Sham 69 are a punk rock band that came together in 1976 to make music driven by angst.
The band’s breakthrough came in the form of the single “Borstal Breakout” which was released at the beginning of 1978. It was followed shortly after by the single, “Angels With Dirty Faces” which reached number 19 in May 1978. “If The Kids Are United”, was their biggest single of the year, reaching number 9 in July 1978. They earned the accolade of the only punk rock band to released five singles that had five singles make it to the Top 20 chart in the UK. Their debut album “Tell Us The Truth” which was released on February 18th 1978, charted in the UK reaching number 25. Their following album “That’s Life” which was released in late 1978, peaked at number 27.
Sham 69 took a different direction with their music, moving gradually away from punk rock, and releasing an album called “The Adventure of the Hersham Boys” in 1979. Despite mixed reviews, it still became their highest charting album to date, reaching number 8 in the UK. Unfortunately, nearing the end of 1979, following the band’s fourth album, “The Game”, the band disbanded for a decade.
Front man Jimmy Pursey, made a comeback with a brand new line up, and released an album entitled “Volunteer” it featured the singles “Rip And Tear” and “Outside the Warehouse”. Over the next ten years, the band would go through a similar routine of touring the last record, going into the studio to write a new one, release it and tour. Across this time, it saw the band have their song “If the Kids Are United” used in a McDonald’s advertising campaign. It was also used during UK Prime Minister Tony Blair’s arrival at the Labour Party Conference. “Hurry Up England – The People’s Anthem”, released on June 12th 2006 gave the band their first top ten hit in 26 years.
In 2014, Pursey made it apparent on social media that he was re-forming the 1977 line-up of the band.
Despite an approximate 10-year hiatus, Sham 69 is still keeping the English punk rock music alive. Consisting of original vocalist and guitarist Jimmy Pursey and Dave Parsons, the current lineup has been revamped with the addition of Dave Tregunna and Robin Guy.
Because of the rebirth of punk rock music, especially the original English version, the crowds that they now draw are varied in a broad age range. Some younger people come for the novelty of traditional punk rock music, while others of the older generations have been long time fans from the beginning. The collective strength of the drums and the raging guitar cause a massive adrenaline rush, resulting in uncontrollable body movement. Everything from spraying water onto the crowd, to shirtless rocking out on stage, the band is extremely relevant and still keeps with the revoltist mentality that has so long been ingrained in the punk rock scene. Everyone in the crowd is just as into the music as they are on stage, with tons of people rocking out, moshing or just head banging, you get everything, and everyone loving the atmosphere of the music. Their live performance is not merely a store; it is a full on experience.
Ellinoinsta
Entrar na sua conta
