Chumbawamba

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“Alice Nutter” redirects here. For the witch of the same name, see Pendle Witches.


Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba playing live at Luton Library, May 1985
Chumbawamba playing live at Luton Library, May 1985
Background information
Also known as Passion Killers
Skin Disease
Antidote (with The Ex)
Scab Aid
Sportchestra (with several dozen other artists)
The Middle
Origin Flag of England England
Genre(s) Dance, Anarcho Punk, Rock, Folk, World
Years active 1982 - present
Label(s) EMI
Agit-Prop Records
Website http://www.chumba.com/
Members
Boff Whalley
Lou Watts
Jude Abbot
Neil Ferguson
Former members
Alice Nutter
Danbert Nobacon
Harry Hamer
Dunstan Bruce
Paul Greco
Simon Commonknowledge
Mavis Dillon
Cobie Laan

Chumbawamba are an English band who started out playing punk rock but over a 25-year career have gone on to play music in a wide range of styles, including pop influenced by dance music and world music, and now play acoustic folk music. The band are best known for the song "Tubthumping".

Contents

[edit] Band history

[edit] Early years

Chumbawamba were formed in 1982 from two other bands based in Yorkshire, The Passion Killers and Chimp Eats Banana. Inspired musically by The Fall and the radical political stances of Crass, Chumbawamba's activities in the early years were based around a communal house in Armley, Leeds. Stalwarts of the cassette culture scene, the band was featured on many compilations. Chumbawamba were at the forefront of the 1980s anarcho-punk movement, frequently playing benefit gigs in squats and small halls for causes such as animal rights, the anti-war movement, and community groups. The band shared all touring revenue equally between every member of the band as well as the crew that helps them perform each night, a practice that they still adhere to[citation needed]. The band's collective political views are often described as anarchist.

Chumbawamba vocalist Danbert Nobacon pictured playing live at Leeds University, 1986, supporting Conflict
Chumbawamba vocalist Danbert Nobacon pictured playing live at Leeds University, 1986, supporting Conflict

[edit] Sky and Trees and Agit-Prop Records

By the mid-1980s Chumbawamba had begun to release material using the vinyl format on their own Agit-Prop record label, which had evolved from an earlier project, Sky and Trees Records. The first LP, Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records (1986) was a critique of the then current Live Aid concert organised by Bob Geldof, which the band argued was primarily a cosmetic spectacle designed to draw attention away from the real political causes of world hunger.

[edit] One Little Indian Records

By the late 1980s and early 1990s, Chumbawamba had begun to absorb influences from techno music and dance culture. The band moved away from their original anarcho-punk roots and evolving a pop sensibility with releases such as Slap! (1990) and the sample-heavy Shhh (1992) (originally intended to be released as Jesus H Christ!, this album had to be withdrawn and re-recorded because of copyright problems).

After signing to the independent One Little Indian record label, Anarchy (1994) lyrically remained as politically uncompromising as ever, continuing to address issues such as homophobia (see song "Homophobia" [1], the music video of which features the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence), the Criminal Justice Act and the rise of fascism in the UK following the election of a British National Party candidate in south-east London in 1993.

[edit] EMI controversy

Chumbawamba drew criticism from the band's original following in 1997 when the members signed to the major label EMI in Europe, particularly as much of their earlier output had explicitly attacked this corporation; they had even been involved with a compilation LP called Fuck EMI in 1989. However, the band argued that EMI had severed the controversial link with weapons manufacturer Thorn a few years previously, and that experience had taught them that, in a capitalist environment, almost every record company operates on capitalist principles; "Our previous record label One Little Indian didn't have the evil symbolic significance of EMI BUT they were completely motivated by profit." They added that this move brought with it the opportunity to make the band financially viable (all members were up until then working in other jobs to make a living) as well as to communicate their message to a wider audience.

Chumbawamba's biggest chart hit, "Tubthumping", features what, without the context of the accompanying liner notes (removed from the US release of the Tubthumper album for copyright reasons), appears to be one of the most apolitical of any of the band's lyrics. It was also during this period that Chumbawamba gained some notoriety when male vocalist Danbert Nobacon poured a jug of water over the UK Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott at the 1998 BRIT Awards.

Chumbawamba released the album WYSIWYG on EMI in 2000, and parted from the label in 2001.

[edit] MUTT Records

In 2002, Chumbawamba formed their own record label, MUTT, for UK releases.

Under MUTT, Chumbawamba released their eleventh official album, Readymades, as well as Sic - Adventures in Anti-Capitalism, a paperback book of political and musical writings by friends and acquaintances of the band.

General Motors paid Chumbawamba $100,000 to use the song "Pass It Along" for a Pontiac Vibe television advertisement in 2002. Chumbawamba gave the money to the anti-corporate activist groups Indymedia and CorpWatch[citation needed].

In 2004, the band released an album of 'world music' influenced songs entitled Un, which addressed such current concerns as the looting of the museums in Iraq (On eBay) and Buy Nothing Day.

