Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba | |
---|---|
Thüringen, in 2012 | |
Background information | |
Also known as | Skin Disease, Antidote (with the Ex), Scab Aid |
Origin | Burnley, Lancashire, and Leeds, West Yorkshire, England |
Genres | |
Years active | 1982–2012 |
Labels |
|
Past members |
|
Website | chumba |
Chumbawamba (.
In July 2012, Chumbawamba announced they were splitting up after 30 years.[2] The band was joined by former members and collaborators for three final shows between 31 October and 3 November 2012, one of which was filmed and released as a live DVD.
Band history
Early years (1982-4)
Chumbawamba formed in
Stalwarts of the
With Agit-Prop Records (1985-9)
By the mid-1980s Chumbawamba had begun to release material using the
The band toured Europe with Dutch band the Ex, and a collaboration between members of the two bands, under the name "Antidote", led to the release of an EP, Destroy Fascism!, inspired by hardcore punk band Heresy, with whom they had also toured.[3] Both the Ex and Chumbawamba were released on cassette tape in Poland during this period, when music censorship was entrenched in Iron Curtain nations. The "RED" label, based in Wrocław in south-west Poland during the late 1980s, only released cassette tapes and, despite the limits enforced by Polish authorities, was able to release Chumbawamba's music, in addition to bands from the USSR, East Germany and Czechoslovakia.[6]
Chumbawamba's second album,
The 1988 album
With One Little Indian Records (1990-6)
By the late 1980s and early 1990s, Chumbawamba had begun to absorb influences from
When
After signing to the independent
Chumbawamba parted with One Little Indian during the recording of the 1996 album Swingin' with Raymond, although they did release one last CD entitled Portraits of Anarchists, which came with copies of Casey Orr's book of the same name.
With EMI Records (1997-2001)
Chumbawamba signed to
Band politics and mainstream success
In 1997, Chumbawamba scored their biggest chart hit with "Tubthumping" (UK No. 2, US No. 6), which featured an audio sample of actor Pete Postlethwaite's performance in the film Brassed Off on the album version.[10] This was followed up in early 1998 with "Amnesia", which reached No. 10 in the UK. During this period Chumbawamba gained some notoriety over several controversial incidents, starting in August 1997 when Nutter was quoted in the British music paper Melody Maker as saying, "Nothing can change the fact that we like it when cops get killed."[11] The comment was met with outrage in Britain's tabloid press and was condemned by the Police Federation of England and Wales.[12] The band resisted pressure from EMI to issue an apology and Nutter only clarified her comment by stating, "If you're working class they won't protect you. When you hear about them, it's in the context of them abusing people, y'know, miscarriages of justice. We don't have a party when cops die, you know we don't."[12]
In January 1998 Nutter appeared on the American political talk show Politically Incorrect and advised fans of their music who could not afford to buy their CDs to steal them from large chains such as HMV and Virgin, which prompted Virgin to remove the album from the shelves and start selling it from behind the counter.[13]
A few weeks later, provoked by the
In the late 1990s, the band turned down $1.5 million from Nike to use the song "Tubthumping" in a World Cup advertisement.[14] According to the band, the decision took approximately "30 seconds" to make.
In the EA Sports soccer game World Cup 98, the song "Tubthumping" is one of the soundtrack titles.
In 2002,
EMI released the band's first collection album which featured a mixed bag of songs from between 1985 and 1998 under the title Uneasy Listening.
Also in 1998 came a Japan-only mini album, Amnesia, consisting of
In 1998, Chumbawamba also contributed to the album released by the Polish "Never Again" Association as a part of its Music Against Racism campaign.[17] In 2021 the album was reissued as vinyl record One Race – Human Race. Music Against Racism: Part 2.
As a millennium present, Chumbawamba sent out a limited edition single to everyone on their mailing list. The song was a shoop-shoop-style ballad, "
Chumbawamba released the album
To celebrate their 20 years together, the band made a documentary film based on footage that they had recorded over the past two decades. Originally intended to be simply a compilation of their videos, the result was entitled Well Done, Now Sod off. The title was taken from an early review of a Chumbawamba record and the film included both lovers and haters of the band.
With Mutt Records (2002-4)
Chumbawamba formed Mutt Records, their own record label, in 2002. It released their albums Readymades (2002), Revenger's Tragedy (2003 soundtrack), and Un (2004).[18]
With No Masters Records (2005-11)
In 2005, Chumbawamba moved to a cut-down acoustic lineup. This saw the departure of long-time members Danbert Nobacon, Alice Nutter, Harry Hamer and Dunstan Bruce, leaving a 4-person lineup featuring founder members Lou Watts and Boff Walley with later additions Jude Abbott and long-term producer Neil Ferguson.[19]
No Masters Records released Chumbawamba's A Singsong and a Scrap in 2005.[18]
In 2007, Chumbawamba played at the Glastonbury Festival.[20] In early 2007, the band announced via their website that a new album was in the works, stating that "the new album will be acoustic and probably won't sound like A Singsong and a Scrap".
The result was
In late 2009 Chumbawamba toured northern England in their self-penned pantomime, a comedy musical entitled Riot, Rebellion & Bloody Insurrection with the Red Ladder Theatre Company. In late February 2010 they released their 15th album, titled ABCDEFG.
In September 2011, past and present band members protested when the UK Independence Party used "Tubthumping" at their annual conference.[21]
Break-up and post-breakup activities (2012-present)
On 8 July 2012, Chumbawamba announced that they would be disbanding at the end of the year. On their website they opened the statement with "That's it then, it's the end. With neither a whimper, a bang or a reunion." They stated they would continue with individual efforts, and ended their official statement:
We do, of course, reserve the right to re-emerge as Chumbawamba doing something else entirely (certainly not touring and putting out albums every 2 or 3 years). But frankly, that's not very likely. Thirty years of being snotty, eclectic, funny, contrary and just plain weird. What a privilege, and what a good time we've had.
In December 2012, the final UK show, filmed at the Leeds City Varieties on Halloween night, was released as Chumbawamba's only live DVD, entitled Going, Going – Live at Leeds City Varieties.
A mail-order EP, In Memoriam: Margaret Thatcher, was released on 8 April 2013. The CD had been recorded around 2005 and made available for pre-order at gigs and on the group's website, to be issued upon the death of Margaret Thatcher.[22]
Post-breakup band member activities
After leaving Chumbawamba, vocalist Dunstan Bruce founded Dandy Films, an independent film and video company whose projects have included a "video blog" of the Levellers' UK tour during 2010 and Sham 69's tour of China.[23]
In 2012 former Chumbawamba members Dunstan Bruce and Harry Hamer formed a new band, Interrobang?!, with guitarist Stephen Griffin of London-based Regular Fries.[24]
In August 2017, Dunstan Bruce, Boff Whalley and Jude Abbott were interviewed on BBC's The One Show from the Leeds City Varieties and near their former home celebrating 20 years since the release of "Tubthumping".
Chumbawamba is a member of the Canadian charity Artists Against Racism and participated in a 2018 Radio PSA for them.[25]
Former member Alice Nutter has had a number of plays performed at the Leeds Playhouse, where she took a writing course in 2006.[26] In addition, a neon sculpture on the side of the theatre features the lyric "I get knocked down but I get up again" from the band's single "Tubthumping".[27]
Documentary
On 1 July 2015 Dunstan Bruce started a Kickstarter to fund a documentary titled I Get Knocked Down (The Untold Story of Chumbawamba) that told the band's entire history from different members' perspective. He surpassed his £40,000 goal.[28] That same year, Chumbawamba was the featured subject on two podcasts produced by Gimlet Media: StartUp #16 "The Secret Formula"[29] and Surprisingly Awesome #4 "Tubthumping".[30]
Musical style and legacy
Chumbawamba has been described as various genres including, anarcho-punk,[31][32][33][34] pop,[34][35] folk,[36][37] world,[36] dance,[35][32] alternative rock[38][39] pop rock,[40] electronic,[32] rock,[35] and a cappella.[36]
In an interview with The Guardian in 2016, the band was citied along with a number of other British Anarcho-punk bands of the early 80s as being an influence to the American avant-garde metal group Neurosis.[31]
Use of 'Tubthumping' by the right
Boff Whalley has written that in the early days of his 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump had used 'Tubthumping' in his rallies; the group denied him the right to do so. Whalley said that 'There have been many, many examples of rightwing populist leaders using ostensibly leftwing music to hoodwink their audiences into some kind of hypnotic self-delusion that they are “of the people”.'[41]
Relatedly, in 2024, Chumbawamba made headlines in New Zealand, when Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters used 'Tubthumping' throughout his election campaign and during his state of the nation speech. Peters argued against addressing Māori inequality, gender and sexuality lessons in the school curriculum and compared co-governance (shared decision-making between Māori and the Crown) to the race-based theories of Nazi Germany. Chumbawamba spoke out, stating they had not given permission to use their song.[42] In March 2024, the band issued a "cease and desist" order against Peters.
