“Until every Nazi dies”: Chumbawamba’s forgotten origins in anarcho-punk
If you’ve been to a party, wedding, or pub karaoke session in the past 25 years, you will be all too aware of the inescapable nature of ‘Tubthumping’. With its chanting chorus and alcohol-infused lyrics, it is an archetypal party tune. However, the intense success of that 1997 single did a great disservice to Chumbawamba, the group responsible for the enduring earworm. Causing the band to be written off by many as ‘one-hit wonders’, the song sadly overshadowed the band’s extensive history in political defiance and anarcho-punk.
Punk rock was an inherently political movement built on an unwavering DIY ethos which subverted the traditional ideals of a capitalist society. Early bands like The Clash were outspoken in their political affiliations, using their platform to support causes like Rock Against Racism and call out the lunacy of increasingly right-wing governments around the world. From that early revolution came ever-more defiant subgenres, like anarcho-punk. Led by the likes of Crass, the anarcho-punk scene placed political activism and defiance at the heart of its operation.
Rising out of Burnley in 1982, Chumbawamba were heavily influenced by the world of anarcho-punk during their early years, in addition to blossoming post-punk outfits like The Fall, Wire, and Public Image Ltd. From the very beginning, guitarist and songwriter Allan ‘Boff’ Whalley placed political activism and anarchist politics at the heart of his band, earning them a guest spot on the second volume of Bullshit Detector, the compilation series put out by Crass.
For many years, the band were centred out of an anarchist squat in Armley, Leeds, and this subversive lifestyle was reflected in the vast majority of Chumbawamba’s recorded material. Their political activism was constant and unwavering, with many of their live shows being benefit gigs for various left-wing causes. From anti-war benefits to animal rights gigs, Whalley and the band were keen to use their music as a means of activism, perhaps most notably during the miners’ strike of 1984 and 1985.
Music became an integral part of the miners’ strike during a period in which Thatcher’s Conservative government was doing everything in its power to demonise and subjugate striking miners. In support of these communities, fighting for their right to exist, artists like Orange Juice, New Order, John Cooper Clarke, and The Style Council all lent their support to the strike.
Chumbawamba were particularly noted for their support of the trade unions during that period, penning multiple tracks in support of mining communities. Most notably, the 1985 song ‘Fitzwilliam’ gave a voice to a West Yorkshire pit village which had been economically devastated by mine closures. Throughout their discography, the band were always keen to provide a voice to workers and communities which had been ignored or destroyed by the state.
These themes continued in Chumbawamba’s output for much of the 1990s, as they highlighted issues of homophobia, racism, and the rise of fascism. A particularly prescient track from 1994 entitled ‘On the Day the Nazi Died’ tackled the continued prevalence of far-right ideologies in the Western world, centred around the Nazi war criminal Rudolf Hess, who died in prison in 1987.
Although the band were accused of selling out when they signed to EMI Records in 1997, a move which ultimately landed them their defining hit single ‘Tubthumping’, their political activism never truly ceased. Indeed, if you look at the lyrics and message of that hit song, it is an anthem of resistance and joy, an anthem for the proletariat.
At the 1998 Brit Awards, the band changed the lyrics of the song to attack New Labour over the government’s refusal to support the Liverpool Dockworkers’ Strike. They even poured water over John Prescott, who was—bizarrely—in the audience.
So, next time you are subjected to a rendition of ‘Tubthumping’ at a pub, party, or any other formal or informal gathering, do not write off Chumbawamba as a one-hit wonder or a novelty act. The Burnley outfit boasts a proud and unwavering history in defiant anarcho-punk and spent decades giving a voice to worthy causes prior to entering the singles charts.
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