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.
This Year's Thing
Chumbawamba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The greatest show on earth
Animals, clowns, freaks, misfits, contortionists
Fun for all the family
Currently residing in the 'where are they now' file
All tied up in elastic
Stubborn like weeds they've been here all the while
In good working order adjustable spanner
Industry junkies
Regurgitated cabaret under the hammer
They were running the show
[Chorus]
Let's hear it for this year's thing
Come on
Last year's thing
Come on
Next year's thing
Come on
Step right this way
Thrills chills and spills
Marvel at the daring feats
Pure entertainment
Karaoke sex we can spend the night together
I made a date with Elvis
While someone does a runner with the group's bread and butter
I heard the colonel sing
From a packet of twenty when will they learn?
SickalongaDanbert
That for one good smoke there's nineteen that burn
I never saw the strings attached to
[Chorus]
Jump a little higher
Live by fire die by fire
I am the dog in the manger
Or a dodgy brown packet with suspicious-looking wires
Here's my starter for ten
Behind that pane of glass your special backstage pass
Hear the never-has-beens
Meet the manager with his kecks down and kiss his arse
And watch it happen again
This time it's
[Chorus]
One, two, three, four
This year's thing, this year's thing, this year's thing
Politics is this year's thing
The lyrics of Chumbawamba's This Year's Thing criticize the entertainment industry and its tendency of feeding the audiences with repetitive and recycled content. The song kicks off with a typical circus announcement, calling for fun-seekers to witness "the greatest show on earth." While the song might seem like an ode to entertainment, it soon criticizes the industry's mediocre output. The lyrics mention the "animals, clowns, freaks, misfits, and contortionists," essentially assigning labels to performers who are forced to perform under these categories, targeting the entertainment industry's stereotype.
The second verse talks about these "egos" and "industry junkies" who are "running the show." This refers to the showbiz moguls and higher-ups who determine the course of the entertainment industry while putting performers under their thumbs. The song also points out the monotony of the industry's output by mentioning "regurgitated cabaret under the hammer," implying that everything looks and feels the same.
The lyrics of the chorus talk about celebrating "this year's thing," "last year's thing," and "next year's thing" without any difference between them, alluding to the repetition and lack of innovation that defines the industry. The song then veers off into a climax of the verse, where they call out people and situations associated with entertainment and critique them as well.
Line by Line Meaning
Roll up, roll up
Get ready, get ready.
The greatest show on earth
The grandest spectacle of all.
Animals, clowns, freaks, misfits, contortionists
An assortment of unique individuals and performers.
Fun for all the family
Entertainment that the whole family can enjoy.
Currently residing in the 'where are they now' file
The performers are now forgotten or obscure.
All tied up in elastic
Stuck in a situation that is hard to escape from.
Stubborn like weeds they've been here all the while
Persistent and resistant to change, staying around for a long time.
I saw the egos grow
I witnessed the performers' egos getting bigger and bigger.
In good working order adjustable spanner
An industrial tool that is functional and useful.
Industry junkies
People who are addicted to the entertainment industry.
Regurgitated cabaret under the hammer
An unoriginal show that is being sold to the public.
They were running the show
They had control over the spectacle.
Let's hear it for this year's thing
Applaud and appreciate the current year's entertainment.
Come on
Encouragement to join in and celebrate.
Last year's thing
The entertainment from the previous year.
Next year's thing
The entertainment that is yet to come in the next year.
Step right this way
Come closer and prepare to be amazed.
Thrills chills and spills
Exciting and dangerous stunts and performances.
Marvel at the daring feats
Be amazed and impressed by the impressive acts.
Pure entertainment
Solely for the purpose of enjoyment and amusement.
Karaoke sex we can spend the night together
A sexual or romantic encounter that is cheap and unoriginal.
I made a date with Elvis
I have planned an unrealistic or impossible meeting or event.
While someone does a runner with the group's bread and butter
While someone steals the essential element or source of income from the group.
I heard the colonel sing
I heard someone who is not a legitimate singer pretend to be one.
From a packet of twenty when will they learn?
Smoking cigarettes is harmful, yet people continue to do it.
SickalongaDanbert
A reference to a specific person or group.
That for one good smoke there's nineteen that burn
Most attempts or products will fail, even if there is a single success.
I never saw the strings attached to
I was unaware of the hidden motivations or manipulations behind something.
Jump a little higher
Try harder or exceed expectations.
Live by fire die by fire
The outcome is dependent on the actions taken or risks made.
I am the dog in the manger
Refusal to share or make use of something, even if one doesn't need it.
Or a dodgy brown packet with suspicious-looking wires
A sketchy or questionable package that looks dangerous or illegal.
Here's my starter for ten
An attempt or offering as a starting point.
Behind that pane of glass your special backstage pass
A VIP pass or experience that is shallow or unimportant.
Hear the never-has-beens
Listen to people who have never succeeded or been important.
Meet the manager with his kecks down and kiss his arse
Meet the person in charge who is willing to compromise oneself or others for their own benefit.
Watch it happen again
Witness the cycle or repetition of events.
This time it's
This occurrence is significant or different from others.
Politics is this year's thing
The focus or subject of this year's entertainment is politics.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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