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The Sex Pistols and The Clash may have inspired gangs of art school kids to dress up in bondage gear and stick safety pins through their noses when they kick-started the British punk scene in the late 1970s, but it was Sham 69 who captured the boisterous, beer-swilling spirit of the terraces and built a large skinhead following. Taking their name from a faded piece of graffiti that celebrated their local football team Walton & Hersham's 1969 league triumph, motormouth front man Jimmy Pursey spoke to the downtrodden, working class youth with forthright, in-yer-face sloganeering and great bouncy, shout-a-long chants. John Cale produced their first single I Don't Wanna, but it was the classic punk anthems Borstal Breakout, Hersham Boys, Hurry Up Harry and their signature tune If The Kids Are United that cemented their place in the movement. Troubled by elements of their fans attaching themselves to the National Front and increasing violence at their gigs, the band split in 1983, but reformed for the 2006 World Cup single Hurry Up England which reached Number 10 in the UK charts. They continue today without Pursey, with their legacy proving the inspiration for the Oi! punk genre and bands such as Rancid and Dropkick Murphys.
Artist biography compiled by BDS/West 10. All rights reserved
