That's it then, it's the end. With neither a whimper, a bang or a reunion. Thirty years of ideas and melodies, endless meetings and European tours, press releases, singalong choruses and Dada sound poetry, finally at an end. It's hard to sum up why without sitting you down one at a time and having a proper conversation, but that'd take too long.

Navigation menu
Dunstan Bruce, vocalist
Our neighbour would come home drunk every week, try to get into his house, fall over, and shout for his wife — it was a ritual. When Chumbawamba started in we were all squatting in a big, empty house, doing part-time jobs and sharing our money. We were an anarchist collective, influenced by the Sex Pistols and the Clash, but right from the start we wanted to sing harmonies and have singalong choruses.
Non-commercial news needs your support
We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. By using our website and our services, you agree to our use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy. Formed in a squat in Leeds, England, in , the anarchist pop group Chumbawamba were a most unlikely mainstream success story. After more than a decade in relative obscurity, much of it spent attacking the very notion of stardom, the band signed to a major label in and quickly scored a major international hit with the riotous single "Tubthumping. After recording a song for a compilation album, the trio teamed with Harry Hamer and Mavis Dillon -- members of one of the LP's other contributors, the Passion Killers -- and the Chumbawamba lineup was thus complete. The band quickly became a thorn in the side of British conservatives, mounting a series of benefit concerts for a variety of anti-Thatcherite causes and campaigns; before long, they were also the subject of frequent police raids. Released at the height of Live Aid-era goodwill, Chumbawamba's debut LP, Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records: Starvation, Charity and Rock 'n' Roll -- Lies and Tradition, appeared in , brutally attacking the principles of media limelight and career-boosting they perceived at the heart of the charitable event. The subject resurfaced in , when a celebrity cover of "Let It Be" mounted to raise money for ferry disaster victims was followed by the Chumbawamba single "Scab Aid," recorded as the pseudonymous Scum. Never Mind the Ballots
In , it was remixed in a more somber, minor key by The Flaming Lips. Independence Party leader Nigel Farage. The A. Club spoke to Chumbawamba co-founder Danbert Nobacon and vocalist Alice Nutter to discuss their lingering strong feelings about its legacy, as well as how an anarchist punk collective who wrote a song partially inspired by a drunk neighbor became unlikely pop superstars. Club: How did Chumbawamba first come together? We grew up in the same town, went to college, and dropped out because we wanted to be in a band again.