyalty – Street Rock`N`Roll – SR 100 – 7″ EP
2005 – Flying the Flag – Street Rock`N`Roll – SR 101 – 7″ EP
2005 – Skrew you – Street Rock`N`Roll – SR 102 – 7″ EP
2005 – Tearing down the Wall – Street Rock`N`Roll – SR 103 – 7″ EP
2005 – Blitzkrieg ’77 – RIB Records – LP
2005 – White Power Volume 1 – ISD Records – ILP 03 – Germany
2005 – White Power Volume 1 – ISD Records – ICD 03 – Germany
2005 – Hail Victory – Asgard Records – RA 200 – LP (last official release before Hail Victory was banned in Germany)
2006 – Voice of Britain / Sick society – Street Anthems Records (Bootleg) – EP
2006 – White Power Volume 2 – ISD Records – ICD 05 – Germany
2007 – 1st White Rider Studio Session 87 – Gjallarhorn Klangschmiede – CD
2007 – Voice of Britain – Street Anthems Records – Single
2007 – Undercover – Skrewdriver FunClub – 2LP
2007 – Mother Europe – Rock-O-Rama Records – RCD 223 – Germany – CD
2008 – Voice of Britain – Street Anthems Records – Single
2008 – White rider studio demo ’87 – ??? – EP
2008 – Studio session ’87 – ??? – LP
2009 – Songs to remember – Eternal Skrewdriver Fans – CD
2009 – Land on fire – Bootleg – LP

Live Albums and Bootlegs
???? – This One’s for the skinheads – Skrewdriver live – MSR Produktions (Bootleg) – CD
1994 – Hail Victory – C18/B & H/ISD Records
1998 – The last Gig in Germany – Bootleg – CD
2000 – The singles collection – ??? (Bootleg) – 2CD
2000 – The early years 1977/1979 – Matrix (Bootleg) – CD / LP
2002 – Antisocial singles collection – ??? (Bootleg) – CD / LP
2007 – When the Storm breaks – Rock-O-Rama Reloaded – RCD – 1003 – Germany
2007 – When the Storm breaks – Rock-O-Rama Reloaded – LP – RRR 1003 – Germany
2008 – Mother Europe – ROR – CD
2009 – After the fire – Rock-O-Rama Reloaded – LP – RRR 1015 – Germany

 

Track Lists

You’re So Dumb
01. You’re so Dumb
02. Better off Crazy

All Skrewed up
01. Where’s it gonna end (2:34)
02. Government action (1:37)
03. Back street kids (1.41)
04. Gotta be young (2:02)
05. I don’t need your love (2:04)
06. I don’t like you (1:57)
07. An-ti-so-cial (1:29)
08. (Too much) confusion (2:36)
09. 9 till 5 (2:07)
10. Jailbait (1:16)
11. We dont pose (1:52)
12. The only one (2:52)
13. Wont get fooled again (2:23)

Anti-social
01. Anti-social
02. 19th Nervous Breakdown

Built Up, Knocked Down
01. Built Up, Knocked Down (4:25)
02. A Case of Pride (2:13)
03. Breakout (2:39)

Back With A Bang
01. Back With a Bang
02. I Don’t Like You

Demo ’83
01. Hail the new Dawn (3:02)
02. Don’t let ’em pull you down (3:01)
03. Voice of Britain (2:41)
04. Sick Society (2:36)
05. Streetfight (1:46)
06. Pennies from Heaven (2:08)
07. Europe Awake (2:14)
08. Voice of Britain (Original Version I) (2:42)
09. Race and Nation (1:54)
10. When the Boat comes in (2:26)
11. Voice of Britain (Original Version II) (2:36)
12. If there’s a Riot (1:43)
13. Tomorrow belongs to me (2:33)
14. Midnight Train (2:07)

Invasion
01. Invasion
02. On the Streets

Was later re-released in a generic Street Rock`N`Roll sleeve, center label was still the RRR 47 label but with a small hole instead of the large hole the original version has.

White Power
01. White Power
02. Smash the I.R.A.
03. Shove the dove

Hail the new dawn
01. Hail the new dawn (3:20)
02. Our pride is our loyalty (2:14)
03. Before the night falls (2:57)
04. Justice (2:04)
05. Race & Nation (2:02)
06. Flying the flag (2:13)
07. If there’s a riot (1:47)
08. Tomorrow belongs to me (2:58)
09. Europe awake (2:25)
10. Soldier of freedom (2:22)
11. Skrew you (2:23)
12. Pennies from heaven (2:08)
13. Power from profit (3:35)
14. Free my land (5:24)

Engineered and produced by Mark Sutherland. All songs by Ian Stuart except Justice by Nicky Crane & Ian Stuart, and Race & Nation by Matt Morgan and Ian Stuart. Vinyl centre labels may have no country listed on them, later ones have Made in W.Germany or Made in Belgium on them and also on the back of the sleeve.

The CD re-release of RRR 46 plus two soings from RRR 52 of 15. Dont Let Them Pull You Down and 16. Tearing Down The Wall.
Bootlegs exist. This CD is no longer in production by Rock-O-Rama due to the song “Race & Nation”. In 2005, ROR released the remaining songs from this CD on a series of 4 vinyl EPs. All the current editions being sold are probably bootlegs.

Voice of Britain
01. Voice of Britain
02. Sick Society

Blood and Honour
01. Blood and Honour (4:17)
02. Mr nine to five (2:01)
03. Don’t be too late (2:39)
04. When the storm breaks (1:52)
05. Prisioner of peace (2:26)
06. Poland (3:29)
07. Tomorrow is always to late (4:11)
08. The way its got to be (2:36)
09. The jewel in the sea (3:43)
10. One fine day (2:30)
11. Searching (2:19)
12. Needle man (3:20)
13. Open up your eyes (4:20)
14. I know what I want (3:43)

The CD re-release of RRR 53 plus two songs from RRR 59. CD reissue has the same tracks as the vinyl release with two bonus tracks of 15. Streetfight (1986) and16. Friday night (2:05).
No longer in production, the legal songs have been released under another title. Any “new” CDs you see of this title are probably bootlegs.

