Chumbawamba Says Goodbye

The band’s 771-word good bye statement doesn’t say exactly when its final gig will be, only that it will be sometime before the end of the year, which marks Chumbawamba’s 30th anniversary.

“That it then, it’s the end. With neither a whimper, a bang or a reunion,” the statement begins.

Best known for the 1997 single “Tubthumping,” Chumbawamba covered topics including animal rights, class struggle, feminism and anti-fascism with a mix of anarcho-punk, folk, pop and world music.

The British rockers say it’s time to call it quits because life got in the way and the members couldn’t commit enough time and enthusiasm. 

“We felt we’d got to a point where what we did as a band – and specifically the writing, recording, touring cycle – wasn’t doing justice to what Chumbawamba set out to do in the first place. … 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.”

Although the statement noted that there were squabbles and arguments, along with griping, frustration, moaning and exasperation, the band said there was also “a huge amount of goodwill and generosity, good humor and love. What a riot it’s been, frankly.”

Chumbawamba thanked the band members, labels, agents, fans and “even those who ditched us after one too many of our bizarre route-choices.”

“We do hope that somewhere along the way we’ve been able to pass on some of that musical finger-pointing to others. However much we wanted to mess up our career options with all those bouts of chopping and changing, we relished a role as a band that could use music to pass on information. Songs as history lessons or cultural debates. If others have been inspired to switch off the telly and do something useful because of all this, then that will be our measure of success (more of a measure, in any case, than record sales).”

Before officially ending the band’s run, Chumbawamba says it reserves “the right to re-emerge as Chumbawamba doing something else entirely (certainly not touring and putting out albums every 2 or 3 years). But frankly that’s not very likely.”