On 7th July 2012 Chumbawamba announced their impending breakup before the end of the year. Their very last concert was given at the Leeds City Varieties. At this show former members of the band, such as Harry Hamer and Danbert Nobacon made their appearance. At this theatre, Chumbawamba already performed 'Big Society!' with radical theatre company Red Ladder.
The last EP of the band was released April 8th, 2013, when Margaret Thatcher passed away. The Margaret Thatcher EP 'In Memoriam' is a 5-track sound collage featuring a few small songs, which could only be pre-ordered. It was mailed to all who pre-ordered on that very day.
Early years (1982-1991)
The band was formed in 1982 from two other bands based in Yorkshire, The Passion Killers and Chimp Eats Banana. They released a series of albums (such as Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records and the a capella album English Rebel Songs) and singles on their own Agit-Pop label before moving to One Little Indian in the early 90s.
One Little Indian (1991-1997)
On One Little Indian, Chumbawamba released three albums, Slap!, Shhh, and Anarchy, on which influences of techno music are noticeable. The songs for these albums were written in a period when dance culture was thriving and the band were also influenced by it. The music had turned into a more popular sound, which they emphasized was to spread the message more effectively. Touring for Anarchy, the concert at Leeds was recorded for the live album "Showbusiness!".
The last album released on One Little Indian is Swingin' with Raymond (1995). The albums first six songs are about (the right to) love and ends with seven songs loaded with hate (in the broadest sense of the word: it includes a song about anorexia nervosa).
The EMI years (1997-2000)
Anarchy or not, the band signed to EMI by 1997. At EMI, Chumbawamba had brief mainstream success, with the singles Tubthumping and Amnesia, taken from Tubthumper. Like Slap! and Shhh, the album was noticeably influenced by techno music. The new Chumbawamba fans needed for an overview, EMI might have thought. So Uneasy Listening, a compilation of work from 1986-1998 was released by 1998.
This move alienated much of the anarchist punk scene that yielded Chumbawamba in the 80's. To their former cohorts, this new Chumbawamba -one that licensed songs for commercials and signed to a major label- was different than the one that took part in the Fuck EMI compilation record a decade before. In 1998, Scottish punk band Oi Polloi put together a 7 band compilation EP with other bands like Riot/Clone and Bus Station Loonies in response. The name of the record was "Bare Faced Hypocrisy Sells Records(The Anti Chumbawamba EP)" as a nod to Chumbawamba's first record. Chumbawamba responded by noting that even the smaller labels they had worked with were capitalist by definition and were often only driven by profit. They added that, with the help of good lawyers, they were doing what the Sex Pistols had done two decades earlier – what punk had initially set out to do before it was beset by righteous puritans looking for "a new set of rules", as the band put it. But also, in the words of Chumbawamba vocalist Danbert Nobacon, they "needed things to change", needed to "shake things up". According to the band, "even radical politics can get stagnant and repetitive." Much of the profits from the album were donated to radical groups, pirate radio stations, community organisations and anarchist projects.
By 2000, the album WYSIWYG was released, being entirely different from previous work (and thus defying the idea that the band just wanted to make commercial hits): a 22-track soundscape, comprising rock, folk, country and pop music. It includes a cover of the Bee Gees song New York Mining Disaster.
Return to independance (2002-2010)
In 2002, Chumbawamba formed their own label again, now naming it Mutt Records. On this record label, they released Readymades, followed by the world music influenced Un (2004). These two albums brought Chumbawamba to what it is now: a folk group.
Since 2005, the band decided it would be better to turn into an acoustic band. The line-up has changed to: Boff Whalley, Lou Watts, Jude Abbot and Neil Ferguson (former producer of the band). It was this line-up that released the fully acoustic album A Singsong and a Scrap on the small UK Folk and Folk-Rock label NoMasters by 2006. The album uses more traditional instruments and features English Folk artists such as Coope, Boyes & Simpson and Andy Cutting. In 2007 followed by the live album Get On With It.
In 2008, another No Masters album, The Boy Bands Have Won, was released. It contained 25 tracks of new acoustic material, some derived from traditional folk, such as Charlie. It also had guest performances by, amongst others, the Oyster Band on Hull or Hell and Roy Bailey on Word Bomber. It's this album where Phil Moody joined Chumbawamba as accordionist and vocalist.
The third album that Chumbawamba recorded on NoMasters, ABCDEFG, was released. The album is cut from very much the same cloth as the The Boy Bands Have Won, but is richer in sound. ABCDEFG stands for every note in the Western music scheme, and the album itself is about the power that music can bring to communities (Voices, That's All) and deliver to people in struggle (Wagner At The Opera). It's the first Chumbawamba album fully dedicated to music matters, though Shhh (1991) preceded this release, criticising pop culture.
On ABCDEFG, next to the five Chumbas, (amongst others) Ray Cooper plays cello and harmonica, Belinda O'Hooley plays the piano and Jo Freya plays alt and tenor saxophone.
Former members of Chumbawamba
Apart from the moment that Chumbawamba changed from electric band to acoustic band, Chumbawamba's line-up has changed several times after its first gig at January 8th, 1982.