Voice of Britain (LP)
01. White Power
02. Smash the I.R.A.
03. Shove the dove
04. Sick Society
05. Voice of Britain
06. On the Streets
07. Invasion
08. When the Boat comes in

Tracks 1, 2, and 3 are from the White Power EP. Tracks 4 and 5 are from the Voice Of Britain EP, tracks 6 and 7 from the Invasion EP and track 8 is from the This Is White Noise EP sampler.

Boots & Braces LP (1987)
01. Back with a bang
02. I don’t like you (1982 Version)
03. Built up, knocked down (1979 Version)
04. A case of pride
05. Breakout
06. Boots & Braces
07. Antisocial (1982 Version)
08. Tearing down the wall

Tracks 1 and 2 are from the Back With A Bang 12″ EP 1982, tracks 3, 4, and 5 are from the Built Up, Knocked Down 7″ EP 1979, tracks 6 is from the No Surrender sampler 1985 and tracks 7 and 8 is from the United Skins sampler from 1982.

White Rider (Demo)
01. Built up knocked down
02. Fighting for Freedom
03. White warriors
04. Land on fire
05. Strikeforce
06. Pride of a Nation
07. The snow fell
08. White rider

White Rider
01. White Rider (3:19)
02. Where has justice gone (2:50)
03. Strikeforce (2:51)
04. Behind the bars (3:27)
05. Pride of Nation (3:12)
06. New Nation (4:41)
07. The snow fell (5:07)
08. I can see the fire (3:13)
09. Thunder in the cities (2:42)
10. We fight for freedom (4:10)
11. White Warriors (3:08)
12. Built up knocked down (1987) (4:31)

CD re-release of RRR 66. Bootlegs exist.

Live in Carlshalton (04.06.1987)
01. Built up, knocked down
02. Streetfight
03. Europe awake
04. Voice of Britain
05. Blood & Honour
06. I don’t like you
07. Our Pride is our loyalty
08. Boots and braces
09. Strikeforce
10. When the boats comes in
11. Smash the IRA

After the fire
01. After the fire (2:53)
02. Mean streets (3:35)
03. Win or die (2:43)
04. Land of ice (1:59)
05. Eyes full of rage (2:44)
06. As life bleeds away (2:32)
07. Forty-six years (2:13)
08. European dream (3:29)
09. Retaliate (3:17)
10. A time of change (2:54)
11. Sweet home alabama (3:50)
12. Green fields of France (5:31)

CD re-release of RRR 75. Bootlegs exist.

The Showdown
01. The Showdown
02. Deep Inside

Warlord
01. Warlord (4:41)
02. One in a million (3:31)
03. Out in the cold (big deal) (2:40)
04. Their kingdom will fall (2:21)
05. The evil crept in (1:59)
06. Simple man (4:54)
07. Soar aloft (3:02)
08. Back in black (3:41)
09. Glory (For Thorstens Schedes and Krekler) (1:55)
10. Excalibur (3:46)
11. The warrior’s song (2:57)
12. Suddenly (5:39)

Bootlegs exist. The official ROR version of this CD is burned on a black disc with the white background label.

We’ve got the power
01. White Power (Live ’87) (2:21)
02. Streetfight (Live ’87) (1:59)
03. Europe awake (Live ’87) (3:23)
04. Voice of Britain (Live ’87) (2:34)
05. Built up knocked down (Live ’87) (5:14)
06. Strike force (Live ’87) (3:17)
07. Blood and Honour (Live ’87) (4:44)
08. I don’t like you (Live ’87) (1:50)
09. Our pride is our loyalty (Live ’87) (2:04)
10. Boots and braces (Live ’87) (3:11)
11. Freemy land (Live ’87) (5:53)
12. Back with a bang (Live ’87) (3:28)
13. Government action (Live ’87) (1:18)
14. When the boat comes in (Live ’87) (3:22)
15. Smash the I.R.A. (Live ’87) (2:16)
16. Hail the new dawn (Demo ’83) (3:04)
17. Race and nation (Demo ’83) (1:56)
18. Pennies from heaven (Demo ’83) (2:10)
19. When the boat comes in (Demo ’83) (2:28)
20. Europe awake (Demo ’83) (2:16)
21. Voice of Britain (Demo ’83) (2:43)
22. Sick Society (Demo ’83) (2:38)
23. Tomorrow belongs to me (Demo ’83) (2:35)
24. When the boat comes in (2:17)

Boots and Braces / Voice of Britain
01. Back with a bang (3:46)
02. I don’t like you (1:48)
03. Built up knocked down (1979) (4.26)
04. A case of pride (2:15)
05. Breakout (2:41)
06. Tearing down the wall (2:15)
07. Boots & Braces (3:20)
08. Antisocial (1982) (1:58)
09. White power (1:56)
10. Smash the I.R.A. (2:17)
11. Shove the dove (1:41)
12. Sick society (2:34)
13. Voice of Britain (2:36)
14. On the streets (2:49)
15. Invasion (1:55)

CD re-release of RRR 67 and WP 3 minus one song.
Bootlegs exist! The current official ROR version is burned on a black disc with a white background label. On the original ROR version, you can see a little bit of the marbled background that was on the LP cover. The current ROR version no longer has the Voice of Britain cover on the traycard, it now uses an altered version of the back of the original front-card with the track listing. Some bootlegs show the wrong year on the disc.

Live & Kicking
01. Hail the new dawn (3:13)
02. Strikeforce (2:54)
03. Europe awake (2:41)
04. The showdown (2:50)
05. Stand proud (2:01)
06. Land of ice (2:08)
07. Paranoid (2:26)
08. Back with a bang (3:40)
09. Streetfight (2:45)
10. Johnny joined the Klans (3:09)
11. The snow fell (6:47)
12. 46 years (2:48)
13. Backstabber (3:03)
14. Sweet home Alabama (4:00)
15. Tomorrow belongs to me (2:50)
16. Glory (2:16)
17. Red flags are burning (4:03)
18. Blood and honour (3:51)
19. Free my land (6:14)
20. Smash the IRA (2:38)
21. White Power (2:32)
22. Hail the new dawn (3:44)

CD release of RRR 109. This title is no longer being sold by Rock-O-Rama.

