ALLAN Mark “Boff” Whalley is an English musician and writer who was formerly the lead guitarist for the anarcho-punk and folk band Chumbawamba.
Anarchist punk band Chumbawamba was formed in 1982, but it was in 1997 when they hit the big time in mainstream music when they released Tubthumping.
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It topped the charts in numerous countries across the world, including Australia and Italy, and landed at No2 in the UK.
The band announced they were splitting after 30 years in 2012, and during their time together the group made their political views very well known.
Now, Boff has a totally different job years on from his Chumbawamba days.
The music star runs a Leeds-based choir, named Commoners Choir.
Boff told Mag North: “Around a decade or so ago I’d finished with Chumbawamba and was working in theatre and arts projects, writing music and plays and enjoying this way of working that didn’t involve tours and press releases and humping guitar amps around.
“I didn’t want to start another band. But then I had an idea – or possibly half an idea. It was the thought of a punk choir. A huge choir of people who could marry four-part harmony singing with a punk attitude.
“So I wrote a manifesto – knowing that all the famous twentieth century art movements had a manifesto – which called on people to gather and sing in the name of change.
“The manifesto declared that this choir (whatever it would be called) would keep to the ethos of the original punk movement; to challenge and to change.”
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The choir has produced a couple of album, their own t-shirts, mugs and beanie hats.
Boff continued: “We have a broad range of characters, from GPs to food-writers, from traditional stone-carvers to gardeners.
“At root we’re just a big bunch of people trying to sing about the world around us.”
Chumbawamba originally consisted of Allan “Boff” Whalley, Danbert Nobacon, Midge and Tomi, and Alice joined at the end of 1982.
Their most popular songs include Tubthumping, Amnesia, Enough Is Enough and Timebomb.
In 1998 they were nominated for best single at the Brits for their tune Tubthumping.
Unfortunate they didn’t win.
But some fans will remember that drummer Danbert Nobacon threw water over politician John Prescott during the ceremony.
Alice left the band in 2004 and is now a successful writer – something that she always wanted to be.
She told the Guardian: “If you’re jumping about in your mid-40s, you look f**king stupid”.
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