The Warriors
History
Forged in the fires of the early‑80s UK Oi! scene, The Warriors stand as one of the genre’s most enduring and authentic voices. Their roots trace directly back to the Last Resort, one of Oi!’s foundational bands. When the Last Resort called it a day in late 1981—worn down by controversy and the fallout from the notorious Southall gig—the remaining members regrouped under a new banner. Without manager Mickey French and with drummer Andy Benfield replaced by John Fisher, the band re‑emerged in early 1982 as The Warriors, a continuation in spirit but a fresh start in name.
The early Warriors lineup played two London gigs—one at the 100 Club and another at the Blue Coat Boy (“Skunks”)—and recorded two tracks: “Horrorshow” for Oi! Oi! That’s Yer Lot and “Wicked Women” for United Skins. Meanwhile, Mickey French released A Way of Life – Skinhead Anthems, a collection of Last Resort demos never intended as a formal album, at a time when the band itself was no longer active.
By mid‑1982, the Warriors lineup consisted of Roi Pearce on vocals, Arthur Kitchener on bass, Charlie Duggan on guitar and John Fisher on drums. After a handful of gigs and recordings, the band dissolved. Members scattered into the wider Oi! and punk landscape: Roi joined the 4‑Skins, Tarot, The Resort, The Heavy Metal Outlaws, and later Horrorshow before reforming the Last Resort in 2003. Charlie sold his guitar and bought a motorbike. Andy resurfaced in local bands including Big Mamoo and L.A. Doors. Arthur dove deep into roots, blues, and pub‑rock circles with Diz & The Doormen, The Balham Alligators, Arthur Kay & The Originals, and more.
The true rebirth of The Warriors came in 1995. A Belgian skinhead named Bieze attempted to book a Last Resort show in Brugge. With Charlie and Andy unavailable and Roi and Arthur clashing over musical direction, Arthur instead recruited original Last Resort vocalist Graham Saxby after a chance meeting with Arthur’s wife. The planned 1995 gig was pushed to January 1996, and in the meantime the band assembled a new lineup with Daryl Smith (Cock Sparrer, Argy Bargy) on guitar and Dustin Burgess (Argy Bargy) on drums. This lineup recorded The Full Monty, originally intended as a Last Resort release. Because Roi—who owns the Last Resort name—had only agreed to a one‑off gig, a compromise was reached: the album was issued as The Warriors A.K.A. The Last Resort. Early pressings and a Cardiff live video bear this hybrid name.
The Warriors gigged steadily through 1996–97, including shows at the Penny Theatre (Canterbury) and the Cue Club (Herne Bay), the latter doubling as the launch for their second album, Noizy Bollox.
In 1998, the band recorded the mini‑album Bad Guys, with Bob Coltart and Steve Wyse stepping in as Daryl and Dustin focused on ska band The Mistakes.
Soon after, The Warriors were offered a short tour of Japan. They recruited James “Dutch” Ovens (Deadline, Gundog) on guitar with Tarik “Taz” Majeed (Gundog) on drums. This lineup became one of the band’s most active, playing over 40 gigs across four years in France, Germany, Finland, Norway, Ireland, the U.S., and the UK. They appeared at Punk Aid, Holidays in the Sun, Holidays in the Smoke, and Punk & Disorderly, and recorded A Cross to Bear in 1999 (released in 2000). In 2001 they contributed “Justice Not Politics” to A Tribute to The Business.
In 2002, Arthur retired from Oi!/punk. Sid (Section 5) joined on bass, and a 2003 Canterbury gig marked the end of that era. Saxby stepped back for personal reasons, James moved to Bradford, and Taz took a job that limited his availability. Meanwhile, Roi revived The Last Resort in 2003, with Saxby often joining them for backing vocals. Saxby eventually sought to restart The Warriors but struggled to find a stable guitarist. Arthur suggested Tosh (Section 5) or Gary Lammin (Cock Sparrer), but Saxby ultimately decided to rebuild the band with local musicians to recapture the camaraderie of the early 80s.