The early years – Volume 1
01. You´re so dumb (2:30)
02. Government action (1:36)
03. I don´t like you (1977) (1:57)
04. We don´t pose (1:51)
05. I Don´t need your love (2:03)
06. Antisocial (1977) (1:28)
07. Jailbait (1:15)
08. The only one (2:51)
09. Gotta be young (2:01)
10. (Too much) Confusion (2:34)

First installment of the ROR re-release of all of the 1977-1978 Skrewdriver material

The early years – Volume 2
01. Streetfight (1977)
02. Better off crazy
03. Breakdown
04. Where it’s gonna end
05. Won’t get fooled again
06. Unbeliever
07. 9 Till 5
08. Backstreet kids

Second installment of the ROR re-release of all of the 1977-1978 Skrewdriver material

Both of these appear as a CD re-release of IAN 001 and IAN 002 LP’s as RCD 155.

The strong survive
01. The strong survive (2:31)
02. Voice of evil (3:00)
03. From the land (2:36)
04. In the wasteland (3:22)
05. Stand proud (1:56)
06. Paranoid (2:04)
07. Hail and thunder (3:55)
08. Backstabber (2:34)
09. United (2:42)
10. Warzone (1:53)
11. Shining down (3:02)
12. Mist on the downs (3:45)

Track 4 In the wasteland although noted is actually not on the LP. It is however included on the CD reissue.

Freedom what freedom
01. Intro – mother Europe’s son (0:31)
02. What price freedom (2:37)
03. This little piggy (2:47)
04. This feeling (2:01)
05. Blood of the kings (2:39)
06. One land (2:58)
07. Stolz (2:35)
08. Return to Camelot (3:04)
09. (oh no) here comes a … (2:41)
10. When the north wind blows (2:13)
11. God of thunder (2:05)
12. Epilogue – the road to Valhalla

Note on the vinyl centre label the LP is titled What price freedom. CD release of RRR 121. Bootlegs exist.

Hail Victory
01. Intro & Hail victory (4:17)
02. Vampire (2:53)
03. White noise (2:22)
04. House of treason (3:20)
05. Mother Europe (2:50)
06. Old Albion (3:47)
07. European battle song (2:50)
08. We march to glory (2:56)
09. Renegade (2:24)
10. Fools no more (3:39)
11. Time to die (2:41)
12. Night trains (6:47)

The last album of original Skrewdriver material, as Ian Stuart died in an automobile accident the previous year. This album has seen several different forms, the first was this particular issue, which was released by Rock-O-Rama under the ICD catalog numbering. This edition does not give an imprint name, but the LP version of one of the following releases on this imprint (ICD-03) says “ISD Records” on the center labels. However, there is another label called ISD Records, which is run by C18/Blood & Honour/ISD, and it also released this CD. The album cover is a different painting of the same scene. The main difference on the back cover is that the ROR version thanks Herbert, while the C18/B&H/ISD version isn’t quite as kind to Herbert.

Land on fire
01. Land on fire (2:00)
02. The new boss (3:42)
03. I’m a free man (3:26)
04. Judgement day (2:40)
05. One in a million (5:34)
06. Don’t let them pull you down (2:37)
07. Friday night (2:08)
08. Streetfight (1:38)
09. Deep inside (2:57)
10. Tearing down the wall (2:11)

A compilation of Skrewdriver songs from various ROR sampler albums.

Waterloo live ’92
01. Back with a bang (3:49)
02. Tomorrow belongs to me (2:40)
03. Europe awake (3:22)
04. Street fight (2:38)
05. The showdown (2:42)
06. Paranoid (3:34)
07. United (4:17)
08. Our pride is our loyalty (2:22)
09. Hail the new dawn (4:44)
10. Johnny joined (2:31)
11. Blood & Honour (3:47)
12. Stand proud (2:03)
13. Sweet home Alabama (4:31)
14. 46 years (3:16)
15. Strikeforce (0:48)
16. Free my land (6:59)
17. Smash the IRA (2:44)
18. When the boat comes in (2:29)
19. White power (2:07)

1977-83/ The complete studio collection
01. Where’s it gonna end (2:30)
02. Government action (1:34)
03. Backstreet kids (1:40)
04. Gotta be young (2:01)
05. I don’t need your love (2:02)
06. I don’t like you (1:55)
07. Antisocial (1:26)
08. (Too much) Confusion (2:34)
09. 9 Till 5 (2:05)
10. Jailbait (1:13)
11. We don’t pose (1:51)
12. The only one (2:50)
13. Won’t get fooled again (2:26)
14. You’re so dumb (2:27)
15. Better off crazy (2:04)
16. 19th breakdown (1:51)
17. Streetfight (2:19)
18. Unbeliever (1:33)
19. Built up knocked down (4:23)
20. A case of pride (2:15)
21. Breakout (2:38)
22. Antisocial (1:55)
23. Boots and braces (3:17)
24. Back with a bang (3:34)
25. I don’t like you (1:47)
26. White power (1:53)
27. Smash the IRA (2:16)
28. Shove the dove (1:38)
29. When the boats come in (2:23)
30. Voice of Britain (2:40)
31. Sick society (2:38)

Best of – Vol. 1
01. Built Up, Knocked Down (1987 version)
02. Boots & Braces
03. Back with a Bang
04. The Showdown
05. Blood and Honour
06. Tomorrow Belongs to Me
07. Voice of Britain
08. The New Boss
09. Europe Awake
10. After the Fire
11. Old Albion
12. White Power
13. Hail Victory
14. Free My Land
15. The Snow Fell
16. House of Treason
17. White Rider
18. 46 Years
19. Hail the New Dawn
20. Antisocial
21. Stand Proud
22. Sick Society
23. Our Pride is our Loyalty
24. Streetfight (1986)
25. I can see the Fire

Best of Vol. 2
01. Invasion (1:57)
02. When the boat comes in (2:23)
03. Strike force (2:50)
04. White warriors (3:15)
05. Thunder in the Cities (2:40)
06. Openup your eyes (4:17)
07. Smash the IRA (2:13)
08. Return to Camelot (3:01)
09. God of thunder (2:01)
10. Glory (1:51)
11. Excalibur (3:42)
12. Suddenly (5:41)
13. Warlord (4:37)
14. Simple man (4:53)
15. Land on fire (2:00)
16. We can’t be beaten (3:18)
17. Night trains (6:48)
18. Land of ice (1:56)
19. Poland (3:27)
20. The way it’s gotta be (2:35)
21. Friday night (2:06)
22. I’m a free man (3:25)
23. The road to Valhalla (2:51)

