Skip The Budgie

The old Holy Cross social club¹ in Bedminster is one of those venues with a village hall kind of atmosphere. They have crammed in as many chairs as they can, because tonight we have one of the great modern folk protest bands of the early nineties, who have grown old gracefully and stopped shouting. Chumbawamba seem to have totally reinvented themselves in the last few years, although what they've really done is just get rid of all the electro and keep the close harmonies.

I just love Chumbawamba's acoustic sound these days, they're all great singers and the whole evening is light-hearted and slightly rebellious, they take old songs and change the words so they're about banks and Gordon Brown (Hard Times of Old England) and we all feel righteous and clever. Everyone thinks it's hilarious that they have made an E.P. to celebrate the passing of Dame Thatcher, which you can have sent to your house if you give them a fiver. It's a bit sick, but Chumbawamba still remember all the political songs they used to sing, the reasons why they were so angry back then and so do we, because we're cool too.

The Boy Bands Have Won is a brilliant album, full of humour and beauty and the usual politicking, an example you can hear for yourself as they perform El Fusillado (see also Charlie) - I do not feature in either of these videos, thankfully.

They are ably supported by Jacques, A Robin, who plays quirky French/Spanish sounding acoustic songs, the sort of music you'd hear in the Greenpeace tent or at a protest, although I can't really make out what he's saying - it's either down with the government, or I like boobies, I just can't tell.