In February 2007, after seeing Crimewave perform, Saxby offered bass duties to Karl Taylor, who declined but recommended Russ Black. Saxby then recruited Dave Rowe on guitar and borrowed Chris Hogg (Crimewave) on drums. After only two rehearsals, the new lineup debuted at the Concrete Jungle festival—an infamously chaotic gig due to lack of preparation and one very drunk band member. A far stronger performance followed at the Beercart Arms in Canterbury.
Chris soon left for touring work, and the band briefly struggled until Ben Moss (Demonbreed) stepped in on drums. After several local gigs, Ben departed in early 2008, and Chris returned, leading to a productive run of shows including supports for The Business, Sick On The Bus, Vice Squad, Demob, and The Vibrators.
In 2008, the band recorded a demo in Margate and capped the year by recording Unite the Scene at Perryvale Studios. The album was released in March 2009, celebrated with a launch gig alongside Sham 69. The Warriors gigged heavily throughout 2009, including a standout show supporting the 4‑Skins in Paris and another on the final date of the Cockney Rejects’ world tour.
2010 began slowly but soon accelerated with a Punk & Disorderly slot in Berlin and European dates that marked guitarist Dave Rowe’s final shows with the band. After a difficult audition process, the Warriors recruited Andy H (Surgery Without Research), who immediately entered the studio—unrehearsed—to record the single “England” for Randale Records.
Across decades, The Warriors have remained a vital bridge between the first wave of Oi! and its modern generations. Their discography—from The Full Monty and Noizy Bollox to A Cross to Bear, Unite the Scene, and later releases like Operation Oi!—captures the raw, street‑level grit that defines classic Oi! while reflecting the lived history of musicians who helped build the scene itself. Their longevity, authenticity, and deep ties to bands like the Last Resort, 4‑Skins, Cock Sparrer, Argy Bargy, and Combat 84 place them firmly within the Oi! family tree. Few bands embody the movement’s past and present as completely as The Warriors.
Discography
Official Productions
1996 – The Full Monty – LP and CD
1997 – Noizy Bollox – CD
1998 – Bad Guys – miniCD
1999 – Made In England – EP
1999 – Last Resort/Sad Junkie Loser – 7″
2000 – A Cross To Bear – CD
2008 – Future Is Unrecorded – CDr single
2009 – Unite The Scene – LP and CD
Live Albums and Bootlegs
1996 – Maximum Oi – Live In Cardiff – Vinyl EP
1996 – Maximum Oi – Live in Cardiff – DVD
2008 – Oi! The Bootleg – CDr bootleg
Split
2011 – The Warriors / Booze & Glory – England – Randale Records – single
Samplers
1982 – United Skins LP/CD (Wicked Women)
1983 – Oi! Oi! That’s Yer Lot – LP/CD (Horror Show)
1999 – Skinhead Girl Crew – 2 CD – (South London Girl)
1996 – Trouble On Terraces – CD (Here To Stay / Warriors
199? – Tribute To The Business – CD (Justice Not Politics)
1996 – Heroes & Villains – CD (Gary Bushell / Reggie Kray)
1997 – 100% British Oi – Double CD (Horrorshow)
1999 – The Ultimate Street Music Convention – CD (4 Live Tracks In Japan)
199? – Kill The Boys Scouts Vol1 – Vinyl (Bad Guys)
2000 – This Is Punk This Is Oi – (Ex Pats)
2000 – The First Ten Years – Warzwerk – CD (Craig & Bently)
200? – Justice For Mark Barnsley – (Buddha Of Backstreets)
2001 – Hardcore Hooligan – CD (Justice Not Politics)
2002 – Strength Of The Nation – CD (Made In England)
2002 – Punk Aid – Double – CD (Class War)
2009 – Radio Riot – CD (SNAFU)
2009 – Is This England – CD (Clockwork London / Kill Your Boss / The Future Is Unwritten)