Undercover
01. It’s a hard road (3:17)
02. Back in black (3:40)
03. Paranoid (2:05)
04. United (2:45)
05. 19th nervous breakdown (1:58)
06. Paint it black (2:29)
07. Jumping jack flash (2:55)
08. Sympathy for the devil (4:01)
09. Johnny joined the klan (2:52)
10. Devil’s right hand (3:21)
11. Route 66 (2:22)
12. Won’t get fooled again (2:26)
13. Behind blue eyes (2:47)
14. Radar love (4:09)
15. One in a million (5:35)
16. We can’t be beaten (3:20)
17. Tuesday’s gone (4:34)
18. Whiskey Rock´n´Roll (2:05)
19. Sweet home Alabama (3:47)
20. Simple man (4:55)
21. In the Ghetto (1:58)

History – Vol. 1
01. Hail the new dawn (live)
02. Our pride is our loyalty
03. Their kingdom will fall
04. White rider
05. Where has justice gone
06. Mr. nine to five
07. Land of ice (live)
08. Tomorrow belongs to me
09. Don’t be too late
10. Built up knocked down (1987)
11. Johnny join the klan (live)
12. One fine day
13. The snow fell
14. Flying the flag
15. The evil crept in
16. Back with a bang (live)
17. Searching
18. Power from profit
19. Simple man
20. I know what I want

First of a nine part collection of Skrewdriver songs. Original pressing on factory CD, any newer editions pressed are likely burned CDs.

History – Vol. 2
01. You’re so dumb (2:29)
02. Mother Europe´s son (0:33)
03. What price freedom (2:30)
04. Strong survive (2:32)
05. White Noise (2:18)
06. Government action (1:34)
07. Streetfight (Live) (2:21)
08. I don’t like you (1:56)
09. We don´t pose (1:50)
10. This feeling (1:52)
11. Stand proud (1:56)
12. In the wastelands (3:22)
13. House of treason (3:17)
14. Backstabber (Live) (2:40)
15. Unbeliever (1:33)
16. Antisocial (1:27)
17. This little piggy (2:38)
18. Warzone (1:53)
19. Don’t need our love (2:02)
20. Night trains (6:48)

History – Vol. 3
01. After the fire
02. Back with a bang (studio)
03. Breakout
04. Justice
05. Win or die
06. Retaliate
07. Europe awake (live)
08. A case of pride
09. Built up knocked down (1979)
10. Sweet Home Alabama (live)
11. Vampire
12. Mother Europe
13. Streetfight (1977)
14. Better of crazy
15. Soldier of freedom
16. Screw you
17. European battle song
18. Warlord
19. Fools no more
20. Green fields of France

History – Vol. 4
01. Renegade
02. The only one
03. Free my land (live)
04. Thunder in the cities
05. Strikeforce
06. Before the night falls
07. Europe awake
08. Pennies from heaven
09. Backstabber
10. Return to Camelot
11. Warlord
12. Excalibur
13. Sick society
14. Tearing down the wall
15. Shove the dove
16. Needle man
17. Poland
18. The way its got to be
19. Hail victory
20. Time to die

History – Vol. 5
01. Boots & braces
02. On the streets
03. Out in the cold
04. Suddenly
05. Behind the bars
06. I can see the fire
07. Don’t let them pull you down
08. Voice of evil
09. Shining down
10. Stand proud (live)
11. Back with a bang (live)
12. Johnny joined the klan (live)
13. Backstreet kids
14. We fight for freedom
15. When the storm breaks
16. This feeling
17. Blood of the kings
18. God of thunder
19. Soar a loft
20. Old albion

History – Vol. 6
01. Hail the New Dawn (Studio)
02. Form the Land
03. We March to Glory
04. The Warriors Song
05. Tomorrow Belongs to Me (live)
06. The Snow Fell (Live)
07. Gotta Be Young
08. Breakdown
09. Pride of A Nation
10. Open Up Your Eyes
11. Streetfight (1977)
12. I Dont Like You
13. Voice of Britain
14. Deep Inside
15. (Oh No) Here Comes A….
16. One Land
17. The Jewel in the Sea
18. Prisoner of Peace
19. Where Its Gonna End
20. Wont Get Fooled Again

History – Vol. 7
01. Friday Night
02. Stolz
03. Tomorrow is Always Too Late
04. Behind the Bars
05. New Nation
06. 9 Till 5
07. Hail & Thunder
08. Mist On the Downs
09. Back in Black
10. Strikeforce (live)
11. If There’s a Riot
12. Free My Land
13. Don’t Let Them Pull You Down
14. Red Flags are Burning (live)
15. Glory
16. Built Up, Knocked Down (1987)
17. When the North Wind Blows
18. Judgement Day
19. The New Boss
20. I’m a Free Man

History – Vol. 8
01. Intro – Diamonds In The Dust
02. Land Of Ice
03. Eyes Full Of Rage
04. One In A Million
05. Rising
06. We Can’t Be Beaten
07. Jailbait
08. Mean Streets
09. Land Of Fire
10. Judgement Day
11. European Dream
12. As Life Bleeds Away
13. Smash The IRA
14. Invasion
15. The New Boss
16. Friday Night
17. Confusion
18. Glory (live)
19. Alabama
20. Epilogue – Road To Valhalla

History – Vol. 9
01. Showdown
02. I’m a Free Man
03. One in a Million II
04. Forty Six Years
05. Paranoid (live)
06. Forty Six Years (live)
07. Smash the IRA (live)
08. White Power (live)
09. Hail the New Dawn (live)
10. Paranoid
11. United
12. White Warriors
13. Race & Nation
14. White Power
15. Showdown (live)
16. A Time of Change
17. On the Wings of a Storm
18. Judge
19. Hard Road
20. Bright City Lights

The faith, the Legend
01. Government action
02. Back with a bang
03. White Power
04. Voice of Britain
05. Hail the new dawn
06. Power from profit
07. Blood & honour
08. When the storm breaks
09. Streetfight
10. I can see the fire
11. Land on fire
12. Mean streets
13. Forty six years
14. The showdown
15. The warriors song
16. The strong survive
17. Stand proud
18. Oh no, here comes a…
19. Hail Victory
20. House of treason

Rockumentary
01. Rockumentary by Paul Burnley (1:00:39)

