It’s the question that’s been on everyone’s lips since the late nineties. We all know they got knocked down, but did they really get back up again? Did Chumbawamba’s ‘Tubthumping’ just get to number one with big chat? The answer is, as you’d expect, yes. They maintained their position on the ground through the noughties, then broke up.
That’s not to say they haven’t tried. They attempted to fight the inevitable “One Hit Wonder” label with a plethora of invisible records, but everyone seemed to forget Chumbawamba’s existence after about 2000. Naturally, they had their memories jogged in 2007 when the song featured on the Alvin and the Chipmunks video game. It was a seminal reemergence for the anarcho-punk band, to be rivalled only by UKIP’s use of the song at the 2011 party conference.
Sadly, it all came to an ‘official split’ end in 2012. It was a travesty, but luckily 2013 brought the release of In Memoriam: Margaret Thatcher, an EP ode to the great leader recorded in 2005 to be released upon her death. Rumour has it David Cameron ordered a copy back in ‘07.