In a statement, Boff Whalley said, ‘Tubthumping’ was written "as a song of hope and positivity, so it seems entirely odd that the ‘I get knocked down…’ refrain is being used by New Zealand’s deputy prime minister Winston Peters as he barks his divisive, small-minded, bigoted policies during his recent speeches”.[43]
Members
The band's membership varied over the years, with the line-up and musical assignments in the early years being especially fluid (members were known to switch instruments between, or even during, gigs). This is a list of principal official members and collaborators, drawn mainly from the credits of their releases since 1985. Short-term members and collaborators are not included.
Former members
- Boff Whalley – vocals, lead guitar, clarinet (1982–2012)
- Danbert Nobacon – vocals, rhythm guitar, banjo, ukulele, keyboards (1982–2004, 2012)
- Lou Watts – vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards (1982–2012)
- Dunstan Bruce – vocals, percussion, guitar, turntables, saxophone (1982–2004, 2012)
- Alice Nutter – vocals, percussion (1982–2004, 2012)
- Harry Hamer – drums, percussion, guitar, programming, vocals (1982–2004, 2012)
- Mavis Dillon – trumpet, French horn, bass, vocals (1984–1995)
- Paul Greco – bass, harmonica (1992–1999, 2012)
- Jude Abbott – vocals, recorder, flute, trumpet, flugelhorn (1996–2012)
- Neil Ferguson – vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards (1999–2012)
- Phil Moody– accordion, vocals (2007–2012)
Frequent guests
- Neil Ferguson – producer, engineer, guitar, bass, keyboards (promoted to full band member in 1999)
- Simon "Commonknowledge" Lanzon – vocals, keyboards, piano, accordion
- MC Fusion – vocals on Shhh and Anarchy
- Cobie Laan – vocals, live recording
- Stephen Blood – maracas, French horn
- Jimmy Echo (actually a band member's father impersonating Elvis) – vocals on some versions of "Timebomb" and "Amnesia"
- B. J. Cole – slide guitar on WYSIWYG
- Folk vocal trio Get On With It! and The Boy Bands Have Won
- The Charlie Cake Marching Band on The Boy Bands Have Won and ABCDEFG
- Members of Oysterband on "Goodbye to the Crown", A Singsong and a Scrap, The Boy Bands Have Won and ABCDEFG
- Roy Bailey and Robb Johnson – guest lead vocals on The Boy Bands Have Won
- Jo Freya – saxes on The Boy Bands Have Won and ABCDEFG
- Belinda O'Hooley – piano on ABCDEFG
- Michelle Plum – vocals on "Sewing Up Crap" on Readymades and live vocals/keyboards from 2001–2004
- Winkie Thin - accordion on A Singsong and a Scrap
Timeline
Discography
- Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records (1986)
- Never Mind the Ballots (1987)
- English Rebel Songs 1381–1914(1988)
- Slap! (1990)
- Shhh (1992)
- Anarchy (1994)
- Swingin' with Raymond (1995)
- Tubthumper (1997)
- WYSIWYG (2000)
- Readymades (2002)
- Revengers Tragedy Soundtrack(2003)
- English Rebel Songs 1381-1984(2003)
- Un (2004)
- A Singsong and a Scrap (2005)
- The Boy Bands Have Won (2008)
- ABCDEFG (2010)
Awards and nominations
Year | Awards | Work | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1997 | Denmark GAFFA Awards | Chumbawamba | Foreign New Act | Nominated |
Žebřík Music Awards | "Tubthumping" | Best International Song[44] | Nominated | |
1998 | Tokio Hot 100 Awards
|
Chumbawamba | Best Character | Won |
Hungarian Music Awards | Tubthumper | Album of the Year | Won | |
MTV Video Music Awards | "Tubthumping" | Best New Artist | Nominated | |
Brit Awards
|
Best British Single
|
Nominated | ||
1999 | BMI Pop Awards
|
College Song of the Year | Won | |
Award-Winning Song | Won |
See also
- Anarchism and the arts
- Bill Smith (fell runner) for "Stud Marks on the Summit" by Chumbawamba
- Punk ideology
- Animal rights and punk subculture
Footnotes
- ^ Scab is a derogatory term for a worker who continues to work while others are on strike; a strikebreaker
References
- ^ Vanderbilt, Mike (24 January 2022). "25 years ago, Chumbawamba smuggled anarchist ideals onto the U.S. pop charts". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
- ^ "Chumbawamba". Chumba.com. Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-901447-70-5, pp. 375–384
- ^ "Sky & Trees Label". Discogs. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
- ^ "Fitzwilliam lyrics". Musicdb.laadhari.com. Archived from the original on 22 August 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ Jude Rogers (30 August 2013). "Total rewind: 10 key moments in the life of the cassette". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ^ "Chumba.com". Archived from the original on 30 July 2013.
- Surprisingly Awesome
- ^ DeLong, Donnacha (1997). "Chumbawamba – Fighters not Writers". Sorted.
- ^ Vallance, Tom (4 January 2011). "Pete Postlethwaite: Distinctive, prolific actor, acclaimed by Spielberg as 'the best in the world'". The Independent.
- ^ Simpson, Dave (16 August 1997). "Lager is an Energy!". Melody Maker. IPC Magazines, Ltd. p. 18.
- ^ a b Simpson, Dave (3 January 1998). "Anarchy in the USA". Melody Maker. IPC Magazines, Ltd. p. 25.
- ^ "This Week in Entertainment History: January 16, 2016 – 22 January 2006". KKTV.com. Archived from the original on 21 November 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Klein, Naomi (2000). No Logo. New York: Picador. p. 301.
- ^ Aitch, Iain (30 January 2002). "General Motors gets tub-thumped". Salon.com. Archived from the original on 7 August 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
- ^ Rowan, David (27 January 2002). "Chumbawamba's tune turns the tables on US car giant". The Observer. Retrieved 3 March 2011 – via theguardian.com.
- ^ "ONE RACE – HUMAN RACE. MUSIC AGAINST RACISM ON VINYL". "NEVER AGAIN" ASSOCIATION. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ^ "Chumbawamba". UK Festival Guides.
- ^ "First bands confirmed for Glastonbury 2007". NME. 10 January 2007. Archived from the original on 27 January 2007. Retrieved 18 May 2007.
- ^ Alexandra Topping (9 September 2011). "Chumbawamba go Tubthumping crazy over Ukip's use of No1 hit | Politics". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ Fact (10 April 2013). "In Memorium". Fact Magazine. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
- ^ "Brighton Magazine – A Weapon Called The Word: Levellers Go Grassroots With Debut Reissue". Magazine.brighton.co.uk. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ "Interrobang?!". Interrobang?!. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- ^ "Radio – Artists Against Racism". Artistsagainstracism.org. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- ^ "Leeds Playhouse marks 50 years with dramas rolling back the decades". The Guardian. 15 April 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ "Lockdown 'knocked down' Leeds Playhouse but it 'got back up again' for Leeds communities". www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk. 11 April 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ Dunstan Bruce (1 July 2015). "I Get Knocked Down (The Untold Story of Chumbawamba)". Kickstarter. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ^ Blumberg, Alex. "StartUp #16 The Secret Formula". Gimlet Media. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
- ^ McKay, Adam. "Surprisingly Awesome #4 Tubthumping". Gimlet Media. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
- ^ Kings Place, London. Archived from the originalon 29 November 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ a b c "Chumbawamba (1982–2012)". Punknews. 9 July 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ "Chumbawamba – Biography & History – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- ^ a b Sherman, Maria (11 August 2017). "Chumbawamba on the unlikely, anarchic legacy of "Tubthumping," 20 years later". Music.avclub.com. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- ^ a b c Pareles, Jon (22 December 1997). "Pop Review; Yeah, Angry All Right, But Slick And Perky". New York Times. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ a b c Moss, Chris. "Review of Chumbawamba". BBC. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ "Chumbawamba: They got knocked down..." Independent.co.uk. 11 March 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- ^ "Tubthumping Singer Dunstan Bruce of Chumbawamba 'MEMBA HIM?!". TMZ. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ Case, Wesley (9 July 2012). "Chumbawamba Announce Break Up After A 30-Year Music Career". Businessinsider.com. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- ^ Hiatt, Brian. "Lou Reed, Chumbawamba Head Up New Releases". Mtv.com. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
- ^ Boff Whalley, 'Chumbawamba wrote Tubthumping as a working-class anthem. We won’t have it stolen by the right' The Guardian 23 May 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/22/my-band-hit-tubthumping-is-the-latest-working-class-anthem-to-be-co-opted-by-populist-politicians?fbclid=IwAR0xyqqVJ1NfnGdAExfuxkPYky9VrLlbcf7Kx42Td3uBxwNnICJo31r-pDg
- ^ https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350218506/uk-punk-band-takes-aim-deputy-pm-over-use-hit-song
- ^ Lardies, Gabi (19 March 2024). "Chumbawamba not happy about Winston Peters' use of 'Tubthumping'". The Spinoff. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ "History (2003-1997)". www.anketazebrik.cz.
Further reading
- ISBN 1-904590-00-4 (Boff's autobiographicalaccount of the band's history)
External links
- Official website
- Chumbawamba at IMDb