Chumbawamba encapsulate all the aspects of punk that were so revolutionary and the model it aspired to be- staunchly aware of politics in every aspect of society; making bold gestures to create a spectacle and more importantly, working to make life better. Pretty much every political topic has been explored or responded to in the band’s back catalogue in a way that never felt tokenistic or forced- you very much believed they stood by what they were singing about. Primarily a punk band in all the ways that matter, but their sound spanned pop and folk with electronic sounds, melodic vocals and a fair few talky bits (to give it a technical term).
In terms of philosophy, the band run the gamut of anti-Capitalist rhetoric a la Marx, to demonstrating disillusionment with New Labour a la….well a lot of people. Through the lyrics to their songs and the causes they chose to promote and their general lifestyle, they supported animal rights, anti-Capitalism and Imperialism, feminism, gay liberation and just general anti greed and nastiness. If one of the many things that set punk apart from other genres was the bombastic political commentary and support for progressive and left-wing causes, then Chumbawamba are nestled well in the tradition.
Formed in 1982 in Burnley, Lancashire, they had a relatively steady and prolific career until they disbanded in 2012 after 30 years together. It is not controversial to say that they are probably best known for their 1997 song Tubthumping which went on to be nominated for a Brit Award in 1998 for Best Single. Initially inspired by bands like The Fall and Crass, they quickly found themselves an active part of the anarcho-punk movement that was a loose name for a cohort of bands who had song content that in some way was considered to endorse anarchist political principles.
Were they anarchists though? Well, they had an album called Anarchy (1994) and they certainly used a lot of terms in their music that were common parts of anarchist lexicon. Despite being given lots of labels- punk; anarcho-punk; Marxists etc, the band spent a lot of their career avoiding being pigeonholed into boxes that meant strict adherence to certain codes or loyalty to certain groups and instead, sought to pursue the actions and values they deemed worthwhile.
A whistle-stop, cursory tour through their songs shows a raft of (not entirely unconnected) issues- ‘On Ebay’ addresses the issue of stealing/reappropriating cultural artefacts; trolls and hatemongers online are laid bare in ‘Add Me’ and the approval by James Hetfield for allowing his music to be used to torture prisoners at Guantanamo Bay is given the Chumbawamba treatment in ‘Torturing James Hetfield’.
They were certainly able to commentate on the big, galvanising events of the time and there was none less so than the miners’ strike in 1984-85. The treatment of the striking miners at the hands of the Thatcher government and the brutality shown by the police was an event that radicalised many working class people. The band wrote the song Fitzwilliam about the events, named after a village in West Yorkshire . They were heavily involved in the strike- they had gone to join the miners at the picket lines previously and were angered by the devastation that was allowed to occur following the nationwide closing of mines. In Fitzwilliam village, rioting had occurred in 1984 and 20 people were arrested, just 3 weeks after one of the most notorious incidents in the strike- the Battle of Orgreave. When those who were charged made it to court, there was a demonstration by supportive locals outside the court building. The song Fitzwilliam was released in 1985- a hymn style song that links to the folk tradition of the protest song. It doesn’t have to be loud and shouty to make a political point or convey anger. In fact, the message of the song, with references to ‘cops with truncheons’ and being ‘attacked in the village’ and ‘attacked in the courts’, is clear where the band stand. In 1988 they released a full album of traditional English protest songs- English Rebel Songs.
How ever the members chose to label their political ideologies over the years, this instalment of Punk Rock Philosophy is more concerned about a more ever-present theme in their music- challenging hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy was a big theme of tracks throughout their career- whether it was from the politicians, their musical peers or the media or any other source. Their 1986 album Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records was a rather unsubtle dig at Bob Geldof and his Live Aid concert which – according to the band- did very little to interrogate the systems that actually caused world hunger in the first place. It was also their penchant for calling out hypocrisy that led the band to douse UK Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott with water at the 1998 Brit Awards. At the same event they changed the lyrics of their song Tubthumping to “New Labour sold out the dockers, just like they’ll sell out the rest of us”, as New Labour refused to show support to dockworkers in Liverpool who on strike (which is what earned Prescott a tableside shower). Songs such as Mouthful of Shit is another overt statement calling out liars and fakers (at one gig it was dedicated to Tony Blair and Noel Gallagher).
But what is hypocrisy really? How staunchly and uncompromisingly do you have to stick to principles to avoid being labelled a hypocrite? What di philosophers say about it?
In quick and simple terms, it means claiming to hold beliefs or values and then doing the opposite. Discussions on the topic of hypocrisy- particularly as it pertains to men in public life- have cropped up in works by the likes of Voltaire and Rousseau and Tories publicly accused the Whigs of hypocrisy as far back as the 18th century. Religious traditions unsurprisingly condemn hypocrisy as being akin to lying and in the Islamic texts, hypocrisy is viewed as a sickness. Famously, Jesus had no time for hypocrites and would publicly diss the likes of the Pharisees and scribes whom he thought were displaying double standards.
For the likes of Machiavelli, humans are both deceitful and power-hungry by nature and if it is easier to seem virtuous and fair, rather than actually doing something to demonstrate these virtues, then us nasty humans will probably take the road of least effort but with best results. So, if it helps you get elected to say one thing but you can get away with doing another, then that is what you’ll do. And if that isn’t most people’s definition of a politician then I don’t know what is.
One of the pitfalls of being so hot on calling out hypocrites is that you put yourself in the position of needing to demonstrate consistency yourself, lest you be thrown onto the pariah heap. Chumbabwamba- like most bands- have had to handle allegations levied against them that they have made decisions that are not entirely in keeping with their espoused beliefs. In 2002, General Motors paid the band to use their song Pass It Along in one of their adverts. However, in a case of the old ‘lets flip reverse it’, the band donated the anti-corporate groups Indymedia and Corpwatch who used the money to launch a campaign against GM. And so many of the band’s detractors could be satiated. And they had previously turned down a significant amount of money from Nike to use a song in one of their ads.
Whatever your thoughts on some of the individual decisions the band made over the years (such as signing to EMI- another act that they had to defend in line with their principles), you can’t deny that principles, ethics and solidarity pulse through their musical output. It wasn’t just about saying the right things in song but encouraging people to think about the actions they might take to fight against the things they saw damaging their friends, family and community.
They were inviting you to action (such as songs like Enough is Enough) underpinned by the belief that rhetoric and good intentions have to be backed up by deeds. Solidarity needs actions that tangibly and genuinely improve the life of those you purport to support whilst claiming to be so offended by their mistreatment. As their final statement made clear:
“We were always as much about ideas as music, and that meant doing more than writing, recording and touring songs.
Chumbawamba was our vehicle for pointing at the naked Emperors, for telling our version of the truth; it gave us more than the joy and love of playing live, writing songs and singing together – it gave us a chance to be part of a broad coalition of activists and hectors, optimists and questioners.”
In 2012, the announcement was made via the band’s website that they were calling it quits, in their own words “with neither a whimper, a bang or a reunion”. They played 3 final shows in October and November of that year and then the curtain came down on a vibrant career as agitators, entertainers and generous supporters of many causes.