Back with a bang (Singles collection)
01. Where’s it gonna end
02. Government action
03. Backstreet kids
04. Gotta be young
05. I don’t need your love
06. I don’t like you
07. Antisocial
08. Streetfight
09. (Too much) Confusion
10. 9 till 5
11. Jailbait
12. Unbeliever
13. We don’t pose
14. The only one
15. Won’t get fooled again
16. You’re so dumb
17. Better off crazy
18. 19th nervous breakdown
19. Back with a bang
20. I don’t like you
21. Boots and braces
22. Antisocial
23. Built up, knocked down
24. A case of Pride
25. Breakout

Our Pride is our Loyalty
01. Hail the new Dawn
02. Our Pride is our Loyalty
03. Before the Night falls
04. Justice

Flying the Flag
01. Europe awake
02. If there’s is a Riot
03. Tomorow belongs to me
04. Flying the Flag

Skrew you
01. Skrew you
02. Soldier of Freedom
03. Power from Profit
04. Pennies from Heaven

Tearing down the Wall
01. Free my Land
02. Don’t let them pull you down
03. Tearing down the Wall

Blitzkrieg ’77
01. Antisocial
02. Something’s gotta change
03. The only one
04. Backstreet kids
05. Unbeliever
06. 9 till 5
07. Outsider
08. Jailbait
09. I don’t need your love
10. Better off crazy
11. Gotta be young
12. Government action
13. Won’t get fooled again
14. You’re so dumb
15. I don’t like you
16. Antisocial
17. Unbeliever
18. The only one
19. Streetfight
20. Breakdown

Mother Europe
01. Vampire (2:51)
02. White noise (2:20)
03. House of treason (3:18)
04. Mother Europe (2:48)
05. Old Albion (3:45)
06. European battle song (2:48)
07. We march to Glory (2:54)
08. Renegade (2:22)
09. Fools no more (3:37)
10. Time to die (2:39)
11. Night trains (6:47)

Shortened version of the Hail Victory CD

Voice of Britain / Sick society
01. Voice of Britain
02. Sick society

1st White Rider Studio Session 87
01. White Rider (3:28)
02. Land on Fire (2:22)
03. Strikeforce (2:59)
04. Behind the Bars (3:34)
05. Pride of a Nation (3:22)
06. New Nation (5:04)
07. The Snow Fell (5:07)
08. I can see the Fire (3:17)
09. Thunder in the Cities (2:49)
10. We Fight for Freedom (4:19)
11. White Warriors (3:15)
12. Built up Knocked Down (4:41)
13. I’m a Free Man (2:57)

White rider studio demo ’87
01. We fight for Freedom
02. Build up, knocked down
03. White warriors
04. Land on fire

Studio session ’87
01. Behind the bars
02. Built up, knocked down
03. I am a free man
04. New Nation
05. Pride of a Nation
06. Strikeforce
07. The snow fell
08. Thunder in the cities
09. We fight for Freedom
10. White rider
11. White warriors

Songs to remember
01. Blood and Honour (4:17)
02. Smash the IRA (2:15)
03. Europe, awake (2:22)
04. Back with a bang (3:44)
05. European dream (3:27)
06. Free my land (5:21)
07. Night trains (6:47)
08. Hail the new dawn (3:18)
09. 46 years (2:11)
10. Diamonds in the dust / Hail Victory (4:15)
11. After the fire (2:51)
12. Our Pride is our loyalty (2:12)
13. White Power (1:54)
14. Strikeforce (2:49)
15. Green fields of France (5:31)
16. Tomorrow belongs to me (2:53)
17. Voice of Britain (2:34)
18. Snow fell (5:05)
19. Suddenly (5:39)

This is a live CD from the ISD Memorial in Ukrain 10.10.2009.

When the Storm breaks – 2007 – CD

CD Reissue
01. Mr nine to five (2:01)
02. Don’t be too late (2:39)
03. When the storm breaks (1:52)
04. Prisoner of peace (2:26)
05. Poland (3:29)
06. The way its got to be (2:36)
07. The jewel in the sea (3:43)
08. One fine day (2:30)
09. Searching (2:19)
10. Needle man (3:20)
11. Open up your eyes (4:20)
12. I know what I want (3:43)
13.Friday night (2:05)

Digital re-mastered im April 2007. All tracks are remastered versions. Released as a burned CD. Contains one different track from the LP version.

LP Reissue

01. Mr nine to five
02. Don’t be too late
03. When the storm breaks
04. Prisoner of peace
05. Poland
06. Tomorrow is always too late
07. The way it’s got to be
08. The jewel in the sea
09. One fine day
10. Searching
11. Needle man
12. Open up your eyes
13. I know what I want.

Pressings of 300 in black vinyl, 100 in yellow vinyl and 100 in red vinyl.

Introduction
01. Free my land (5:32)
02. Hail the new dawn (3:12)
03. Land of ice (1:53)
04. White warriors (3:01)
05. When the boat comes in (2:15)
06. White power (1:51)
07. The voice of Britain (2:30)
08. European dream (3:15)
09. After the fire (2:46)
10. Blood and Honour (4:10)
11. When the storm breaks (1:48)
12. 46 years (2:08)
13. Race and nation (1:41)
14. Thunder in the cities (2:36)
15. Eyes full of rage (2:38)
16. Strikeforce (2:45)
17. White Rider (3:11)
18. Back with a bang (3:39)
19. Boots and braces (3:12)
20. Red flags are burning (2:54)
21. Suddenly (5:39)

Live Marquee
01. Antisocial (2:22)
02. Somethings gotta change (2:25)
03. The only one (1:56)
04. Backstreet kids (2:08)
05. Unbeliever (1:49)
06. 9 till 5 (2:21)
07. Outsider (2:45)
08. Jailbait (1:45)
09. I don’t need your love (1:59)
10. Better of crazy (1:58)
11. Gotta be young (2:15)
12. Government action (1:33)
13. Won’t get fooled again (2:51)
14. You’re so dumb (2:12)
15. I don’t like you (2:43)

The last Gig in Germany
01. Voice of Britain (2:34)
02. Tomorrow (2:59)
03. Europe awake (2:44)
04. Our pride is our loyalty (2:33)
05. Blood and Honour (4:01)
06. Strikeforce (2:42)
07. Hail the new dawn (3:18)
08. Back with a bang (3:45)
09. Johnny (2:22)
10. 46 years (2:16)
11. Free my land (5:06)
12. Snow fell (4:41)

