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Hometown: Hersham, Surrey (UK)

About:

Formed in 1976, Sham 69 were an early British punk act from the London suburb of Hersham, Surrey. The band, fronted by singer / lyricist Jimmy Pursey, was one of the first to take a proletarian, working class stance in punk music. The band's songwriting also made frequent use of football chants and hard rock influences that would further inspire the Oi! and street punk movements. Despite an often socialist outlook, their early shows were plagued by violence and interference by extreme right wing elements. The band's debut single "Ulster" arrived on Step Forward Records in 1977, followed by a major label debut Borstal Breakout, spawning the hit "If The Kids Are United."

Reviews

Sham 69

Best Of: The Cockney Kids Are Innocent (2002)

Castle Music

Punk Rock Bowling adds more bands to lineup
The organizers of Punk Rock Bowling have added more bands to the Las Vegas festival's lineup. New additions include Sham 69, Hepcat, Hot Water Music, Youth of Today,…
February 17, 2012

Jimmy Pursey's Sham 69 becomes DAY21
Sham 69 frontman Jimmy Pursey has renamed his band DAY21, thus ending a period of confusion in which two groups of former Sham 69 members were laying claim to the name. DAY21's lineup will feature Pursey on vocals along with bassist Mat Sargent, guitarist Rev and drummer Snell. The other Sham, now presumably the only Sham, is lead by guitarist Dave Parsons and recently featured a lineup that included bassist Rob Jefferson,…
February 14, 2008

Sham 69's Jimmy Pursey speaks out on former bandmates' North American tour
Sham 69 frontman Jimmy Pursey has written in with a statement on the upcoming North American tour booked by his ex-bandmates. Pursey and guitarist Dave Parsons have both laid claim to the band name following a bitter split earlier…
August 10, 2007

Tours: Sham 69 (North America)
Veteran UK punk act Sham 69 are returning to North America later this summer for a tour that will bring them to an assorted list of cities in the US and Canada. Click below for the dates. Now the confusing thing is that following the split between frontman Jimmy Pursey and guitarist Dave Parsons both parties have laid claim to the band name and both have made the promise of upcoming recordings. It looks like the…
July 11, 2007

Tours: Sham 69 members claiming name after split
The BBC is reporting that long-running punk band Sham 69 have split up in what is being termed a "bitter fall-out" between vocalist Jimmy Pursey and guitarist Dave…
January 26, 2007

Streams: Roger Miret and the Disasters - My Riot
Next week Roger Miret and the Disasters will release their new album My Riot, their first for…
August 16, 2006

Streams: Rhino plans Gothic set with Cure, Joy Division, Siouxie & the Banshees, Nick Cave, Misfits, Damned
Rhino Records has announced plans to release a boxed set on September 18th titled A Life Less Lived: The Gothic Box. The four-disc set will feature 3 CDs with 53 songs along with a 12 video DVD featuring material that spans from 1978 to 1998. From the press release: Long before its black velvet and pale skin fashions crept into American malls, Goth music represented an underground movement led by fans who favored…
July 24, 2006