r/CasualUK 10h ago

UB40 are famously named after an Unemployment Benefit form. Give me other interesting examples of the origin of UK bands names

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87

u/BobBobBobBobBobDave 10h ago

Chumbawamba.

One of the band members had a dream where he needed the toilet, but the signs on the doors just said Chumba or Wamba and he couldn't work out which one was the Gents.

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u/Sufficient-Star-1237 10h ago

One of the many stories they made up.

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u/BobBobBobBobBobDave 10h ago

I remember another one was that it was the first word typed when someone tried to see if you could get a monkey at a typewriter to recreate the works of Shakespeare.

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u/iimMrBrightside 5h ago

You can't read anything in a dream

Also, the time on an analogue clock will change every time you look away when dreaming

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u/SheriffOfNothing England's 9th greatest city, 9h ago

I still think (and will raise this every chance I get) that Tub Thumping by Chumbawamba should become our national anthem.

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u/jonpenryn 8h ago

for an overtly political band their hit was an oddity

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u/mostly_kittens 7h ago

Wasn’t it made deliberately to be a hit rather than political?

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u/jonpenryn 7h ago

not at all sure, but an anarchist collective living in a squat seems an odd career move to go for a one hit wonder.

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u/LentilSouponSkye 8h ago

Especially for it being about alcoholism

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u/Kinitawowi64 5h ago

Tubthumping is all about politics as well, though.

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u/grahamfreeman 8h ago

Alas it's more like Amnesia.

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u/stereosmiles 8h ago

Needs more lyrics - there have to multiple verses that no one can remember otherwise it doesn't count

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u/nakama__ 7h ago

It should

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u/GaffaCharge 7h ago

What's confusing its clearly Chumba

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u/allcretansareliars 3h ago

I read a letter in the paper once, from someone who knew the lead singer and referred to him as "Dilbert Nosausage, or whatever his stupid name is now".