The singles collection

CD 1:
01. You’re so dumb
02. Better off crazy
03. Antisocial
04. 19th nervous breakdown
05. Streetfight ’77
06. Unbeliever
07. Built up / knocked down
08. A case of Pride
09. Breakout
10. Back with a bang
11. I don’t like you
12. White Power
13. Smash the IRA
14. Shove the dove
15. Voice of Britain
16. Sick society

CD 2:
01. When the boat comes in
02. Invasion
03. On the streets
04. After the fire
05. Sweet home Alabama
06. Land of ice
07. Retaliate
08. Their kingdom will fall
09. Simple man
10. The evil crept in
11. Glory
12. The showdown
13. Deep inside
14. Stand proud
15. Backstabber
16. Warzone
17. Shining down.

This is a bootleg.

The early years 1977/1979

01. You’re so dumb
02. Better off crazy
03. Where’s it gonna end
04. Government action
05. Back street kids
06. Gotta be young
07. I don’t need your love
08. I don’t like you
09. Antisocial
10. Streetfight
11. Breakdown
12. (Too much) confusion
13. 9 till 5
14. Jailbait
15. Unbeliever
16. We don’t pose
17. The only one
18. Won’t get fooled again
19. Built up, knocked down
20. A case of Pride
21. Breakout

This is a bootleg.

Antisocial singles collection
01. You’re so dumb
02. Better off crazy
03. 19th Nervous breakdown
04. Streetfight
05. Unbeliever
06. Built up, knocked down
07. A case of Pride
08. Breakout
09. Antisocial
10. Boots and braces
11. Back with a bang
12. I don’t like you

This is a bootleg.

Voice of Britain
01. Voice of Britain
02. Sick Society

Voice of Britain – Picture Single
01. Voice of Britain
02. Sick Society

This one is for the skinheads!

Live 1987 concert.

White Power – Volume 1 (LP & CD)
01. Pride of a nation
02. Johnny joined the klan (live)
03. White power
04. Free my land
05. A case of pride
06. Voice of Britain
07. Prisoner of peace
08. The warriors song
09. God of Thunder
10. The strong survive
11. Stand proud
12. After the fire
13. Europe awake

White Power – Volume 2
01. Our Pride is our Loyalty
02. Streetfight
03. I don’t like you
04. Their kingdom will fall
05. Justice
06. Blood of the kings
07. From the land
08. You’re so dumb
09. Before the night falls
10. Boots and braces
11. Friday night
12. New Nation
13. We march to Glory

Skrewdriver & Public Enemy – Live & Loud!
01. Anti-social
02. Something’s got to change
03. Pushover
04. Back street kids
05. Unbeliever
06. 9 to 5
07. Hey Man
08. Jailbait
09. I don’t need your love
10. Better off crazy
11. Gotta be young
12. Government action
13. Won’t get fooled again
14. You’re so dumb
15. I don’t like you

Public Enemy
16. Fought for our Freedom
17. No respect
18. Whites unite 1
19. IRA bastards
20. Smash the System
21. Do see
22. 1984
23. Proud to be British
24. Public Enemy
25. Whites unite 2
26. Skinheads

 

The Ultimate Live Show
Hail the New Dawn (live)
Europe Awake (live)
Stand Proud (live)
Land of Ice (live)
Back With a Bang (live)
Streetfight (live)
Johnny Joined the Klan (live)
The Snow Fell (live)
Backstabber (live)
Tomorrow Belongs to Me (live)
Red Flags are Burning (live)
Free My Land (live)
 

1977 – 7″ You’re So Dumb / Better Off Crazy – Chiswick S-11 (15 June 1977)

Issued with three different sleeve designs, orange, green with a screw and a nut and light green with just the head of a screw.

 1977 – All Skrewed Up – Chiswick LP

Where’s It Gonna End, Government Action, Backstreet Kids, Gotta Be Young, I Don’t Need Your Love, I Don’t Like You, (Too Much) Confusion, 9 Till 5, Jailbait, We Don’t Pose The Only One, Won’t Get Fooled Again (The Who).

Issued as 45 RPM in 4 different sleeve colours of yellow, green, orange and pink. The yellow and green LP’s are labelled CH3 and the orange and pink have the label number WIK 3. All 4 colours have the number CH3 on the back cover and on the side cover. Issued in Germany with yellow sleeve on Chiswick/Metronome 0067.057 with two extra tracks of Streetfight and Unbeliever. Later reissued as The Early Years on 2 LP’s on Ian Records – Volume 1 has 10 tracks and Volume 2 has 8 tracks & The Early Years CD Rock-O-Rama – RCD 155 – 1991 with 18 tracks.

1979 – 7″ Build Up Knock Down/Case Of Pride/Breakout – (TJM-4 EP)1977 – 7″ Antisocial/Breakdown (Rolling Stones) – Chiswick label S-18 (8.10.1977)

1982 – 12″ Back With A Bang/I Don’t like You – (Boots & Braces – SKREW T 1)

1983 – 7″ White Power/Smash The I.R.A./Shove The Dove – (White Noise – WN1)

 Ian Stuart – vocals, Frenchie – bass, Lester – guitar, Mark – drums, Joe Pearce – backing vocals.

1984 – 7″ Voice Of Britain/Sick Society – (White Noise – WN2)

Ian Stuart – vocals, Frenchie – bass, Lester – guitar, Geoff – drums.

1984 – 7″ Invasion/On The Streets – (Rock-O-Rama – RRR 47)

1984 – LP Hail The New Dawn – (Rock-O-Rama – RRR 46)

Was later re-released in a generic Street Rock`N`Roll sleeve, center label was still the RRR 47 label but with a small hole instead of the large hole the original version has.

 Also reissued on CD 1990 with the bonus tracks of Tearing Down the Wall and Don’t Let Them Pull You Down from the No Surrender Volume 1 compilation.Hail The New Dawn, Our Pride Is Our Loyalty, Before The Night Falls, Justice, Race & Nation, Flying The Flag, If There’s A Riot, Tomorrow Belongs To Me, Europe Awake, Soldier Of Freedom, Skrew You, Pennies From Heaven, Power From Profit, Free My Land.

Ian Stuart – vocals, Adam Douglas – guitar, Murray Holmes – bass, Mark Sutherland – drums

Engineered and produced by Mark Sutherland. All songs by Ian Stuart except Justice by Nicky Crane & Ian Stuart, and Race & Nation by Matt Morgan and Ian Stuart. Vinyl centre labels may have no country listed on them, later ones have Made in W.Germany or Made in Belgium on them and also on the back of the sleeve.

The CD re-release of RRR 46 plus two songs from RRR 52 of 15. Dont Let Them Pull You Down and 16. Tearing Down The Wall.

Bootlegs exist. This CD is no longer in production by Rock-O-Rama due to the song “Race & Nation”. In 2005, ROR released the remaining songs from this CD on a series of 4 vinyl EPs. All the current editions being sold are probably bootlegs.

1985 – LP Blood & Honour – (Rock-O-Rama – RRR 53)

 The CD re-release of RRR 53 plus two songs from RRR 59. CD reissue has the same tracks as the vinyl release with two bonus tracks of 15. Streetfight (1986) and16. Friday night.Blood & Honour, Mr. Nine To Five, Don’t Be Too Late, When The Storm Brakes, Prisoner Of Peace, Poland, Tomorrow Is Always Too Late, The Way It’s Got To Be, The Jewel In The Sea, One Fine Day, Searching, Needle Man, Open Up Your Eyes, I Know What I Want.

No longer in production, the legal songs have been released under another title. Any “new” CDs you see of this title are probably bootlegs.

Ian Stuart – vocals, Mark Sutherland – drums, Adam Douglas and Paul Swain – guitar, Steve A – bass

1987 – 12″ / LP Boots & Braces – (Rock-O-Rama – RRR 67)

 Tracks 1 and 2 are from the Back With a Bang 12″ (1982), tracks 3, 4 & 5 are from the Built Up Knocked Down 7″ (1979), track 6 from the first No Surrender compilation (RRR52 1985) and tracks 7 & 8 from the United Skins compilation (1982).Build Up Knock Down, Case Of Pride, Breakout, Back With A Bang, I Don’t like You, Tearing Down The Wall, Boots & Braces and Antisocial (new version from the United Skins compilation).

1987 – 12″/LP Voice Of Britain – (White Power Records – WP 3)

Tracks 1, 2, and 3 are from the White Power single (White Noise 1983), tracks 4 and 5 are from the Voice of Britain single (White Noise, 1983). 6 and 7 are from the Invasion single (RRR47, 1984) and track 8 is from This Is White Noise EP (White Noise 1984).White Power, Smash the I.R.A., Shove the Dove, Voice of Britain, Sick Society, Invasion, On the Streets, When the Boat Comes In.

Ian Stuart – vocals, Frenchie – bass, Murray Holmes, Geoff – drums, Mark Sutherland, Lester – guitar, Adam Douglas.

1987 – LP We’ve Got The Power (Live ’87) – (Viking Records VIK 1)

White Power, Streetfight, Europe Awake, Voice Of Britain, Built Up Knock Down, Strikeforce, Blood & Honour, I Don’t Like You, Our Pride Is Our Loyalty, Boots & Braces, Free My Land, Back With A Bang.

Reissued on CD with bonus live and demo tracks Government Action (live 87), When The Boat Comes In (live 87), Smash The I.R.A (live 87), Hail The New Dawn (demo 83), Race & Nation (demo 83), Pennies From Heaven (demo 83), When The Boat Comes In (demo 83), Europe Awake (demo 83), Voice Of Britain (demo 83), Sick Society (demo 83), Tomorrow Belongs To Me (demo 83), When The Boat Comes In (studio) – VIK CD 001

1987 – LP White Rider – (Rock-O-Rama – RRR 66)

Ian Stuart wrote many of the songs while serving time in jail. Early copies came with single sheet insert, later replaced by printed sleeve.White Rider, Where Has Justice Gone, Strikeforce, Behind The Bars, Pride Of A Nation, New Nation, The Snow Fell, I Can See The Fire, Thunder In The Cities, We Fight For Freedom, White Warriors, Built Up Knock Down (1987).

CD re-release of RRR 66. Bootleg copies have RRR 66 on the back cover image from the LP where the official CD does not show this.

Ian Stuart – vocals, Merv Shields – Bass, Mark Sutherland – Drums, Guitar – Martin Cross

1988 – LP After The Fire – (Rock-O-Rama – RRR 75)

CD re-release of RRR 75 as Rock-O-Rama Records – RCD 137After The Fire, Mean Streets, Win Or Die, Land Of Ice, Eyes Full Of Rage, As Life Bleeds Away, Forty Six Years, European Dream, Retaliate, A Time Of Change, Sweet Home Alabama(Lynyrd Skynyrd), Green Fields Of France.

Ian Stuart – vocals, Martin Cross, Ross McGarry – guitars, Merv Shields – bass, John Burnley (Paul Burnley of No Remorse’s brother) – drums

1988 – 7″ After The Fire/Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd) – (Street Rock’N’Roll – SR01)

Both tracks from the After the Fire LP.

Ian Stuart – vocals, Martin Cross, Ross McGarry – guitars, Merv Shields – bass, John Burnley – drums.

1989 – 7″ Land Of Ice/Retaliate – (Street Rock’N’Roll – SR-019)

Both songs from the After the Fire LP

1989 – 7″ Their Kingdom Will Fall/Simple Man(Lynyrd Skynyrd) – (Street Rock’N’Roll – SR-027).

 Both songs from the Warlord LP

1989 – 7″ The Evil Crept In/Glory – (Street Rock’N’Roll – SR-028).

 Both songs from the Warlord LP

1989 – 7″ The Showdown/Deep Inside – (White Pride Records – SRT 9KS)

1989 – LP Warlord – (Rock-O-Rama – RRR 85)

CD release of RRR 85. The first Skrewdriver album to be officially released on CD. The official ROR version of this CD is burned on a black disc with the white background label.Warlord, One In A Million II, Out In The Cold, Their Kingdom Will Fall, The Evil Crept In, Simple Man(Lynyrd Skynyrd), Soar Aloft, Back In Black(AC/DC), Glory, Excalibur, The Warrior Song, Suddenly.