Danbert Nobacon: Singer and keyboard player of the band, famous for wearing the brick suit, and for throwing a jug of water over UK Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott who showed up at the Brit Awards. He's still making music, see Danbert Nobacon and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts.
Dunstan Bruce: Vocalist, bass and saxophone player, percussionist and turntablist of the band.
Alice Nutter: Singer and percussionist of the band, famous for the drunk nun act she performed during live shows. Now writing scripts for radio, tv and theatre pieces.
Harry Hamer: Singer, drummer, programmer and percussionist of the band.
Mavis Dillon: Dillon did vocals, trumpet, french horn and bass for ten years, until he was replaced by Jude Abbot by 1995.
Paul Greco: Bass guitar, entered the band by 1992. He was replaced by Neil Ferguson in 1999.
Other former members include Coby Laan, Simon Commonknowledge, Midge (former Chimp Eats Banana) and Diane. There were actually loads of band members, especially in the early years. An extensive band history can be found at the Chumbawamba FAQ.
El Fusilado
Chumbawamba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For my story I will tell–o
Lived in Mexico by the name of Wenseslao Moguel–o
Left my home in Santiago
The heart of the city of Merida
Served with my brothers and sisters all
For the army of Pancho Villa
Line up your bravest soldiers oh
Ten good shots I'll take them all
They call me El Fusilado
The Federales captured me
Bound up my arms with wire
Officer comes he says "Take your aim –
Steady your guns and fire!"
Bullet holes all across my chest
Ripped up my shirt and my body–o
Heart beat on through the silenced guns
To the rhythm of life inside me–o
Stand me straight against the nearest wall
Line up your bravest soldiers oh
Ten good shots I'll take them all
They call me El Fusilado
Fell to the ground the officer came
One last shot to the head–o
Heard through the pain as he walked away
And left me there for dead–o
All went quiet so I crawled away
I wasn't giving up to the glory
Ten good shots I took them all
And lived to tell my story
Stand me straight against the nearest wall
Line up your bravest soldiers oh
Ten good shots I'll take them all
They call me El Fusilado.
A true story. Wenseslao Moguel was captured while fighting in the Mexican revolution in 1915 and without trial sentenced to face the firing squad, 'las sentencias al paredon'. After being shot by the squad, and despite receiving the 'tiro de gracia' (shot at close range by the captain), Wenseslao somehow survived. He managed to escape and spent much of his life touring the USA with the 'Ripley's Believe It Or Not' travelling museum.
The song "El Fusilado" by Chumbawamba narrates the story of Wenseslao Moguel, a Mexican revolutionary who was captured by the Federales during the Mexican Revolution in 1915. He was sentenced to be executed by a firing squad without trial, and the song describes his last moments and his incredible survival. Moguel was a member of the army of Pancho Villa and fought alongside his brothers and sisters in Santiago, the heart of the city of Merida, before being captured.
The lyrics of the song are powerful and tell the story in a vivid and emotional way, with Moguel being described as "El Fusilado", the executed one. The song captures the bravery and defiance of Moguel in the face of his execution and his will to survive. The lyrics also highlight the brutality of the Mexican Revolution and the Federales' willingness to execute people without due process.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen close to this crooked mouth
Pay attention to what I have to say
For my story I will tell–o
I will share my personal experience
Lived in Mexico by the name of Wenseslao Moguel–o
My name is Wenseslao Moguel and I lived in Mexico
Left my home in Santiago
I departed from Santiago
The heart of the city of Merida
A city I left which is in the centre of Merida
Served with my brothers and sisters all
I fought alongside my fellow soldiers
For the army of Pancho Villa
We were fighting for Pancho Villa's army
Stand me straight against the nearest wall
Position me upright against a wall
Line up your bravest soldiers oh
Bring your fearless soldiers forward
Ten good shots I'll take them all
I am prepared to face ten lethal bullets
They call me El Fusilado
My name is El Fusilado
The Federales captured me
I was apprehended by the Federales
Bound up my arms with wire
My arms were restrained with wire
Officer comes he says "Take your aim –
An officer instructed the firing squad to take aim
Steady your guns and fire!"
The order was given to shoot
Bullet holes all across my chest
I was shot multiple times in the chest
Ripped up my shirt and my body–o
My shirt and body were damaged by the bullets
Heart beat on through the silenced guns
My heart was still beating despite the gunfire
To the rhythm of life inside me–o
My heart was the only sign of life inside me
Fell to the ground the officer came
I fell to the ground and the officer approached me
One last shot to the head–o
The captain delivered a final bullet to my head
Heard through the pain as he walked away
Despite the pain, I was still able to hear the captain walk away
And left me there for dead–o
He assumed I was dead and abandoned me
All went quiet so I crawled away
I crawled away once it was safe
I wasn't giving up to the glory
I refused to die and become a martyr
Ten good shots I took them all
I miraculously survived ten bullets
And lived to tell my story
I lived to share my tale
They call me El Fusilado.
My name has become synonymous with the incident - I am known as El Fusilado.
Contributed by Reagan W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.