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.
Timebomb
Chumbawamba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop now
What's that sound
Stop now
What's that sound
Stop now
What's that sound
I am a timebomb
A ticking ticking ticking timebomb
I am a timebomb
A ticking ticking ticking timebomb
Unattended on the railway station
In the litter at the dancehall
Sitting pretty near the fastfood-counter
In the backseat of a Vauxhall
I am a timebomb
A ticking ticking ticking timebomb
I am a timebomb
A ticking ticking ticking timebomb
Stop now
What's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop now
What's that sound
I am a timebomb
A ticking ticking ticking timebomb
I am a timebomb
A ticking ticking ticking timebomb
Hear the ticking of your heartbeat beating
Hear the breaking of their promises
Hear the smashing of your expectations
Hear the shattering of half-rhymes
I am a timebomb
A ticking ticking ticking timebomb
I am a timebomb
A ticking ticking ticking timebomb
Stop now
What's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop now
What's that sound
You know
Time tells you
Ah-ah-ah-ah
And all the timebombs
They're all dancing to the same song
In a world full of no ones
I am a someone
Timebomb
Timebomb
Timebomb
Timebomb
Stop now
What's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop now
What's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop now
What's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop now
What's that sound
London Bridge is falling down
The song "Timebomb" by Chumbawamba serves as a call to action for individuals to pause and pay attention to the events happening around them. The repeated refrain, "Stop now, what's that sound, everybody look what's going down," highlights the urgency for people to take notice and consider their actions. The lyrics repeatedly refer to the singer as a ticking time bomb, suggesting that their actions and reactions are unpredictable and could potentially lead to an explosive outcome if not addressed.
The song also references various locations where the ticking time bomb could be found, including a railway station, dancehall, fast-food counter, and the backseat of a Vauxhall. These various locations suggest that the ticking time bomb could be anyone, anywhere, and highlights the importance of being vigilant and aware of one's surroundings.
Additionally, the lyrics reference the shattering of half-rhymes, possibly alluding to the breakdown of communication and understanding between individuals. The song's overall message is one of urgency and a desire for people to stop and take notice of what is happening around them, in order to potentially prevent explosive situations from occurring.
Line by Line Meaning
Stop now
Pause and pay attention
What's that sound
What is happening that we should be aware of
Everybody look what's going down
Everyone needs to take action
I am a timebomb
I am a danger waiting to happen
A ticking ticking ticking timebomb
I am getting closer and closer to exploding
Unattended on the railway station
I have been left unnoticed in a public place
In the litter at the dancehall
I am hidden and ignored among the garbage
Sitting pretty near the fastfood-counter
I am sitting casually waiting for the right moment
In the backseat of a Vauxhall
I am hidden out of sight, but ready to cause destruction
Hear the ticking of your heartbeat beating
Feel the stress and pressure building up inside you
Hear the breaking of their promises
Witness the failure of those in power to keep their word
Hear the smashing of your expectations
Experience the disappointment of unmet hopes and dreams
Hear the shattering of half-rhymes
The rhythm and order of life is breaking down
You know Time tells you
Time warns us of impending danger
And all the timebombs They're all dancing to the same song
All those who will cause destruction are working together
In a world full of no ones I am a someone Timebomb Timebomb Timebomb Timebomb
In a world of chaos, I am a dangerous force
Stop now What's that sound Everybody look what's going down London Bridge is falling down
The world is falling apart and we must take action
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JUDITH ABBOTT, DUNCAN BRUCE, PAUL GRECO, DARREN HAMER, NIGEL HUNTER, ALICE NUTTER, STEPHEN A STILLS, LOUISE WATTS, ALLAN WHALLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind