Four original members of the band have left the group since 2009. Aleksandra Campesinos! (vocals, keyboards, glockenspiel) left the band in 2009 to focus on her studies. She was replaced by Gareth's sister Kim in September 2009. Ollie Campesinos! (drums) left the band June 2010 and was replaced a three weeks later by Jason Campesinos!, the band's longtime road manager and merch table salesmen. Harriet Campesinos! (violin, keyboards, vocals) left the band on in September 2011 to continue her studies. Ellen Campesinos! (bass, vocals) left the band in December 2012 to focus on other projects, including her career as a writer and comedian. Rob Campesinos!, who performs solo as Sparky Deathcap, is the official eighth (or, since Aleksandra's departure, ninth) Campesinos! - the band compares his role in the band to the one Bob Nastanovich had in Pavement. After a year of being a semi-official member, Rob was made a full member of the band upon Ollie's departure. The band's name translates to "The Peasants" (or "The Farmers") in Spanish.
The band performed their first gig in May 2006 at a student union club night, and went on to play a number of increasingly well-received gigs around Cardiff. An early demo was recorded featuring the songs Death To Los Campesinos!, It Started With A Mixx, Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks, and live favourite You! Me! Dancing!. The songs were posted on the internet, bolstering the popularity established by their energetic live shows and earning them airplay on Beth & Huw's evening show on BBC Radio 1 Wales. The band's reputation continued to grow, and in August 2006 landed them a slot supporting Canadian supergroup Broken Social Scene.
In November 2006, the band were signed by Wichita Recordings, who put out their first single on 26 February 2007, a double A-side featuring new songs We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives and Don't Tell Me To Do The Math(s). In April the band signed to Canadian label Arts & Crafts for Canadian and North American releases. In June 2007 the band released You! Me! Dancing! on limited edition 7" coloured vinyl, accompanied by a handful of dates playing Bath, Newport, Cardiff and London. The EP Sticking Fingers Into Sockets was released on 3 July on Arts & Crafts, produced by Broken Social Scene collaborator Dave Newfeld. The band embarked on their first full UK tour in October, preceded by the The International Tweexcore Underground single (released October 15th 2007).
Their debut album, titled Hold On Now, Youngster... was released in the UK and as a digital download on February 25, 2008; the physical record was released North America on April 1.
On August 1, 2008, the band released their second record We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed in the UK on October 14, 2008.
On June 2 2009, Original member Aleks Campesinos announced she would be leaving the group after the release of their third album, to return to university to continue her studies
The band released their third album, Romance is Boring on 26 January 2010 in the United States and 1 February 2010 in the UK. The band released an accompanying acoustic EP, All's Well That Ends on 19 July 2010. The EP was their first release to feature new members Rob and Kim, and the final to feature Ollie, who left the band the previous month.
In August 2011, the band announced that Harriet would be leaving the band in September 2011 to return to school. A few days later on 31 August 2011, the band announced their fourth album, "Hello Sadness", would be released on 14 November 2011. On 8 September 2011, the band released the first single from the album, "By Your Hand", as a free download from their website, accompanied by a music video.
Police Story
Los Campesinos! Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is run by pigs
They take the rights away from
All the kids
Understand:
We're fighting a war we can't win
They hate us!
We can't win-- no way!
Walk down the street
I flip them off
They hit me across the head
With a billy club!
Understand:
We're fighting a war we can't win
They hate us!
We hate them!
We can't win-- no way!
Nothing I do, nothing I say
I tell them to go get fucked
They put me away
Understand:
We're fighting a war we can't win
They hate us!
We hate them!
We can't win-- no way!
I go to court,
For my crime,
Stand in line to pay bail
I am tragically aware
I may serve time!
Understand:
We're fighting a war we can't win
They hate us!
We hate them!
We can't win-- no way!
Los Campesinos!'s song Police Story depicts the feeling of helplessness and anger towards the authority of the police. The lyrics express that the city is governed by corrupt and unjust policemen who take away the rights of young individuals. The lyrics "This fucking city is run by pigs, they take the rights away from all the kids" show the frustrations and bitterness faced by the youth who feel that they have no say in the government's decisions. The song has a tone of rebellion and resistance, as the lyrics "We're fighting a war we can't win, They hate us! We hate them! We can't win-- no way!" suggests that they are at a disadvantage in this war, and feel like they are fighting a losing battle.
The lyrics "nothing I do, nothing I say, I tell them to go get fucked, they put me away" convey the idea that the police's actions are arbitrary, and that they can detain people without any apparent reason. The line "They hit me across the head with a billy club!" paints a picture of violent and excessive force used by the police. The lyrics "I am tragically aware I may serve time" show the individual's acceptance of their fate, where they have to face the consequences of their actions, knowing that the police can do whatever they want.
Overall, Police Story is a powerful and honest depiction of the people's frustration towards the police, who are supposed to be the ones who protect them. The song reflects on the distrust towards authority, and highlights the importance of standing up for one's rights.
Line by Line Meaning
This fucking city
We're in a shitty situation in a city that's not treating us well
Is run by pigs
The authority figures in charge are corrupt, insensitive and oppressive
They take the rights away from
The authorities strip us of our rights, leaving us helpless
All the kids
Young people are particularly vulnerable to police brutality and discrimination
Walk down the street
Navigating through the city is a struggle
I flip them off
We express our anger and frustration towards the police and authority figures
They hit me across the head
The police use force to silence and intimidate us
With a billy club!
They use weapons to hurt us
Nothing I do, nothing I say
We feel powerless in the face of their aggression and brutality
I tell them to go get fucked
We curse and protest their actions, knowing that it probably won't make a difference
They put me away
We are punished and silenced for speaking out
I go to court,
We are forced to appear in court to face charges
For my crime,
We may have committed a crime, but the punishment doesn't seem fair or just
Stand in line to pay bail
We face financial burdens on top of legal ones
I am tragically aware
We know that the system is against us and our chances of winning are slim
I may serve time!
We may have to face a harsher punishment than we feel is warranted
Contributed by Grayson M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Raul Szafranski
MIND BLOWING!!!
Seanus McWillybutts
this is awesome.
CitrusLLLad
BANGER
a
SO TRUE
winter
yes.
Seanus McWillybutts
"need a wee" :L
David Suzukush
wtf?
waiting-all-my-life
lol