“What's the point in breaking your back when you're stuck on the same old hour contract?”
Cumbria has always had a deeply passionate punk scene. From the largely working-class population to the current dissatisfaction of the youth, these ingredients have created the perfect environment for such a rebellion.
From the likes of No Thrills and Muff Wigs, to HEXED and Fat Albert, Cumbria’s punk scene is very much alive and strong. However, whilst all these bands perform punk music, none have excited me as much as The Scumbrians.
Known for their no-nonsense attitude and straight to the point lyrics, The Scumbrians have been championing Cumbrian music for nearly 10 years. They have earned themselves a great reputation among the Cumbrian music scene, not only for their brilliant image and ecstatic live shows but for their approach to punk music.
As a very saturated genre, punk music is very often hard to re-invent. Nevertheless, The Scumbrians have managed to develop something special. Singing about themes of politics, war and social disparity they are honest and true to the very nature of punk, especially with tracks such as “Tory Scumbag” and “Jimmy Saville.”
While the band regularly gig in and around Cumbria, including a recent gig for Ukraine and the upcoming “The Boof” festival in Whitehaven, it's peculiar that they haven't released music since 2016. Could new music be on the horizon?
Nothing has been announced yet, but while we await news from the band let's take a look back at some of their tracks on 2016’s self-titled “The Scumbrians.”
“Zero Hour Hero” is a stand-out, featuring back and forth rhythms and a bassline similar to Pixies, it's a track that highlights the issues of zero-hour contracts and the realities of what that means for the working class. Nothing demonstrates this more than one of the verses:
“What's the point in breaking your back when you're stuck on the same old hour contract? You're running blind, tossed behind the line, begging for some overtime! You've got your lawyers, You’ve got your meals but there ain't no space for these working-class heroes”
Whereas “Do Your Job”, the beginning track sounds reminiscent of Slaves and reflects the point of view of a boss telling their employees to just do their jobs without much input or direction, something we can all relate to.
Overall, The Scumbrians sound is very traditional hardcore punk music. However, their approach and honesty really make them stand out in a world full of bog-standard punk acts, I just hope they release some more music soon…
Psst, we're out here fighting for change.
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