In 2005 Chumbawamba opted to take a hiatus from full-scale touring and recording projects, but a trimmed-down acoustic line-up of Boff Whalley, Lou Watts, Jude Abbot and Neil Ferguson continued to tour the UK and Europe throughout 2005 and 2006. It was this line-up that recorded the album A Singsong and a Scrap, released late in 2005. The hiatus looks set to continue indefinitely, with the band announcing on their web site in 2006 that there are no plans to perform or record as a full band again.

In 2007, Chumbawamba were confirmed to be playing at the Glastonbury Festival.[citation needed]

[edit] The name

Over the years, the band have been asked many times what "Chumbawamba" really means. While there are many speculations, the band generally answer that it's a gibberish word, meaning nothing. According to Chumbawamba's official FAQ :

Chumbawamba doesn't mean anything. At the time we formed (early '80s) there was a rush of bands with obvious names. It was the time of ‘peace punk' and you couldn't get across a youth club dance floor without bumping into a Disorder, a Subhumans, a Decadent Youth or an Anthrax t-shirt. We liked the sound of Chumbawamba because it wasn't nailing ourselves down. Thatcher On Acid were a good band but it's lucky for them that Thatcher stayed in power for 11 years. If her influence had only lasted 18 months Thatcher On Acid's sell by date would have come and gone a lot sooner. We wanted a name which wouldn't date [2].

Other explanations which have been given include the following:

  • On an episode of BBC2's pop music quiz Never Mind the Buzzcocks there was a question about where Chumbawamba got its name. The answer (according to Mark Lamarr) was that it got it from what a monkey wrote on a type writer when an experiment took place involving monkeys and type writers (as in the infinite monkey theorem, so presumably it was to see if they will re-create the complete works of Shakespeare).
  • In an interview on a German website[3] with Alice and Boff, the members claimed that the "Chumbawamba" was the mascot of a football team, Walford Town, which they found in the "Rothman's Yearbook", a collection of old facts and figures about British football. Boff said "...And we just thought it was funny, so we used the name". There has never been a team in English football called Walford Town, although the name has occasionally been used to represent the local team in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.
  • In Boff's autobiography he claims that the name was derived from the chanting of African street musicians which he and Danbert heard while busking in Paris. However, in a footnote he goes on to state that this is in fact a lie, as is every other explanation that the band have given over the years.

When the band members offer up such examples as those listed above, they are playing a "game" of telling the media and various other sources a different and more outlandish thing every single time they are asked (This is jokingly referenced in the Chumbawamba documentary "Well Done, Now Sod Off" but could well be true given the nature of some claims and the differences between each story); ranging from the "Monkey/Typewriter" experiment all the way up to such ones as the "Dream Toilets" and ones as mundane as the football mascot[citation needed].

[edit] Line-up

Jude Abbot, Neil Ferguson and Boff Whalley of Chumbawamba in 2005
Jude Abbot, Neil Ferguson and Boff Whalley of Chumbawamba in 2005

The band's membership has varied over the years, with the line-up and musical assignments in the early years being especially fluid (members were known to switch instrument between, or even during, gigs).

The longtime members have been:

  • Alice Nutter - vocals and percussion
  • Lou Watts - vocals and keyboards
  • Danbert Nobacon - vocals and keyboards
  • Boff Whalley - vocals and guitar
  • Harry Hamer - drums
  • Dunstan Bruce - vocals
  • Mavis Dillon (left 1995) - trumpet
  • Neil Ferguson - bass (originally musical engineer)
  • Jude Abbot (1996-) - vocals and trumpet
Revolution, the first single released on Agit-Prop Records
Revolution, the first single released on Agit-Prop Records

[edit] Partial discography

(Original releases dates and labels given. Some material has been re-issued on other labels in the US.)

[edit] 1980-1985

Cover of History Luddite, an early live Chumbawamba release by Homebrew Tapes
Cover of History Luddite, an early live Chumbawamba release by Homebrew Tapes
  • Cardboard Box, 1980 (Cassette only release by proto-Chumbawamba group Chimp Eats Banana)
  • "Three Years Later" - track on Bullshit Detector Volume 2 compilation LP, Crass Records, 1982 (Nb, Chumbawamba guitarist Boff Whaley (Boffo) also has a solo track, "Garageland", a cover of a song by The Clash, on this LP)
  • "I'm Thick" - track on "Back on the Streets" compilation EP Secret, 1982 (Chumbawamba recording as 'Skin Disease', a mock skinhead/Oi! band)
  • Be Happy Despite It All, Sky and Trees, 1983 (Cassette only release, joint with The Passion Killers, featuring hand coloured cover)
  • Raising Heck with Chumbawamba, Peaceville Records, 1983 (Cassette only release, live material plus songs by Simon Lanzon)
  • It Could Be So Much More, Acid Rain Products, 1984 (Cassette only release, joint with Flux Of Pink Indians, recorded live at the Conway Hall, London)
  • Let Us Show Them Our Hearts, Sky and Trees, 1984 (Cassette only release, joint with The Passion Killers)
  • Another Year of the Same Old Shit, Sky and Trees, 1984 (Cassette only release)
  • History Luddite, Homebrew Tapes, 1984 (Cassette only release, live at Luton Library, May 1985)
  • "Common Ground", Sky and Trees, 1984 (A benefit 'cassette single' for striking miners)
  • To Thine Own Self Be True, Sky and Trees, 1984 (Cassette only release)
  • In The Cellar, Sky and Trees?, 1984 (Cassette only release)
  • It's Up To You, Sky and Trees?, 1984 (Cassette only release by the Passion Killers)
  • The Unfairy Tale/The War Inside Our Heads, Sky and Trees, 1984 (Cassette only release, Danbert Nobacon solo material, much was re-recorded for release on vinyl the following year)
  • The Unfairy Tale, Sky and Trees, 1985 (Danbert Nobacon solo release)
  • "Revolution", single, Agit Prop, 1985