Vocals – Ian Stuart, Guitar – Mac, Bass – Merv Shields, Drums – John Burnley, Backing vocals – Ken McLellan, Paul Burnley, Melvis the Pelvis

1990 – LP The Strong Survive – (Rock-O-Rama – RRR 103)

In the Wasteland is missing from the LP even though listed on the cover. But the CD reissue RCD 132 (1991) does have this track. Because of this error only about 1000 copies of the LP were pressed. RCD 132 CD – 1991 CD release of RRR 103.The Strong Survive, Voice Of Evil, From The Land, In The Wastland, Stand Proud, Paranoid (Black Sabbath), Hail & Thunder, Backstabber, United (Judas Priest), Warzone, Shining Down, Mist On The Downs.

Ian Stuart – vocals, Stigger – guitar, Jon Hickson – bass, John Burnley – drums

1990 – 7″ You’re So Dumb/The Only One – (Street Rock’N’Roll – SR-038).

 Both songs from the Early Years 1 LP

 1990 – 7″ Streetfight (1977)/Where’s It Gonna End – (Street Rock’N’Roll – SR-039).

 Both songs from the Early Years 2 LP

1990 – 7″ Stand Proud/Backstabber – (Street Rock’N’Roll – SR-052).

Both songs from the Strong Survive LP

1990 – 7″ Warzone/Shining Down – (Street Rock’N’Roll – SR-053).

 Both songs from the Strong Survive LP

1990 – Boots and Braces / Voice of Britain – (Rock-O-Rama Records – RCD 106)

Back With a Bang, I Don’t Like You, Built Up Knocked Down, A Case of Pride, Breakout, Tearing Down the Wall, Boots and Braces, Antisocial, White Power, Smash the I.R.A., Shove the Dove, Sick Society, Voice of Britain, On the Streets, Invasion.

CD re-release of RRR 67 and WP 3. Bootlegs don’t show the marbled pattern in the background like the LP cover of Boots and Braces does. CD re-release of RRR 67 and WP 3 minus one song.

Bootlegs exist. The current official ROR version is burned on a black disc with a white background label. On the original ROR version, you can see a little bit of the marbled background that was on the LP cover. The current ROR version no longer has the Voice of Britain cover on the traycard, it now uses an altered version of the back of the original front-card with the track listing. Some bootlegs show the wrong year on the disc.

1990 – Early Years Volume 1 LP – (Ian Records – IAN 001)

You’re So Dumb, Government Action, I Don’t Like You, We Don’t Pose, Don’t Need Your, Love, Antisocial, Jailbait, The Only One, Gotta Be Young, Confusion.

Volume One of the ROR re-release of all of the 1977-1978 Skrewdriver material

1990 – Early Years Volume 2 LP – (Ian Records – IAN 002)

Volume Two of the ROR re-release of all of the 1977-1978 Skrewdriver material Streetfight (1977), Better Off Crazy, Breakdown, Where It’s Gonna End, Won’t Get Fooled Again, Unbeliever, 9 Till 5, Backstreet Kids.

1991 Also re-issued on CD as Skrewdriver – The Early Years – Rock-O-Rama Records RCD 155 CD re-release of IAN 001 and IAN 002

1991 – LP Live & Kicking (double live album) – (Rock-O-Rama – RRR 109)

Hail The New Dawn, Strikeforce, Europe Awake, The Showdown, Stand Proud, Land Of Ice, Paranoid, Back With A Bang, Streetfight, Johnny Joined The Klan, The Snow Fell, 46 Years, Backstabber, Sweet Home Alabama, Tomorrow Belongs To Me, Glory, Red Flags Are Burning, Blood & Honour, Free My Land, Smash The I.R.A., White Power, Hail The New Dawn.

Reissued on CD in 1991 RCD 147.

 Stuart, Stigger, Hickson, and Burnley

1992 – LP Freedom What Freedom – (Rock-O-Rama – RRR 121)

Ian Stuart – vocals, Stigger – guitar, Jon Hickson – bass, Johnny B – drums Intro-Mother Europe’s Son, What Price Freedom, This Little Piggy, This Feeling, Blood Of The Kings, One-Land, Stolz, Return To Camelot, (Oh No) Here Comes A Commie, When The North Wind Blows, God Of Thunder, Road To Valhalla.

On the record label the title track is What Price Freedom, this was released while most members of the band were being held in custody in Germany for a crime they did not commit. Reissued on CD as RCD 164

1994 – CD Hail Victory – (ISD Records – ISD 01)

Intro & Hail victory, Vampire, White noise, House of treason, Mother Europe, Old Albion, European battle song, We march to glory, Renegade, Fools no more, Time to die, Night trains.

 Guitar – Stigger, Vocals – Ian Stuart, Drums – Mushy, Bass – Jon H

Backing vocals by the Pintpot Patriot Choir, Sir Rob the Fertile and Sir Robert Fireylocks.

 The last album of original Skrewdriver material, as Ian Stuart died in an automobile accident the previous year. This album has seen several different forms, the first was this particular issue, which was released by Rock-O-Rama under the ICD catalog numbering. This edition does not give an imprint name, but the LP version of one of the following releases on this imprint (ICD-03) says “ISD Records” on the center labels. However, there is another label called ISD Records, which is run by C18/Blood & Honour/ISD, and it also released this CD. The album cover is a different painting of the same scene. The main difference on the back cover is that the ROR version thanks Herbert, while the C18/B&H/ISD version isn’t quite as kind to Herbert.

This One’s For The Skinheads (Live 23 April 1987 Halesworth) – (MSR Productions – MSR CD 236)

White Power, Hail The New Dawn, Government Action, Europe Awake, Streetfight, Built Up Knock Down, Boots & Braces, Back With A Bang, Blood & Honour, Strikeforce, Our Pride Is Our Loyalty, Voice Of Britain,, When The Boat Comes In, Smash The I.R.A., Tomorrow Belongs To Me, Free My Land, I Don’t Like You, White Power.

1998 – Last Gig in Germany (10th July 1993) – Bootleg CD

Voice of Britain, Tomorrow Belongs to Me, Europe Awake, Our Pride is Our Loyalty, Blood and Honour, Strike Force, Hail the New Dawn, Back with a Bang, Johnny, 46 Years, Free My Land, Snow Fell.