Dunstan Bruce

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Dunstan Bruce
Birth nameDuncan "Dunstan" Bruce
Born (1960-12-31) 31 December 1960 (age 63)
Billingham, England
Genres Anarcho-punk, post-punk
Occupation(s)Vocalist, musician, filmmaker
Years active1982–present

Dunstan Bruce (born 31 December 1960) is a British musician and filmmaker who is best known for his work with Leeds-based anarcho-punk band Chumbawamba, of which he was a founding member. He grew up in the northern industrial town of Billingham.

Contents

Career

Musician

Prior to Chumbawamba, Bruce sang for the Billingham-based band Men in a Suitcase. At the beginning of 1982, Bruce joined Chumbawamba and was the lead singer of the band's biggest hit single, "Tubthumping". Bruce left Chumbawamba at the end of 2004 along with Alice Nutter, Harry Hamer and Danbert Nobacon when the band transformed into an acoustic/folk outfit who eventually split up in 2012.

Bruce is the lead singer of Interrobang?!, an agitprop post-punk band he formed in 2012 with ex-Chumbawamba drummer Harry Hamer and ex-Regular Fries guitarist Stephen Griffin. They released a critically acclaimed eponymous album in 2018. [1]

Bruce performed a spoken word piece accompanied by music as the Existential Angst of Dunstan Bruce. [2]

Filmmaker

Bruce has a film production company. [3] He collaborated on Channel 4's Whatever: A Teenage Musical, [4] and worked on several documentary films: Well Done. Now Sod Off. (2000) during his time in Chumbawamba, [5] I Get Knocked Down (2021) about his experience in Chumbawamba, [5] A Curious Life about the folk rock band Levellers (band), [6] and This Band Is So Gorgeous!: Sham 69 in China about the punk band Sham 69. It was nominated for "Best Music Documentary" at the 2012 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. [7]

In 2022, his one-man show Am I Invisible Yet? played in New Milton. [8]

Related Research Articles

Anarcho-punk is an ideological subgenre of punk rock that promotes anarchism. Some use the term broadly to refer to any punk music with anarchist lyrical content, which may figure in crust punk, hardcore punk, folk punk, and other styles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chumbawamba</span> British alternative rock band (1982–2012)

Chumbawamba was a British anarchist punk band formed in 1982 and disbanded in 2012. They are best known for their 1997 single "Tubthumping", which was nominated for Best British Single at the 1998 Brit Awards. Other singles include "Amnesia", "Enough Is Enough", "Timebomb", "Top of the World ", and "Add Me". Their anarcho-communist political leanings led them to have an irreverent attitude toward authority, and to espouse a variety of political and social causes including animal rights and pacifism and later regarding class struggle, Marxism, feminism, and anti-fascism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Levellers (band)</span> English folk rock band

Levellers are an English folk rock and anarcho-punk band formed in Brighton, England, in 1988, consisting of Mark Chadwick, Jeremy Cunningham, Charlie Heather (drums), Jon Sevink (violin), Simon Friend, Matt Savage (keyboards) and Dan Donnelly. Taking their name from the Levellers political movement, the band released their first EP in 1989 and LP in 1990, with international success following upon signing to China Records and the release of their second album Levelling the Land. The band were among the most popular indie bands in Britain in the early 1990s, and performed at the Glastonbury Festival, first in 1992, then in 1994, where they performed as the headline act on The Pyramid Stage to a record crowd of 300,000 people. They continue to record and tour.

<i>The ABCs of Anarchism</i> 1999 EP by Negativland and Chumbawamba

The ABCs of Anarchism is an EP by American electronic group Negativland and British rock band Chumbawamba. A three-track collection, it incorporates samples of songs from Chumbawamba's Tubthumper (1997) as well as music by the then-current artists including Ice Cube and the Spice Girls, and television shows such as M*A*S*H and Teletubbies. The release's lyrics focus on political theory and children's media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oysterband</span> British folk rock band

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<i>Never Mind the Ballots</i> 1987 studio album by Chumbawamba

Never Mind the Ballots is the second studio album by anarchist punk band Chumbawamba. Most of the songs center on lying politicians and their search for more voter control. It was originally released on cassette and LP, then re-released in the 1990s as half of the Chumbawamba compilation CD First 2, which is a combination of their first two LP albums released on a single CD.

<i>Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records</i> 1986 studio album by Chumbawamba

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tubthumping</span> 1997 single by Chumbawamba

"Tubthumping" is a song released by British rock band Chumbawamba from their eighth studio album Tubthumper from 1997. It is the band's most successful single, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart. It topped the charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand and reached number six on the US Billboard Hot 100. At the 1998 Brit Awards, "Tubthumping" was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Single. It sold 880,000 copies in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lou Watts</span> English musician (born 1962)

Louise "Lou" Watts is an English musician, best known for her work as a member of anarcho-punk band Chumbawamba.

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Anarchy is the sixth studio album by anarcho-punk band Chumbawamba. Many of the tracks address specific social issues, such as homophobia, strikes or fascism.

<i>Tubthumper</i> 1997 studio album by Chumbawamba

Tubthumper is the eighth studio album and the major label debut by English rock band Chumbawamba, released on 1 September 1997 by EMI. The album was written and produced by Chumbawamba, with additional production from Neil Ferguson. A musical departure from the group's anarcho-punk roots, the album incorporates elements of pop rock, dance-pop, and alternative rock. Thematically, the album acts as a social commentary on a variety of political issues, particularly that of class conflict. Tubthumper was promoted with three singles: "Tubthumping", "Amnesia", and "Drip, Drip, Drip". "Top of the World ", a standalone single previously featured on the official music compilation album for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, was included on a European reissue of Tubthumper.

<i>Slap!</i> 1990 studio album by Chumbawamba

Slap! is the fourth studio album by anarchist punk band Chumbawamba. A radical redefinition of the band's sound and attitude, the songs now inspires dancing more than moshing, and the lyrics are celebratory as opposed to victimist. The cover art is the popular kitsch painting Chinese Girl (1952) by Vladimir Tretchikoff.

<i>Swingin with Raymond</i> 1995 studio album by Chumbawamba

Swingin' with Raymond is the seventh studio album by anarchist punk band Chumbawamba. The album cover features a photograph of Raymond Mills.

<i>WYSIWYG</i> (album) 2000 studio album by Chumbawamba

WYSIWYG is the ninth studio album by English rock band Chumbawamba, released on 4 April 2000 by EMI. The album was written and produced by Chumbawamba, with additional production by Neil Ferguson. Originally a continuation of the sound of predecessor Tubthumper (1997), the group scrapped the material from the album's initial recording sessions and sought to explore new sounds with WYSIWYG. The album incorporates elements of pop, dance-pop, alternative rock, and experimental music. Thematically, the album explores various aspects of pop culture that the group had been exposed to due to the success of their 1997 single "Tubthumping". WYSIWYG was promoted with one single: "She's Got All the Friends That Money Can Buy".

<i>Uneasy Listening</i> (Chumbawamba album) 1998 compilation album by Chumbawamba

Uneasy Listening is a compilation album by anarcho-punk band Chumbawamba. It contains songs from the time of their first album Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records up to 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amnesia (Chumbawamba song)</span> 1998 single by Chumbawamba

"Amnesia" is the second single from English rock band Chumbawamba's eighth studio album, Tubthumper (1997). The song's lyrics address the sense of betrayal that English leftists felt during the rise of New Labour. Released on 19 January 1998 by EMI, the song was met with favorable reception from critics, who regarded the song as a highlight from Tubthumper.

Alice Nutter is an English musician, best known as part of the anarchist music group Chumbawamba, and writer for theatre, radio and television.

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<i>Going, Going – Live at Leeds City Varieties</i> 2013 video by Chumbawamba

Going, Going – Live at Leeds City Varieties is a live DVD by Chumbawamba. Filmed at Leeds City Varieties in December 2012 and released in 2013, it records the band's final gig before they split up, bringing to an end a 30–year career.

References

  1. Ross, Chloe (20 March 2018). "Album Review: Interrobang (Self Titled) • RadioHud". Radiohud.com. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  2. "A Politically Meaningful Camaraderie". Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  3. "Chumbawamba: They got knocked down... | The Independent". The Independent. 11 March 2008. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  4. "TV UK, 7 May". www.spiked-online.com. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  5. 1 2 Willman, Chris (14 March 2022). "'I Get Knocked Down' Review: Singer Thumps a Tub for Life After Chumbawamba's Lone Hit". Variety. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  6. Newman, Melinda (7 July 2015). "Chumbawamba's Dunstan Bruce Starts Kickstarter to Fund 'Untold Story' Documentary". Billboard. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  7. Wissot, Lauren (30 November 2012). "Top of the Doc: Toasting 25 Years at IDFA 2012 - Filmmaker Magazine". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  8. "Laughs, tunes and illusions at New Milton venue in October". Advertiser and Times. 29 September 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2024.

Further reading