[edit] 1986-1990

  • "We Are The World", single, Agit Prop, 1986 (Joint release with US band A State of Mind)
  • Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records, Agit Prop, 1986
  • Know Your Enemy, Doomsday Tapes, 1986 (Cassette only release, live material recorded at the Bull and Gate, London)
  • Feed The World, 1986 (Cassette only release, live material recorded in Birmingham)
  • "Destroy Fascism!", Loony Tunes, 1986 (Collaboration with Dutch band The Ex under the name 'Antidote')
  • Un Toast A La Democratie, 1986 (Cassette only release, an early live incarnation of "Never Mind The Ballots")
  • Never Mind the Ballots, Agit Prop, 1987
  • "Let It Be" single, no label stated apart from Anti-copyright, 1987, (Released under the name 'Scab Aid' following the Zeebrugge Ferry Disaster)
  • There Comes A Time, 1987 (Cassette only release, recordings of two shows)
  • "Smash Clause 28!Fight the Alton Bill!", single, Agit Prop, 1988
  • English Rebel Songs 1381-1914, Agit Prop, 1988; re-released One Little Indian, 1994; re-recorded 2003.
  • Sportchestra: 101 Songs About Sport, Agit Prop (Chumbawamba collaborations with various other musicians recording under the name 'Sportchestra')
  • Slap!, Agit Prop, 1990
  • "Whoopee, We're All Gonna Die", EP, Rugger Bugger records, 1991 (3 members of Chumbawamba recording under the name 'Passion Killers')
  • Jesus H Christ (unreleased due to legal issues (see above). Bootleg copies are in circulation however)
  • "I Never Gave Up", Agit Prop, 1990

[edit] 1991-1995

  • Shhh, Agit Prop, 1992
  • "Behave", single, Agit Prop, 1992
  • First Two, re-releases of Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records and Never Mind the Ballots, Agit Prop, 1992
  • "Enough is Enough", single, One Little Indian, 1993, featured MC Fusion #56 UK
  • "Timebomb", single, One Little Indian, 1993 #59 UK
  • Live In Armley, independently produced live album, 1993
  • Anarchy, One Little Indian, 1994
  • "Homophobia", single, One Little Indian, 1994
  • Showbusiness!, One Little Indian, 1995 (A live album)
  • Swingin' with Raymond, One Little Indian, 1995

[edit] 1996-2000

  • Portraits of Anarchists (Book and CD collaboration with photographer Casey Orr), AK Press/One Little Indian 1996
  • Tubthumper, EMI, 1997, US #3, 3x Platinum
  • "Tubthumping", single, EMI, 1997, US #6, US Modern Rock #1, UK #2
  • "Tubthumping" (Tyler Dunphy Kardance Mix), EMI and DJ Rockin, 1997
  • "Amnesia", single, EMI, 1998 UK #10
  • "Top Of The World (Ole, Ole, Ole)", single, EMI, 1998 UK #21
  • The ABCs of Anarchism, Seeland Records, 1999 (Collaboration with Negativland)
  • "Tony Blair", one-track CD single sent out to the mailing list as a "Christmas present", 1999
  • WYSIWYG, Universal, 2000
Cover of Chumbawamba's 2004 full-length release, Un; MUTT records, 2004
Cover of Chumbawamba's 2004 full-length release, Un; MUTT records, 2004

[edit] 2000-2005

[edit] 2006

  • Get On With It, live album, MUTT 2006

[edit] Television Appearances

  • "Tubthumping" was performed on the Late Show with David Letterman (CBS Network, USA)
  • Chumbawamba performed a half hour set for the German television program, Rockpalast in 1996.
  • The band's 1997 performance in Kattowice was broadcast on Polish television.
  • The band were officially banned from German television in 1996 (the same year they performed on Rockpalast) after Danbert Nobacon stripped nude, wrote "PUNK" across his chest and danced in this manner in front of The Smashing Pumpkins on a live broadcast of a rock festival. It is unsure how serious the ban may have been, as it appears to have been lifted 6 months to a year later, when the band started appearing on German television again [this change of heart perhaps influenced by the success of Tubthumping].

[edit] Chumbawamba songs in film

Cover of Tubthumper album.
Cover of Tubthumper album.

A partial list of films featuring songs by the band.

[edit] Chumbawamba songs in multimedia

A partial list of multimedia contents featuring songs by the band.

[edit] Further reading/references

[edit] See also

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

[edit] External links

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