Lou Watts | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Louise Mary Watts |
Born | Burnley, Lancashire, England | 4 June 1962
Genres | |
Occupations |
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Instruments | |
Years active | 1982–present |
Formerly of | Chumbawamba |
Louise Mary Watts (born 4 June 1962) is an English musician, best known for her work as a member of anarcho-punk (and, later, folk) band Chumbawamba.
Born in Burnley, Lancashire, Watts was introduced to the band by friend and member, writer Alice Nutter.
She was a member of Chumbawamba from their formation in 1982 until they disbanded in 2012. [1] She joined Boff Whalley, Danbert Nobacon and Midge and Tomi in 1982 to form the original line-up, and the band made their live debut in January of that year. [2]
The band gained popularity for their anarchist views and for their opposition to homophobia and fascism and support of feminism and gay rights. [3]
Watts provided lead vocals for the band's hit song "Tubthumping", which gained them international recognition, and topped charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy and New Zealand as well as "Tubthumping"'s follow-up song Amnesia, which reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. They were also nominated for a Brit Award for "Best British Single" at the 1998 Brit Awards, at which they also performed.
Along with Abbott, Whalley, Ferguson and Moody, Watts continued to work with the group and provide vocals, even after the majority of the original band members had departed and featured a shift in music style. She featured as a lead vocalist up until the band's last performances in 2012, becoming one of the band's longest serving members.
Chumbawamba were an English anarcho-punk band who 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 Brit Awards 1998. 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.
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