Track Lists
The Full Monty
01. Free Reggie Kray
02. The Last Refuge
03. Sawdust Caesar
04. Big Brother Is Watching You
05. Mothers In Arms
06. Gary Bushell
07. Marlon Brando
08. S-Tory Stories
09. Perfect Crime
10. All Quiet On The Preston Front
11. Them And Us
12. Holiday Songs
Noizy Bollox
01. Noizy Bollox
02. Face Behind The Mask
03. Driving And Drumming
04. Horror Show
05. Let There Be Noize
06. Department Of Greed
07. Warriors (Come Out To Play)
08. Fibby Fairfax
09. Ex-Pats (Living In Exile)
10. Spirit Of 69
11. I Used To Believe
12. The Beast
Bad Guys
01. Bad Guy
02. Had It Your Own Way Too Long
03. Gary Bushell
04. Free Reggie Kray
05. C.S.A.
06. Craig And Bentley
07. Made In England
The Best Of The Warriors
01. The Face Behind The Mask
02. Free Reggie Kray
03. Noizy Bollox
04. Gary Bushell
05. Sawdust Caesar
06. Craig And Bentley
07. The Last Refuge
08. Let There Be Noize
09. Horror Show
10. Them And Us
11. Wicked Women
12. Warriors (Come Out To Play)
13. Made In England
14. S-Tory Stories
15. Ex-Pats (Living In Exile)
16. Department of Greed
17. Mothers In Arms
18. Fibby Fairfax
19. Held Hostage (Live In Japan)
20. Resort Boot Boys (Live In Japan)
A Cross To Bear
01. Intro
02. God Bless Princess Diana
03. Sad Junkie Loser
04. When The Party’s Over
05. South London Girl
06. Children Of The Damned
07. Crazy Killer
08. Vanessa
09. The Last Resort
10. Buddah Of The Back Streets
11. Stay Free
12. Class War
13. Burn Down The Discos
14. Outro
15. Noizy Bollox (live)
16. Working Class Kids (live)
17. Free Reggie Kray (live)
18. Marlon Brando (live)
19. Johnny Barden (live)
20. Bad Guys (live)
21. Horrorshow (live)
22. George Marshall (live)
23. Rebels With A Cause (live)
24. Gary Bushell (live)
Oi! The Bootleg
01. Horrorshow (Demo)
02. Wicked Women (Rare)
03. Here To Stay (Rare)
04. Warriors (original version)
05. Held Hostage (Live In Japan)
06. King Of The Jungle (Live In Japan)
07. Oi Oi Skinhead / Sawdust Ceasar (Live In Japan)
08. Resort Bootboys / Not Going Home (Live In Japan)
09. Diana (Original demo)
10. South London Girl (Original demo)
11. Stay Free (Original demo)
12. Vanessa (Original demo)
13. Class War (Original demo)
14. Crazy Killer (Original demo)
15. Buddha Of The Backstreets (Original demo)
16. Children Of The Damned (Original demo)
17. When The Party’s Over (Original demo)
18. Douglas Baders Legs (Unreleased)
19. Justice Not Politics (Rare – Business Cover)
Unite The Scene
01. Political Crossfire
02. The Future Is Unwritten
03. S.N.A.F.U
04. Up The Bridgehouse
05. Unite The Scene
06. Compromise Your beliefs
07. Kill Your Boss
08. John Fila, Drug Dealer
09. Be A Man
10. Fists Of Fury
11. Clockwork London
12. Horrorshow
Maximum Oi – Live In Cardiff
01. Soul Boys
02. Working Class Kids
03. Free Reggie Kray
04. Gary Bushell
05. Marlon Brando
06. Horrorshow
07. Sawdust Ceasar
08. Johnny Barden
09. Perfect Crime
10. Rebels With A Cause
11. £8 A Week
12. King Of The Jungle
13. Violence In Our Minds
14. Held Hostage
15. Resort Bootboys