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.
The Good Ship Lifestyle
Chumbawamba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All my friends jumped ship
I elect me the captain
This is the loneliest voyage
I've ever been on
Up in the crow's nest
Over there! I see land!
First mate? There is no first mate
(Chorus)
Sail away from the world
Sail away from the world
So steer a course
A course for nowhere
And drop the anchor
My little empire
I'm going nowhere
This is the good ship lifestyle
I'm going nowhere
This is the good ship lifestyle
I'm going nowhere
This is the good ship lifestyle
I fly my very own flag
TV dinners for one
At the captain's table
Repel all boarders
Draw the curtains tighter
Where's the crew? There is no crew
This is the good ship lifestyle
(Repeat chorus)
In Chumbawamba's song, The Good Ship Lifestyle, the singer chooses to sail away from the world and all its problems by getting on the good ship lifestyle. He has elected himself as the captain and now flys his own flag. While the singer is the captain, he is also the only passenger and crew, making it both the loneliest voyage he has ever been on, yet also completely under his control. As he stands in the crow's nest, he declares that he can see land, but there is no first mate nor crew to share his discovery with.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Sail away from the world," affirming the singer's choice to live on this self-made ship and away from the troubles that come with being a part of the world. He steers a course towards nowhere, drops anchor, and declares his personal empire. The captain's table now offers TV dinners for one, as he repels all boarders and draws the curtains tight. The singer is going nowhere, but in his mind, that is the point of the good ship lifestyle.
Line by Line Meaning
This is the good ship lifestyle
The singer is describing their way of life as a voyage on a ship.
All my friends jumped ship
The singer has chosen a solitary lifestyle and has lost many friends as a result.
I elect me the captain
The singer has taken control of their own life and is making all of their own decisions.
This is the loneliest voyage
I've ever been on
The artist admits that their journey is a lonely one and that they are not used to such solace.
Up in the crow's nest
Over there! I see land!
Though the artist has chosen a solitary lifestyle, they still hold hope for finding new lands and adventures.
First mate? There is no first mate
The singer is completely alone and has no one to share their journey with.
Sail away from the world
Sail away from the world
The singer is attempting to escape from the world and all of its problems.
So steer a course
A course for nowhere
And drop the anchor
My little empire
The artist is not looking to reach any particular destination, and is content with staying in one place with their own resources.
I'm going nowhere
This is the good ship lifestyle
The artist is content with their chosen lifestyle, even though it may not lead to any particular destination.
I fly my very own flag
The artist is independent and is not beholden to anyone else's ideals or beliefs.
TV dinners for one
At the captain's table
The singer is alone and spends their time indulging in simple pleasures, even though they're sitting in a position that would usually be filled with company.
Repel all boarders
Draw the curtains tighter
Where's the crew? There is no crew
The artist is becoming increasingly insular and protective of their solitary lifestyle.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ALICE NUTTER, ALLEN WHALLEY, DARREN HAMER, DUNCAN BRUCE, JUDITH ABBOTT, LOUISE WATTS, NIGEL HUNTER, PAUL GRECO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind